🏈 Inside Kansas Football: Week 1

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Lance Leipold’s second season at Kansas begins under the Friday Night Lights of David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium as the Jayhawks host Tennessee Tech on September 2 at 7 p.m.

Kansas will open its season with a Friday night game for the second-straight season after the Jayhawks defeated South Dakota 17-14 in the 2021 season opener. Kansas is 74-51-7 all-time in season opener and looking to improve to 5-1 all-time in games played on September 2nd.

"It’s game week. We only get 12 of these and we have to make sure we make the most of them. A lot of different things can happen in college football. Being sound in all three phases will be very important and it’s important for us to get off to a good start."

Lance Leipold

Captains
During his media availability on Monday, Leipold announced the Jayhawks four captains for the 2022 season. Earning the role of team captain are: redshirt-senior offensive lineman Mike Novitsky, junior quarterback Jalon Daniels, super-senior defensive lineman Sam Burt and senior linebacker Rich Miller.

Leipold Family Giving Back
Head Coach Lance Leipold and his wife, Kelly, have made a generous gift to support current and future generations of graduate assistants for Kansas Football. The Lance and Kelly Leipold Graduate Assistant Fund is an endowed fund that will provide perpetual support for an on-field graduate assistant position with the football program. To assist Kansas Athletics’ strategic plan to build greater representation within college athletics, and in support of the university’s overall desire to establish inclusive communities throughout campus, the fund will look to provide opportunities for individuals whom represent marginalized communities to gain experience in the coaching field.

Game Preview
Friday’s season opener begins KU’s second year under Lance Leipold, who brings back nine starters on both sides of the ball. Kansas returns a wealth of experience, including players with a combined 271 career starts, while bringing in a talented group of 14 transfers, who come with 107 FBS starts among them.

Game Notes | Kansas Game Preview

Kansas and Tennessee Tech will meet on the gridiron for the first time, as the Jayhawks kick off their season on a Friday night for the second-straight season. Leipold enters his second season with the Jayhawks and begins his 16th season as a head coach with a career mark of 148-49.

Tennessee Tech is coming off a 3-8 season last year after dropping its first four games of the season. Golden Eagles head coach Dewayne Alexander holds a 12-29 mark while at Tennessee Tech and a career record of 53-62 in 11 seasons.

Asking the Hard Questions
On the first edition of Hawk Talk with Lance Leipold on Monday evening, starting quarterback Jalon Daniels had a question for the Jayhawks head ball coach. Who could throw a football further, KU’s current QB or the head coach, a former college QB himself.

NFL Jayhawks
Five former Jayhawks earned a spot on their teams initial 53-man rosters, which were announced on Tuesday by the NFL. Kyron Johnson, a sixth-round draft pick of the Philadelphia Eagles, is the newest Jayhawk in the NFL after making the roster in his rookie season. Hakeem Adeniji is going into his third season with the Cincinnati Bengals while Dorance Armstrong is heading into his fifth season as a member of the Dallas Cowboys. Daniel Wise is back for his second season with the Washington Commanders and Steven Sims, Jr., rounds out the group as he goes into his first full season as a member of the Pittsburg Steelers.

Did You Know?
In 15 years as a collegiate head coach, Leipold’s teams are 13-2 in season openers, which includes a 5-2 mark during his time at the Division I level. Leipold is 1-0 in season openers at Kansas after the Jayhawks defeated South Dakota 17-14 on September 3, 2021 at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium to open last season.

Game Week Energy
Following practice this week, members of the Jayhawks showed off their Game Week Energy!

@ku_football you heard them right… #PackTheBooth ‼️🗣🤝 #collegefootball #gameweek ♬ original sound – KU Football

Get Your Tickets
The Jayhawks next home game will be on Saturday, September 24, against ACC foe Duke in the final non-conference contest of the season. Kansas will then host Big 12 opponents Iowa State, TCU, Oklahoma State and Texas at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium. Single-game tickets can be purchased here, while season tickets are available and start as low as $185.

Up Next
Kansas is on the road in each of the next two weeks, starting with a trip to Morgantown, W. Va., on Saturday, September 10, to open Big 12 Conference play against West Virginia. Kickoff at WVU is set for 5 p.m. CT and that game will be broadcast live by Big 12 NOW on ESPN+.