Preview 2019: Previewing and looking ahead to the Kansas Jayhawks season with what you need to know.
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– What You Need To Know: Offense | Defense
– Top Players | Key Players, Games, Stats
– What Will Happen, Win Total Prediction
– Recruiting Class Analysis | Schedule Analysis
– Kansas Previews 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015
2018 Record: 3-9 overall, 1-8 in Big 12
Head Coach: Les Miles, 1st year
5. WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE KANSAS OFFENSE
– How is the offense going to change under the new coaching staff? It’s going to try to control games with balance, midrange passes, and … it’s going to try to keep up. But what’s the identity going to be? That’s a work in progress considering how many jobs won’t be decided until all the pieces are in place in fall camp.
Les Miles obviously doesn’t have LSU talent to work with – especially on the offensive front – but no matter how it all comes together, the O has to average more than 351 yards and 24 points per game to keep up in the explosive Big 12.
– Offensive coordinator Les Koenning is on his 11th coaching gig in 20 years, but he knows how to coach up quarterbacks. Three quarterbacks saw meaningful action throughout last season, but even though Carter Stanley and Peyton Bender are experienced, JUCO transfer Thomas MacVittie is almost certainly the one Miles will build around for the next two years. The former Pitt Panther can move a little bit, but he’s a passer. The 6-5 bomber fits what the staff wants.
– Leading receiver Steven Sims and three of the top four pass catchers are gone – this might take a little bit. Daylon Charlot started out his career at Alabama, came to Kansas, and caught 12 passes last season.
He can move, JUCO transfer and former NIU Huskie Andrew Parchment has good size and can get down the field, and former JUCO transfer Stephon Robinson returns as the leading target coming off a 28-catch, 330-yard year. Junior Jack Luavasa has been a blocker, but the tight ends will get more involved.
– No the line wasn’t anything amazing, but it wasn’t a total disaster. There’s some shuffling to do, but the left size should be about as set as possible with the return of senior Hakeem Adeniji and OG Malik Clark. Now they need someone to block for.
– 1,125-yard all-star Pooka Williams is currently suspended after his highly-publicized arrest in a domestic abuse case. The legal proceedings are done, but he’s still not back on the team. If he’s not in the mix, senior Khalil Herbert and junior Dom Williams will handle the work in a rotation after combining for well over 700 yards. The 5-10, 170-pound Pooka Williams, though, is the difference maker.
NEXT: What You Need To Know About the Defense, Top Players, Keys to the Season, What Will Happen
4. WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE KANSAS DEFENSE
– Former Colorado defensive coordinator DJ Eliot inherits a D that was great at taking the ball away in bunches, but struggled to generate much of a pass rush and got hit really, really hard by the Big 12 passing games. Six starters have to be replaced, but the JUCO transfers are about to play a bigger role, especially the ones brought in last year for the line.
Jelani Brown saw a little bit of time on the inside, and the 6-3, 287-pound Codey Cole and 6-7, 265-pound Darrius Moragne will get a long look on the ends.
All three came in last season as JUCO transfers, and all three will have to fight for jobs in fall camp. Watch out for former Missouri Tiger Caleb Simpson and fellow JUCO transfer Malcolm Lee to make a huge push for time in the rotation once they arrive.
– There’s no replacing Joe Dineen at one of the linebacker spots, but tweener Azur Kamara has the upside to grow into a role as an edge rusher, and former JUCO transfer Drew Harvey should be a volume-tackler with his 230-pound size and promising range on the inside. The linebacking corps won’t have much in the way of experience, but it’ll be able to move.
– Working around safeties Mike Lee and Bryce Tomeden, the secondary will be the biggest defensive stretch early on. Look out for sophomore Corione Harris to grow into one of the team’s best defenders at one corner spot after coming up with 44 tackles and a pick as a true freshman, while Hasan Defense is back after coming up with a team-high three picks. He’s a safety, but he’ll get a long look at corner.
NEXT: Top Players, Keys To the Season, What Will Happen
3. TOP KANSAS PLAYERS
Best Kansas Offensive Player
RB Pooka Williams Soph.
Obviously this all depends on whether or not he’s back on the team. The 5-10, 170-pounder took the Big 12 by storm with his all-star freshman season, running for 1,125 yards and seven scores – averaging seven yards per carry – with 33 catches for 289 yards and two scores.
He lit up Oklahoma for 252 rushing yards and two scores, ripped through a great Texas defense, and was the do-it-all star to build the offense around – and then he was arrested and suspended after being charged with domestic battery late last year. Miles has hinted that Williams will be back at some point, and he’ll be the focal point of the offense if and when that happens.
