LAWRENCE – The 2024 Kansas football offense will feature plenty of players worth tracking.
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 is also the possibility of stars emerging along the offensive line and at tight end.
Each of these players is poised to play a pivotal role in the Jayhawks’ efforts to compete for the 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 complementary to each other. And during Big 12 media days earlier this month in Las Vegas, coach Lance Leipold highlighted why Hishaw is such a valuable member of the group.
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“Daniel Hishaw is going to be a wild card for us this year because when Daniel is healthy, he’s a really good football player – a physical guy,” Leipold said. “And I think the good thing about that is maybe we’re not as advanced right now at tight end as we were last year with Mason Fairchild. I think we have some guys. But the good thing is I think we’ll be able to play a little more with these guys together. And so Daniel has had experience since high school being that wild guy.”
Leipold stopped short of saying that Hishaw playing wildcat would be an offensive asset for Kansas this year, but he left 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 is some difficulty when it comes to getting opportunities for everyone in such an experienced group, but that’s not a bad problem to have.
Hishaw, who dealt with injuries throughout his KU career, is building on the momentum to play all 13 games for Kansas in 2023. In a season in which he helped the Jayhawks to a Guaranteed Rate Bowl victory, he collected 626 rushing yards and eight touchdowns averaging 5.2 yards per carry. The Kansas coach admitted Hishaw had the best summer since Leipold’s rebuild began ahead of the 2021 season.
Some might speculate that the potential Hishaw has shown as an asset to himself, and not just part of a duo with Neal, could lead Hishaw to see what he could achieve elsewhere. But Hishaw returned once again to play another season at Kansas, and during media days Leipold, Daniels and Neal 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 think he wants to be part of this special team, right?” Neal said about Hishaw. “He knows he has a role as much as I do. He knows we’re a double whammy as much as I know we’re a double whammy, right? So, there’s no – I’ve said this many times, there’s no jealousy in our room. Everybody wants to see each other win and I have no doubt that (Hishaw) can play in the NFL and he’s proven he can play in the NFL.
Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics for The Topeka Capital-Journal. He is the National Sports Media Association Sportswriter of the Year for the state of Kansas in 2022. Contact him at jmguskey@gannett.com or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.
This article originally appeared in the Topeka Capital-Journal: The Kansas football offense features the running back duo of Daniel Hishaw Jr.
