2021 Kansas Jayhawks football team
The 2021 Kansas Jayhawks football team will represent the University of Kansas in the 2021 NCAA Division I FBS football season. It will be the Jayhawks 132nd season. The Jayhawks will be led by third-year head coach Les Miles. They are members of the Big 12 Conference. They will play their home games at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium.
| 2021 Kansas Jayhawks football | |
|---|---|
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| Conference | Big 12 Conference |
| 2021 record | 0–0 (0–0 Big 12) |
| Head coach |
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| Offensive coordinator | Mike DeBord (1st season) |
| Defensive coordinator | D. J. Eliot (3rd season) |
| Home stadium | David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium (Capacity: 47,000) |
Uniform | |
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| 2021 Big 12 Conference football standings | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team | W | L | W | L | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Baylor | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Iowa State | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kansas | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kansas State | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Oklahoma | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Oklahoma State | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| TCU | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Texas | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Texas Tech | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| West Virginia | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Championship: December 4, 2021 Standings listed according to Big 12 unbalanced tiebreaker procedure. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Jayhawks will look to rebound from their 3rd winless season in program history after finishing 0–9 in the 2020 season, which was shortened due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Jayhawks will look to end multiple streaks during the season, 41 games to AP ranked teams, 54 road conference games, 12 conference games, and an overall losing streak of 13. They will also look to qualify for a bowl game for the first time since the 2008 season.
Offseason
Starters lost
Overall, the Jayhawks had 23 players run out of eligibility. Below are the starters from 2020 who have run out of eligibility.
| Name | Position |
|---|---|
| Malik Clark | G |
| Adagio Lopeti | C |
| Kwamie Lassiter II | WR |
| Sam Burt | DE |
| Kyron Johnson | LB |
| Nate Betts | CB |
| Elijah Jones | CB |
| Logan Klusman | LS |
Coaching staff changes
| Name | Position | Replacement |
|---|---|---|
| Brett Dearmon | Offensive coordinator | Mike DeBord |
| John Morookian | Offensive line | Lee Grimes |
Recruiting
The Jayhawks have 23 commitments for their 2020 recruiting class. Below is the breakdown. The only positions KU did not have any recruits for were kicker and punter.
Overall class ranking
| Website | Overall rank | Conference rank | 4 star recruits | 3 star recruits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rivals | 40 | 3 | 1 | 22 |
| 247 Sports | 52 | 6 | 1 | 22 |
Top recruit
The Jayhawks received a commitment from their highest rated recruit, based on Rivals.com's rankings, in program history, Quaydarius Davis who is the 59th ranked recruit by Rivals.
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quaydarius Davis WR |
Dallas, TX | Skyline | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | 193 lb (88 kg) | Jan 2, 2021 | |
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 81 | ||||||
Positional breakdown
| Position | Number |
|---|---|
| WR | 4 |
| RB | 1 |
| TE | 1 |
| QB | 2 |
| OL | 3 |
| LB | 2 |
| DL | 3 |
| DB | 5 |
| ATH | 2 |
All information above is as of February 2, 2021
Transfers
| Player | Position | Old school | New school |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colin Grunhard | C | Notre Dame | Kansas |
| Andrew Parchment | WR | Kansas | Florida State |
| Kevin Terry | WR | Texas Tech | Kansas |
| Kyle Thompson | P | Kansas | TBD |
Entered NFL draft
| Player | Position |
|---|---|
| Pooka Williams Jr. | RB |
Big 12 media poll
The 2020 preseason poll will be released at the Big 12 media days in the summer.
Schedule
Dates for the Jayhawks 2021 conference schedule will be announced at a later date.
| Date | Opponent | Site | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| September 4 | South Dakota* | ||
| September 11 | Coastal Carolina* |
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| September 25 | Duke* |
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| TBD | Baylor* |
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| TBD | at Oklahoma State | ||
| TBD | West Virginia |
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| TBD | Kansas State |
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| TBD | at Iowa State | ||
| TBD | Oklahoma |
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| TBD | at TCU | ||
| TBD | Texas Tech |
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| TBD | Texas | ||
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- Source:[1]
Roster
This is a preliminary based on the 2020 roster with seniors and transfers removed. The roster may include players no longer with the program. The roster will be finalized in the fall.
| 2020 Kansas Jayhawks Football | ||||||||||
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Quarterback
Running back
Wide receiver
Tight end
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Offensive line
Defensive line
Linebacker
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Defensive back
Special teams
Roster updated: February 2, 2021 | ||||||||
Coaching staff
| Name | Position |
|---|---|
| Les Miles | Head coach |
| Mike DeBord | Offensive coordinator |
| D.J. Eliot | Defensive coordinator/linebackers |
| Chidera Uzo-Diribe | Outside linebackers |
| Emmett Jones | Wide receivers/passing game coordinator |
| Joshua Eargle | Tight ends/recruiting coordinator |
| Jonathan Wallace | Running backs/special teams |
| Chevis Jackson | Defensive backs |
| Jordan Peterson | Safeties |
| Kwahn Drake | Defensive line/defensive run game coordinator |
| Lee Grimes | Offensive line |
| Ben Iannachionne | Director of football strength & conditioning |
References
- "2020 Kansas Jayhawks Football Schedule". KUAthletics.com. Retrieved December 18, 2020.