2007 Kansas Jayhawks College Football Picks & Predictions


June 5, 2008 | Posted By Larry Cook

The Kansas Jayhawks return most of their players with 16 guys coming back, yet their offense will look strikingly different. Running back Jon Cornish departed after setting the single-season school record with 1,457 rushing yards as a senior. Fullback Brandon McAnderson will be expected to carry the ball more frequently, while tailback candidates Jake Sharp and Angus Quigley will be battling for the starting job through the fall. Cornish’s shoes as a workhorse will be too tough for any of these players to fill though.

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Quarterback Kerry Meier returns after an injury-plagued freshman season with a shoulder injury that limited his play towards the end of the year. Todd Reesing will compete for the starting job, but will likely fill the role of a backup to Meier. Tight end Derek Fine and receivers Dexton Fields, Marcus Henry and Marcus Herford look to be the top targets. Both tackles return to protect Kerry Meier and keep him off his back in 2007. All-Big 12 candidate Anthony Collins is the centerpiece. Kansas has a new offensive coordinator in Ed Warinner who will be utilizing possible scheme changes that the coaching staff kept on the down low in the spring.

Kansas ranked last out of 119 Division I-A teams against the pass in 2006. Five times during the year the Jayhawks’ secondary allowed 350-yard passing performances against them. With all that considered, the Jayhawks still have decent talent returning as eight guys will be back. Cornerback Aqib Talib is an All-American candidate, while Darrell Stuckey is a stellar free safety and is finally healthy this season. The linebacking corps was all new last season and needs to show steady improvement.

Middle linebacker Mike Rivera is a promising player and the leader of this defense. Joe Mortensen, Arist Wright and James Holt all have experience and should fill in the outside backer positions nicely. Kansas loses half of it four starters on the line, but their best one returns. Senior James McClinton will contend for All-Big 12 honors at tackle, where he will start for his third straight season. He had 51 tackles, including 14.5 tackles for loss, in his junior year. Russell Brorsen started the brunt of last season, but he will be challenged for another starting job at defensive end. Young, athletic ends in Jeff Wheeler, Maxwell Onyegbule and John Larson will give Brorsen a run for his money.

Kansas took a big step back last season, although the Jayhawks were bowl eligible with a 6-6 season. This is a crucial year for Kansas to reinstate their place in the postseason. The Jayhawks have one of the easiest non-conference schedules in the nation when they face Central Michigan, SE Louisiana, Toledo and Florida Int’l. If the Jayhawks can open 4-0, it will go a long way in Kansas becoming bowl eligible in 2007. They have neither Texas nor Oklahoma on the schedule, so anything less than a bowl bid will be a big disappointment.

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