5 more thoughts from Kansas football coach Lance Leipold, including 1 on Harry Stewart III

LAWRENCE — Kansas football coach Lance Leipold spoke on a wide range of topics last week, during Big 12 Conference media days in Las Vegas.

Here are five more takeaways from what he had to say, as fall camp nears for the Jayhawks:

Lance Leipold highlights newcomers, including running back Harry Stewart III

Kansas does not lack veteran talent at running back this year, especially considering it has a leading duo of senior Devin Neal and redshirt junior Daniel Hishaw Jr. But while that makes the road to playing time much tougher to navigate at the position, it appears freshman Harry Stewart III is making the most of his opportunities so far. Leipold said Stewart has played well, and will be competing for the spot on the depth chart just behind Neal and Hishaw.

Leipold also highlighted freshman quarterback Isaiah Marshall, freshman cornerback Jalen Todd and freshman defensive end Dakyus Brinkley. Leipold mentioned they all have potential. However, Leipold also wants to be able to let them to allow to progress naturally through the early stages of their careers.

Lance Leipold thinks Leyton Cure has a chance to help at tight end

Leipold and company brought in another Division II talent over the course of the offseason, with the addition of redshirt junior tight end Leyton Cure — a transfer from Fort Hays State. According to Leipold, KU director of sports performance Matt Gildersleeve has been impressed with Cure. It’ll be interesting to see how Cure continues to acclimate to a higher level of football as fall camp unfolds, but Leipold does think Cure has a chance to help them.

Arizona, Arizona State joining Big 12 could help Kansas in recruiting

KU’s presence recruiting in the state of Arizona has led to some high-profile additions, and Leipold hopes Arizona and Arizona State joining the Big 12 will continue to help the Jayhawks. He already thought playing the Guaranteed Rate Bowl in Phoenix in 2023 helped. Kansas’ desire to recruit that part of the country is part of a larger recruiting strategy that still includes a focus on local players.

It’s time for Logan Brown to take the next step in his time at KU

Redshirt junior offensive lineman Logan Brown is coming off of his own injury from last year, and Leipold understands going through that has meant frustration at times for Brown. But Leipold feels Brown, who’s in line to be the starting left tackle, is in a better place now and relaxed enough to just go play. Leipold described Brown as a big, athletic player who’s light on his feet, and added Brown knows its’ now time to take the next step in his career.

Lance Leipold appears open to the idea of a college football commissioner

When Leipold was asked about the possibility of appointing a commissioner for college football, he allowed he hadn’t spent a ton of time thinking about it. He also appeared open to the likelihood of it happening and the ways it could help the sport move in the right direction. He added a commissioner could help them do the kinds of things the NFL does at the professional level to foster parity.

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.