The Kansas Jayhawks have had a string of successful pass rushers in the short time that Lance Leipold has been at the helm. Lonnie Phelps and Austin Booker saw their lone seasons with the Jayhawks lead to All-Big 12 selections and NFL achievement. Just last year, Dean Miller took his career sack total from zero to six, which was good enough for a spot on the second-team All-Big 12 Defense and is a 2025 preseason All-Big 12 First Team selection by Athlon. And as Kansas looks ahead, 2026 EDGE Hunter Higgins is looking to be the next successful EDGE for the Jayhawks.
Kansas Jayhawks Player Spotlight: Hunter Higgins
Asking the Maize South EDGE if the program’s history of success played a role in his decision to commit to Kansas, Hunter Higgins didn’t hesitate.
“It definitely did [play a role] because I want to play at the next level. I don’t think it would be right for me to be at KU if I didn’t want that. Coach O [Defensive Ends Coach Taiwo Onatolu] has great success with pass rushers and so does Coach [Defensive Analyst Joe] Dineen. I also love how I feel like I can still make my own mark on pass rushers at Kansas.”
Unlike those three, however, Higgins has an even deeper reason for choosing the Jayhawks. He’s a born and raised Kansan.
“Playing for Kansas means more pride for the team I’m on. Every tradition seems natural because all of them are based around my life growing up and being a Kansan. It will be easy for me to give all I have to this program for the amount of pride I have.”
This was a great transition into the next question for Higgins – why he thinks the Jayhawks have had so much success with this class of recruits after Kansas State had dominated the in-state recruiting for years.
“I think momentum is a huge thing. You can’t beat KU’s staff combined with the campus, a new stadium, new facilities, revived fanbase for football. It just feels like the place for us to be.”
Higgins is one of seven Jayhawk commits in 2026 that is from the state of Kansas. All seven are ranked inside the top-14 in the state. Of the seven not committed to Kansas, only one is committed to their in-state rival. Higgins is the fifth-ranked player in the state and is the third-highest ranked player in the class for Kansas.
With that in mind, we asked him what he’s going to offer the Jayhawks when he gets on campus.
“I think my best attribute is being coachable. I never want a coach to have to tell me something more than once … that will translate to very quick improvement being an early enrollee. On the field, I feel like I show a lot of technical things along with football IQ and hustle. Outside of the field, I’ve grown to be a lot more of a vocal leader and have the answers to questions that other players ask of me.”
All of the traits he listed are what every coach looks for, especially the intangibles. Being coachable, having a high football IQ, and top-end hustle are surefire ways to make an impact on a coach, a team, and a program.
Lastly, we asked him who his all-time favorite player is and why.
“I really like Luke Kuechly for his attitude and intensity. He’s the definition of flipping the switch when he gets on the field. He’s a studier of the game and everything is easy for him once it’s game time because of all his preparation.”
From the sounds of it, Higgins is ready to give whatever it takes to improve himself and his team. That is something that head coach Lance Leipold and his staff will make great use of during his time in Lawrence.
Discover more from The League Winners
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
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.