If you read my article about the Kansas Jayhawks’ offense entering 2026, you know that the football program will be replacing a lot of production on that side of the ball. Fortunately, the defense wasn’t quite as ravaged by graduation and outgoing transfers as the offense. However, there was still a lot of work to do in order to put together a defensive unit that the coaching staff felt good about going into 2026. Luckily for the Jayhawks, a lot of the actual statistical producers are coming back.
Kansas Football: Jayhawks Defense Looks to Rise in 2026
The leading sack-getter for Kansas, Leroy Harris, will be back and looking to lead a fairly intact defensive line. All of the other starters are gone, but there was a good amount of production from the rotational players behind them. The Jayhawks have half of their total sacks from last year returning. They also have a pair of second-stringers who ended up collecting the most and sixth-most tackles among their defensive linemen. They’ll need to be able to hold their own up front, because they only return one linebacker who had more than five tackles.
On the back end, however, they bring back a good amount of the 2025 rotation. Two starter cornerbacks and a starting safety will be back for 2026, as well as a pair of backups that saw plenty of action. They will be tasked with replacing a starting cornerback, starting safety, and two rotation safeties either through the portal or with freshmen.
Plenty to Prove
On the defensive line, they brought in a group of transfers that have something to prove. Whether it’s a player like Kevin Oatis, who was at a big school (Arkansas) but didn’t see much playing time. Or, a player like Jibriel Conde, who spent his first two seasons with Grand Valley State before moving up to Division I. These players want to show that they belong at the power conference level. Then there’s those somewhere in between those two paths.
Eamon Smalls and Tre’Von McAlpine are both coming off of productive seasons in the American. Meanwhile, David Santiago saw plenty of action at Michigan State. There likely isn’t a future All-American in this group. However, there could certainly be multiple effective rotational players.
New Faces at Linebacker
The linebacker room took the biggest hit in the offseason. Yet, the position also brought in some of the more exciting transfers on the defensive side of the ball. Four of the five incoming linebackers have had at least 40 tackles in a season. Daveon Crouch leads the way, having collected 77 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, a pair of sacks, and four passes defensed in 2024.
Others that will compete for playing time include Landyn Watson from Kentucky, Jibreel Al-Amin from Marshall, Quincy Davis from New Mexico State, and Jaron Willis from South Carolina. This incoming group has plenty of experience, so whoever comes out on top will certainly have earned it.
Even though the secondary is fairly in tact from last year, you can never have too much depth at a position that sees 5-6 players on the field during a game. There is one player who, on paper, stands out from the rest of the incoming defensive backs.
Corey Gordon Jr. has collected 117 tackles, eight passes defensed, and three interceptions across his past three seasons at Baylor and Louisville. He will likely be a frontrunner to take one of the opening starter spots.
Next in line will likely be Jaden Harris, who had a productive 2024 with Miami before settling into a more of a reserve role with Georgia last season. The last three, Roman Pearson, Elijah Cannon, and Khijohnn Cummings-Coleman, are a mix of measurable production at a smaller school (Ball State) and lesser production at a bigger school (Mississippi State and Iowa State). Like the linebacker group, there should be a good level of competition for the couple spots up for grabs in 2026.
New-look Special Teams
Lastly, the Jayhawks will be replacing one of the best kickers they’ve ever had. Laith Marjan made 14 of his 17 field goal attempts in 2025, along with all 40 of his extra point attempts. The one tasked with replacing him, luckily, also had a good 2025 season.
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Last year at Michigan State, Martin Connington made 12 of his 16 field goals and 27 of his 28 extra points. He had essentially the same efficiency as Marjan on a bit less volume. Hopefully he can carry that over to his time at Kansas.
Final Thoughts
The Kansas football team has relied heavily on their offense for the better part of Lance Leipold’s tenure as head coach. With Andy Kotelnicki returning to the coaching staff, that could be the case once again. However, when it comes to experience, the defense far outweighs the offense. With essentially a completely new group of skill position players on offense, the defense has an opportunity to carry the load in 2026. If that’s the case, the incoming transfers could play an even bigger role in the team’s success.
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Kyle Jones
Kyle joined The League Winners in May of 2024 and is currently covering the Kansas Jayhawks, while also dabbling in the Kansas City Chiefs. He is a born and raised Chiefs and Jayhawks fan, as well as the Royals. When he's not watching and writing about sports, Kyle enjoys reading, playing video games, and spending time with his wife and dog.