Keep an eye on these 5 newcomers as Big 12 Conference media days near for Kansas football

LAWRENCE — Expectations abound for Kansas football in 2024.

Head coach Lance Leipold has taken the team to back-to-back bowl games already, despite the rebuild only starting in 2021. Redshirt junior Jalon Daniels is making his way back from injury and set to start again at quarterback, providing the Jayhawks with one of the more intriguing talents in the Big 12 Conference — when healthy. Daniels also isn’t the only high-profile returner, as senior running back Devin Neal, senior cornerback Cobee Bryant and senior offensive lineman Bryce Cabeldue are among those back as well.

But it won’t just be players who are back from the 2023 Guaranteed Rate Bowl championship team who will factor into Kansas’ success in 2024. There have been a host of newcomers who have joined the roster over the course of the offseason, from freshmen to multi-year veterans at the college level. Those additions, and their development, will be key as the Jayhawks look to enjoy more success in the early years of the Leipold era in Lawrence.

Here are five newcomers to keep an eye on as Big 12 media days, set to be held July 9-10 in Las Vegas, draw near:

Bryce Foster, offensive lineman

Bryce Foster committed to Kansas as an offensive lineman transfer from Texas A&M, where he’d spent the past few seasons. In 2023, he started all 12 games in which he appeared at center for that Southeastern Conference program. A decorated player dating back to his freshman year in 2021, he could be the answer the Jayhawks are looking for at center after Mike Novitsky’s college career came to an end.

Shane Bumgardner, offensive lineman

Shane Bumgardner seemed like he could be the answer at center earlier this offseason, and during the spring found himself in a battle with a returning offensive lineman, senior Michael Ford Jr., for that spot. Foster’s addition does add more competition for Bumgardner, a redshirt senior, but there’s still time to battle for a starting spot or a role of some kind. Bumgardner is making the jump up to Division I from Division II-side Tiffin, where he was named that level’s center of the year last season, and whether he starts at Kansas or not the Jayhawks would like to have two centers in its top eight offensive linemen.

Javier Derritt, defensive tackle

Kansas needed experience at defensive tackle after the departures from last season’s squad, and redshirt senior Javier Derritt provides that as a transfer from FCS-level North Dakota State. Derritt is making his own jump of sorts, up to the FBS, but he enjoyed an extensive amount of playing time at an institution that is no stranger to success. However he factors into the rotation defensive tackles coach Jim Panagos uses, Derritt’s veteran status should prove to be valuable for the Jayhawks.

Dakyus Brinkley, defensive end

Dakyus Brinkley enrolled early at Kansas, and the freshman defensive end made an impression during his first spring with the Jayhawks. There may be players on the roster with more experience at the college level than Brinkley has, but it’s not as if that means he won’t be in competition for playing time of some kind. He joined Kansas as one of its prized recruits in the 2024 cycle, a 247Sports Composite four-star edge talent.

DJ Warner, defensive end

DJ Warner is a member of the 2024 recruiting class, like Brinkley, and is a 247Sports Composite four-star edge in his own right. Brinkley may have been ranked 25th in the nation at that position, but Warner was ranked 10th and therefore is an especially impressive addition for the Kansas coaching staff as it continues to build the program. Although Warner didn’t get the early start on his college career Brinkley did, and it would be asking a lot of both to play significant snaps so soon, Warner is another player whose arrival was highly anticipated.

Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. He is the National Sports Media Association’s sportswriter of the year for the state of Kansas for 2022. Contact him at jmguskey@gannett.com or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.