5 offensive players to keep an eye on as fall camp starts up for Kansas football

LAWRENCE — With the month of August will come the start of fall camp for the Kansas football program. The Jayhawks, preparing for their third season of the coach Lance Leipold era, will look to build off the momentum that’s been building all offseason. They’ll look to lay the groundwork for what could become its second-straight campaign with a bowl trip.

And on the offensive side of the ball, there are some players to keep an eye on when it comes to whether or not that’ll all come to fruition. Here are five players on offense to keep an eye with the upcoming college football season drawing closer: Jalon Daniels (Quarterback) Daniels, a junior, is coming into the season as the preseason offensive player of the year for the Big 12 Conference — as voted on by the media. He’s coming off a season in which league head coaches voted him as an All-Big 12 second team honoree.

Leipold has talked about how talented of a dual-threat quarterback Daniels is when Daniels is healthy, so as long as that can remain true throughout camp and into the season Kansas will be in an optimal place. Devin Neal (Running back) Neal, a junior, has led Kansas in rushing yards each of his first two seasons with the program. Last year, he eclipsed 1,000 yards on the ground as he tallied nine rushing scores and averaged 6.

1 yards a carry. It’ll help to have a healthy running back room around him, so there isn’t the potential for him to be overworked, but he’s shown he can be a lead running back at the Power Five level and he’s becoming more of a threat in the passing game as a receiving option as well. Quentin Skinner (Wide receiver) Skinner, a junior, can be a deep threat target for Daniels and this offense in general.

He’s one of the main three options at wide receiver for Kansas going into fall camp and the season in general. Last season he caught 26 passes for 440 yards and five touchdowns, and is poised for more in 2023. Mason Fairchild (Tight end) Fairchild, a senior, tied for the team high in receiving touchdowns last year and finished third in receptions.

There’s a reason the Big 12 head coaches voted him as an All-Big 12 second team in 2022 as well. He’s primed to be an all-conference talent again in 2023, in an offense that’s versatile enough to continue to find ways for him to have an effect in Kansas’ passing and rushing attacks. Dominick Puni (Offensive lineman) Puni made the jump from Division II to Division I in 2022, when he transferred to Kansas from Central Missouri, and started all 13 games he played in for the Jayhawks.

Now the redshirt senior can continue to build off of that experience. And he’s versatile enough where he could be an option for Kansas at guard or tackle depending on how fall camp goes for the Jayhawks’ offensive linemen. .