Kahner Sampson/Special to the Journal-World
The Kansas offensive line goes by a drill throughout KU Football’s apply on Monday, Aug. 17, 2026, in Lawrence.
Long Island University didn’t precisely begin the 2026 season, its eighth general as a Division I program since its two campuses merged their athletic departments into one, in good type.
The Sharks, who play on the FCS degree, went behind 42-0 by halftime in opposition to North Dakota of their Week 0 opener.
But the Fighting Hawks have executed that type of factor to a good variety of groups through the years. What actually stood out to Kansas coach Lance Leipold in watching LIU was that “even though the score got lopsided, how well their coaches kept coaching their guys and you didn’t see frustrated kids. They kept playing hard.”
The remaining rating was 42-21. As the Jayhawks now put together to kick off their very own season at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium on Friday at 7 p.m., they’ll have to keep up their focus in opposition to a little-known program that, whereas a colossal underdog, did beat FBS Eastern Michigan early in 2025.
“Our focus needs to make sure we respect all,” Leipold mentioned. “Our focus needs to be that we’re ready to play and play our best football right out of the gate.”
Loads has modified for KU within the offseason after the Jayhawks completed 2025 with an underwhelming 5-7 report. Andy Kotelnicki, architect of KU’s wonderful offenses in 2022 and 2023, returned from Penn State to function affiliate head coach and offensive play caller; Jim Zebrowski moved to passing sport coordinator. Joe Dineen earned a promotion to defensive ends coach as Taiwo Onatolu shifted his focus to particular groups.
On the sphere, KU introduced in dozens of transfers to replenish its roster with a little bit of an overhaul for the second straight offseason, resulting in the acquisitions of playmakers like operating backs Dylan Edwards and Yasin Willis and large receiver Nik McMillan. On protection, the Jayhawks strengthened their secondary with gamers like cornerbacks Elijah Cannon (Mississippi State) and Roman Pearson (Ball State) and safeties Khijohnn Cummings-Coleman (Iowa State), Corey Gordon (Louisville) and Jaden Harris (Georgia).
Maybe essentially the most notable change of all was at quarterback, the place promising former three-star recruit Isaiah Marshall beat out incumbent backup Cole Ballard within the race to exchange Jalon Daniels.
Various members of the KU teaching workers have reiterated all through the offseason that the Jayhawks have gotten deeper (for instance, at linebacker, the place Quincy Davis and Jibreel Al-Amin will again up Trey Lathan and Bam Crouch) and usually greater (within the trenches specifically).
Now it’s time for the Jayhawks to begin proving on the sphere that they’ll shock the Big 12 in a yr when not all that a lot is anticipated of them on a nationwide degree.
Kotelnicki was requested on Monday if he likes the offense proper now.
“I love it, I ‘Gotta Have It,’ like it’s Cold Stone, right?” he mentioned. “That’s the biggest flavor, ‘Gotta Have It.’ That’s where I’m at.”
Tasked with limiting that offense would be the Sharks, who have been a top-10 scoring protection in FCS in 2025, though their efficiency in opposition to North Dakota doesn’t encourage a lot confidence in that realm. Rafael Fasolino, a sixth-year linebacker who was preseason all-conference, led LIU with 10 tackles within the loss and intercepted a move. Defensive again Trey Watkins is a turnover machine, however doesn’t seem to have performed within the opener.
“On defense, they move a lot, they show a lot of different things, so I think eyes have to be perfect for the offense,” left deal with Calvin Clements mentioned.
On offense, LIU used three quarterbacks final yr. Now it has a brand new offensive coordinator, “so they’re probably getting a feel for what they’re really about,” Leipold mentioned.
Ethan Greenwood, who additionally earned a preseason all-league choice, went simply 3-for-9 with an interception in opposition to UND, whereas Luca Stanzani changed him within the second half and was way more efficient (12-for-16, 173 yards, one landing to Boakai Veikei). Nathan Gray, a real freshman operating again, carried the ball eight instances for 30 yards.