2. OT Hakeem Adeniji, Sr.
3. QB Thomas MacVittie, Jr.
4. RB Khalil Herbert, Sr.
5. OG Malik Clark, Jr.
Best Kansas Defensive Player
CB Corione Harris, Soph.
Let’s just throw the whole secondary in here. Hasan Defense came up with the most picks of the bunch with three, Bryce Torneden is the leading returning tackler, and Mike Lee made a whole lot of stops at his safety spot. But in terms of upside and talent, the 6-1, 180-pound Harris is the one to work around.
Thrown to the wolves as a true freshman from New Orleans, he proved he was worth all the recruiting noise with 44 tackles a pick and six broken up passes in his first season. He’s an SEC starting-caliber corner playing for the Jayhawks – he could’ve found a home in one of Les Miles’ LSU secondaries.
2. S/CB Hasan Defense, Sr.
3. S Bryce Torneden, Sr.
4. S Mike Lee, Sr.
5. P Kyle Thompson, Jr.
NEXT: Keys to the Season, Prediction & What Will Happen
2. KEYS TO THE SEASON
Biggest Key To The Kansas Offense
Score, score, score. The Jayhawks aren’t going to have the firepower to keep up with the top Big 12 offenses – or even the mediocre ones – but at the very least, they have to score whenever they get the chance.
Duh … everyone tries to do that. The difference was how KU managed to misfire on way too many easy chances. The defense helped the cause with takeaways and good field position, but the O only scored on 21 of its 28 possessions inside the red zone, and only got into the end zone half of the time.
Biggest Key To The Kansas Defense
Keep the takeaways coming. There might be a massive turnover on defense and in the coaching staff, but the Jayhawks still have to force turnovers to stay in games. Last year they came up with a league-high 27 takeaways and topped the Big 12 in turnover margin, helped by six against both Central Michigan and Rutgers in back-to-back weeks.
The D picked off Will Grier of West Virginia three times, forced two or more turnovers in seven games, and managed to go 3-1 when going a +2 or better in turnover margin – the one loss was the 55-40 scare it threw into Oklahoma.
Key Player To A Successful Season
QB Thomas MacVittie, Jr.
Kansas hasn’t had a questioned No. 1 quarterback since Todd Reesing was rolling back in 2009. The 2019 Jayhawks have plenty of options, but it’s the 6-5, 215-pound MacVittie who comes in with the expectations to finally settle the spot.
A pure pro passer, he’s got the arm to push the ball down the field, and the experience at Mesa CC to step in and be ready to take over right away – at least that’s the hope.
Key Game To The Kansas Season
West Virginia, Sept. 21
1-7 all-time vs. the Mountaineers – the lone win coming in 2013 – the Jayhawks will know where they stand and how far things have come in the Big 12 opener in Lawrence. If all goes according to plan, KU will be 2-1 – at worst – after beating Indiana State and Coastal Carolina, and with a likely loss at Boston College.
With trips to TCU and Texas wrapped around a date with Oklahoma to follow, Les Miles needs this win over WVU new head coach Neal Brown to avoid an almost certain 0-4 Big 12 start.
– Kansas Schedule Breakdown & Analysis
2018 Kansas Fun Stats
– Interceptions Thrown: Opponents 16 – Kansas 4
– Average Yards Per Pass: Opponents 8.20 – Kansas 5.89
– Onside Kicks: Kansas 2-of-5 – Opponents 0-of-0
NEXT: What Will Happen
1. KANSAS WIN TOTAL PREDICTION: WHAT’S GOING TO HAPPEN
2009 was the first time Kansas won more than three games, it’s been 11 years since the program went bowling, and 12 years since – yes, this is true – it came within a Big 12 championship loss to Missouri from playing for the national title.
Even a national championship-caliber head coach as strong as Les Miles won’t be good enough to get the Jayhawks back to the elite level anytime soon, but he and the new coaching staff should be able to account for at least an extra win.
There are a ton of question marks thanks to a boat load of transfers, the loss of several key players, and with the offensive backfield, the defensive front, and the receiving corps all needing some tweaking – to be kind – and depth chart refinement this August.
Set The Regular Season Win Total At … 4
The Jayhawks will beat Indiana State and Coastal Carolina to start out 2-0, but where will the other wins come from?
They won’t win at Boston College, and they’ll be the underdogs in every Big 12 game, but expect one game when everything clicks – like at home against Texas Tech or against Kansas State – and throw in one out-of-the-blue shocker because Les Miles and his staff will be just good enough.
When was the last time Kansas won two Big 12 games? 2008. It’ll be a crawl before the Jayhawks can walk, but it’ll be a fun ride no matter what.
Welcome to the Les Miles era.
– What You Need To Know: Offense | Defense
– Top Players | Key Players, Games, Stats
– Recruiting Class Analysis | Schedule Analysis
