For readers who have seen our breakdowns of the quarterback and running back positions for the Kansas football team, you are probably starting to see a trend. The offense returns nearly every skill player from last year’s team. Included in that group are the top four wide receivers. Here is how the receiver room looks heading into the 2024 season.
The Top Weapons for Kansas Football
Barring injury or someone coming out of the blue, the top weapons for Jalon Daniels will be the same as last season.
Lawrence Arnold will likely be Daniels’ top target. He has eclipsed 700 yards in each of the past two seasons. Arnold is a big target and will make his mark in contested catch and red zone situations. At 6 feet 3 inches, Arnold has the size advantage on virtually every defender that lines up across from him. That is a key weapon to have, as Daniels should always have someone he trusts to go make a play when nobody else is open.
Another big body target for Daniels will be Quentin Skinner. Skinner plays a lot like Arnold, using his size on contested catches and long legs to separate from defenders on longer developing routes. He’s not overly fast, but the combination of size and route running make him another threat for the offense. Between him and Arnold, the Jayhawks will consistently put downfield pressure on opposing defenses.
The Beneficiaries
The beneficiary of those downfield threats will be Luke Grimm. Grimm will be the underneath target for Daniels and has proven to be a reliable option in the passing game during his time at Kansas.
Having amassed nearly 1,800 yards in his career, Grimm uses excellent route running to get open. He is able to turn underneath routes into bigger plays after the catch. Grimm is a perfect complement to Arnold and Skinner, given his ability to work in places where defenders have vacated to cover the deep threats.
Behind those three on the depth chart are some unproven veterans who appear to be ready to step up if called upon.
Trevor Wilson transferred from Buffalo along with head coach Lance Leipold, and had a significant impact in his first season as a Jayhawk. While his past two seasons haven’t seen the same success, he has shown that he can at least be a reliable option if needed.
Douglas Emilien is a former three-star prospect who has yet to have much impact at the college level. He has just eight catches in his two seasons at Kansas (with zero catches in two years at Minnesota), but has shown flashes during the offseason.
The lone underclassman receiver is redshirt freshman Keaton Kubecka, who was also a three-star recruit. Ideally, Emilien and Kubecka don’t see the field more than a handful of times per game, with the proven commodities taking on a majority of the snaps.
None of these players are likely to blow scouts away. None of them are likely to be early round draft picks, either. In fact, there would likely be little pushback if it was said that none of them would reach 1,000 yards this season. However, that’s because Kansas’ “big three” could all have somewhere in the 700-900 yard range.
With a running back duo that could easily eclipse 2,000 combined yards, you don’t need elite wide receivers. You need guys that can be a threat and step up when called upon. That’s exactly what the Jayhawks have.
The type of diversity that the Kansas offense will present can cause all sorts of problems for opposing football teams. They will roll out arguably the best quarterback and running back in the conference, which will take a ton of pressure off a receiving group that has three legitimate weapons.
To the rest of the Big 12, good luck.