KU is way faraway from its days of shut calls in opposition to FCS foes, but it surely’ll have to care for enterprise in opposition to the Sharks simply because it did in opposition to fellow NEC squad Wagner final season.
“Across the board, I think we’ve got great depth, and I think we got really good playmakers on offense and defense,” defensive deal with Blake Herold mentioned, “so I’m ready to see what we can do in a real game.”
KANSAS JAYHAWKS (0-0) VS. LONG ISLAND SHARKS (0-1)
• David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium, Lawrence, 7 p.m.
• Broadcast: ESPNU
• Radio: Jayhawk Radio Network (in Lawrence, KLWN AM 1320 / K269GB FM 101.7 / KKSW FM 105.9)
• Betting line: KU -41.5; over/underneath 54.5
• Series historical past: None
KEEP AN EYE OUT
1. Vanguard: When KU comes out for the opening coin toss, it is going to be represented by 5 staff captains: Ballard, Clements, Herold, linebacker Trey Lathan and lengthy snapper Rino Monteforte. All 5 are new alternatives, and Monteforte, whom Leipold has known as “the most vocal, best leader from the long-snapping position that I’ve ever come across in all the years I’ve been involved in college football,” is a switch from Cal. Leipold mentioned the 5 gamers chosen “clearly separated themselves” in a vote amongst gamers on the roster. Herold known as it an honor to captain a historic program: “I know I’m not from Kansas, but being able to be in this program and kind of follow in the footsteps of everyone before me is a big deal,” he added.
2. Lingering concern: Last season, Cam Pickett scored the primary landing within the new David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium. He caught one other by halftime of his first sport as a Jayhawk however then received injured and noticed restricted motion for a piece of the season because of this. This yr, KU might not have Pickett in any respect in its opener. He has been coping with an unspecified harm because the late phases of fall camp, and Leipold mentioned he didn’t apply on Monday. (Availability experiences are solely issued for Big 12 video games.) Sophomore Tate Nagy is listed as Pickett’s direct backup within the slot on KU’s depth chart, however Kotelnicki urged that if the Jayhawks are with out Pickett, the subsequent man up for schematic functions could possibly be an additional operating again or tight finish.
3. New routine: This might be extra of a storyline to look at all through the season, however following its considerably completely different fall camp schedule, KU is altering its weekly apply schedule. Where the Jayhawks used to take the time without work after a sport and return the subsequent morning, they’ll now apply previous to an off day. In a typical sport week, they may even maintain a walkthrough-style apply on Thursday and a extra fast-paced one on Friday, following a mannequin that Leipold credited to former Oregon coach Chip Kelly (and one which Kotelnicki skilled at Penn State and assistant large receivers coach Kelton Copeland at Iowa). Leipold mentioned he hopes this routine will enable KU to be a brisker and more healthy staff.
SPOTLIGHT ON…
Isaiah Marshall: Who else however the brand new beginning quarterback? The redshirt sophomore has thrown three profession passes and can now open the yr underneath the lights at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium. It will not be the most important doable stage by faculty football requirements, nor will Marshall have to run essentially the most elaborate or dynamic type of Kotelnicki’s offense to be able to have success in opposition to Long Island. But it’ll be a brand-new expertise for the younger quarterback all the identical and a possibility for him to make an early assertion of intent, giving the Missouri protection one thing to consider forward of the Border War.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
657: As of Friday, the variety of days since a KU cornerback intercepted a move.
116: Years since a KU head coach, A.R. Kennedy, compiled a 6-0 report in season openers — a feat Leipold can match with a win on Friday.
32: Total variety of transfers on KU’s roster, a lot of whom will debut in opposition to Long Island.
PREDICTION
KU wins 42-3. The Jayhawks are going to run the ball quite a bit this season. That’ll cut back the general variety of possessions on either side and stop this rating from getting too dramatic. But this staff is completely proficient sufficient to guarantee that the end result is rarely unsure, and that its reserves get loads of motion within the second half.
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Written By Henry Greenstein