LAWRENCE — Kansas football’s offense in 2024 will feature a lot of players worth keeping track of.
There’s redshirt junior quarterback Jalon Daniels, as well as a running back duo of senior Devin Neal and redshirt junior Daniel Hishaw Jr. There’s the wide receiver trio of seniors Luke Grimm, Lawrence Arnold and Quentin Skinner. There’s also the potential for stars to emerge along the offensive line and at tight end.
Every one of those players is in line to play a key role in the Jayhawks’ efforts to compete for a Big 12 Conference title in 2024. Not only do they have their own personal talents that can help make that a reality, but especially at the skill positions they are complimentary to one another. And during Big 12 media days earlier this month in Las Vegas, head coach Lance Leipold highlighted why Hishaw is such a valued member of the group.
“Daniel Hishaw is going to be a wild card in this thing for us this year, because when Daniel’s healthy he’s a really good football player — physical guy,” Leipold said. “And I think the nice thing about it is, we’re maybe not quite as deep at the moment at tight end as we were last year with Mason Fairchild. I think we have some guys. But the nice thing is I think we’re going to be able to play those guys together a little bit more. And then Daniel’s had experience from high school being that wildcat-type guy.”
Leipold stopped short of saying Hishaw playing wildcat is going to be a piece of Kansas’ offense this year, but did leave the option open. Leipold mentioned redshirt senior running back Torry Locklin as another player who has provided them with some versatility in the past. There’s some difficulty, when it comes to getting everyone in such an experienced group opportunities, but that’s not a bad problem to have.
Hishaw, who’s dealt with injuries in his KU career, is building on the momentum of playing all 13 games for Kansas in 2023. In a season in which he helped the Jayhawks to a Guaranteed Rate Bowl win, he collected 626 yards rushing and eight touchdowns while averaging 5.2 yards per carry. The Kansas head coach admitted Hishaw has had the best summer since Leipold’s rebuild began ahead of the 2021 season.
Some might speculate that the potential Hishaw has shown to be a lead back himself, and not just part of a duo with Neal, could lead Hishaw to see what he could achieve elsewhere. But Hishaw has once again returned to play another season at Kansas, and during media days Leipold, Daniels and Neal all praised Hishaw’s loyalty to the program.
Being unselfish, from Daniels’ perspective, is a key part of being a member of this Jayhawks offense.
“I mean, in general, I just think he wants to be a part of this special team, right?” Neal said about Hishaw. “He knows he has a role as much as I have a role. He knows that we’re a one-two punch as much as I know we’re a one-two punch, right? So, there’s no — I’ve said it plenty of times, there’s no jealously in our room. Everyone wants to see each other win and I have no doubt in my mind that (Hishaw) can play in the NFL and he’s proven that he can play in the NFL.”
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.
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