Anonymous Big 12 coach says Kansas is a 'wildcard' in 2023

For nearly the past 15 offseasons, nobody would be thinking too much of Kansas football in late June. Things are now different in Lawrence, with head coach Lance Leipold producing the feel-good story of the season and getting the Jayhawks to a bowl game. Six wins is a massive improvement for the program and they are still looking to take a step forward.

Leipold still has a lot of work to do, even with recent success. An anonymous Big 12 coach called Kansas a “wildcard” heading into the 2023 season due to the coaching. The coach believes the roster still has a ton of room to improve but with how Leipold runs his offense, Big 12 defenses will be on their heels.

“They’re a wildcard this season,” the coach said. “They’re still not particularly talented, but they’re so creative on offense that it compensates in a lot of places. It’s a lot of work pre-snap and with formations, and they’re very disciplined in how they do it.”

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Jalon Daniels is Kansas’ on-field leader, factoring in as a solid dual-threat quarterback. Daniels threw for 2,014 yards, 18 touchdowns, and four interceptions in nine games while rushing for 425 yards and seven touchdowns. He returns with another year of the system in the books and will be looking to improve.

But there is still a glaring problem for Kansas according to the anonymous coach. The defense is “far behind” and will once again cause headaches.

“The defense is pretty far behind,” the coach said. “They’re working the portal to get up to par, but it’s still a ways off in terms of depth.”

Even with the success, Kansas sported the worst defense in the Big 12. Opponents averaged just over 35 points per game against the Jayhawks — deal last in the conference. They were in a similar spot against the run, giving up 209.2 yards per game.

Of the 13 players Leipold brought in through the NCAA transfer portal, seven of them were on the defensive end. Looking even further, five of those are considered EDGE players or defensive linemen. Kansas clearly identified the line of scrimmage as a position of need.

Any kind of improvement there and the “wildcard” description of Kansas becomes even more true. Definitely a team Big 12 coaches will not enjoy seeing on the schedule.