The Kansas Jayhawks open their season under the Friday night lights in Lawrence, with coach Lance Leipold looking to kickstart a winning campaign. Meanwhile, the LIU Sharks are playing up a level after losing 42-21 to North Dakota in their own opener last weekend.
The Jayhawks are 41.5-point favorites at home on Friday, and the game total is set at 53.5 points. Here is a preview of the Week 1 showdown featuring odds and lines from DraftKings Sportsbook.
LIU Sharks vs. Kansas Jayhawks Preview
LIU Sharks
The Sharks had about as ugly of a start as possible in Week 0, going down 42-0 to North Dakota with a total of 21 yards at the half. Even though they still lost by three touchdowns, the second half marked quite the step forward. After starting quarterback Ethan Greenwood went 3-for-9 with 11 yards and an interception, LIU handed the reins to Luca Stanzani. He went 12-for-16 with 173 yards, tossing a 65-yard touchdown to wideout Boakai Veikai and running one in himself. Jayden Simpson also reeled in a team-high six catches. Long Island’s ground game totaled 71 yards, 27 of which came from freshman Nathan Gray’s eight carries.
On the other side of the ball, LIU managed to notch three sacks and one additional tackle for loss from linebacker Rafael Fasolino. He also recorded the Sharks’ lone interception, a team-high 10 tackles and a quarterback hit. Still, the Fighting Hawks completed 17-of-21 passes for 232 yards and three touchdowns before letting their backup quarterback step in for garbage time. Long Island also allowed North Dakota’s top-two rushers to total 97 yards and three touchdowns on 22 carries.
LIU faced two FBS opponents in 2025, losing 55-0 to Florida to open the campaign before going on the road to beat Eastern Michigan 28-23. The Sharks are 18-29 under Ron Cooper with a 14-12 record in conference play and a 1-6 record versus FBS programs.
Kansas Jayhawks
After Lance Leipold seemed to have the Jayhawks on the rise with back-to-back bowl appearances in 2022 and 2023, the program has since stalled with consecutive five-win seasons. Star quarterback Jalon Daniels is gone, too, having just won the backup job with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Running backs Daniel Hishaw Jr. and Leshon Williams — who combined for 1,253 yards and 14 touchdowns from scrimmage last season — exhausted their eligibility. Even third-stringer Harry Stewart III transferred to Boise State. The Jayhawks also have to replace their starting center, right guard and right tackle, plus receiver Emmanuel Henderson and tight end Boden Groen. After ranking No. 21 and No. 17 in points scored per game in 2022 and 2023, then No. 52 and No. 63 in 2024 and 2025, Kansas will have to start basically from scratch on offense in 2026.
Isaiah Marshall won the quarterback battle against Cole Ballard, despite only attempting three passes for the Jayhawks last season. He completed all three of those passes, though, and managed to rush for 160 yards on 15 carries. He boasts the same 6-foot, 215-pound frame that Daniels brought to the table, so Leipold may be able to utilize him similarly. There is probably some built-in familiarity with Cam Pickett, who notched 476 yards and three touchdowns on 45 catches last season, as well as Keaton Kubecka with his 157 yards and a touchdown on 17 receptions. Buffalo transfer Nik McMillan could wind up being the top pass-catcher, with Middle Tennessee transfer Nahzae Cox likely to contribute as well. All three running backs on Kansas’ depth chart are transfers: Dylan Edwards from Kansas State and Yasin Willis from Syracuse — both of whom are on the Doak Walker Award Preseason Watch List — plus Colorado State transfer Jalen Dupree. Oklahoma State transfer Kasen Carpenter is Kansas’ new starting center, while Cal transfer Nick Morrow will start at right tackle.
The Jayhawks’ linebacker corps took a hit with Bangally Kamara graduating. Safety Lyrik Rawls, meanwhile, transferred to Arizona State. That said, the unit has decent continuity with defensive lineman Blake Herold, defensive end Leroy Harris III, cornerbacks Austin Alexander and Jalen Todd, and safety Taylor Davis. Former West Virginia linebacker Trey Lathan is the most notable returnee, making the Butkus Award Preseason Watch List entering the 2026 campaign. Continuity is huge in college football, but those familiar faces will need to improve significantly if the Kansas defense is going to be formidable under coordinator D.K. McDonald.
As for new faces on defense, Kansas reeled in UAB nose tackle Eamon Smalls, Boston College linebacker Bam Crouch, Louisville safety Corey Gordon, Iowa State nickelback Khijohnn Cummings-Coleman and Mississippi State nickelback Elijah Cannon via the portal. Defensive end Alex Bray is also poised to take over a starting role from within, having already notched 3.5 TFL in 12 appearances last season.
LIU Sharks vs. Kansas Jayhawks Pick, Best Bet
The Sharks found a bit of a rhythm down the stretch against North Dakota last week. Even though the Fighting Hawks had the win locked up by halftime, it’s still a decent amount of momentum that LIU can ride into Week 1. Stanzani asserting himself as the superior quarterback could also buoy the offense if they don’t keep up the split with Greenwood.
Kansas, meanwhile, has a lot of new pieces and a very inexperienced quarterback. Dealing with a dual-threat on the other side of the ball won’t be easy for a defense working in several fresh faces, either. The talent advantage will be on the Jayhawks’ side, but it’s hard to be confident in them running up the score with so many unanswered questions.
