5 Kansas football players to know against Iowa State

AMES — There’s just one Big 12 football team that’s beaten Iowa State for three straight seasons.

So which one is it? Kansas, of course — the Cyclones’ foe in Saturday’s 11 a.m. home season finale at Jack Trice Stadium.

And why have the Jayhawks (5-5, 3-4) been such a thorn in the side for ISU (6-4, 3-4) recently? It’s complicated, but the play of their mobile quarterbacks, Jalon Daniels and now-graduated Jason Bean, played a key role on those setbacks.

Daniels, oddly enough, will be making his debut in Ames because injuries kept him off the Jack Trice Stadium turf in 2021 and 2023. The latter matchup is when Bean, his backup, went off with a 287-yard, one touchdown passing performance in a 28-21 win over the Cyclones.

So expect another wild and unpredictable meeting between ISU and Kansas in a series that’s been played annually since 1932. And, all that said, here are five Jayhawks to know ahead of Saturday’s matchup.

QB Jalon Daniels

Fun fact: Daniels first suited up against the Cyclones in 2020, or the so-called COVID year that forced some leagues to limit their schedules and/or crowd sizes. Just under 10,000 fans witnessed ISU’s 52-22 win over the Jayhawks in Lawrence — and it was one of seven straight losses Daniels endured in games in which he at least took snaps at quarterback.

Times, of course, have changed. The 6-foot, 220-pound sixth-year senior torched the Cyclones for 295 yards on just 12 completions in last season’s 45-36 win at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, and accounted for three touchdowns (two passing, one rushing) in that game.

Daniels boasts a 21-to-3 touchdown-to-interception ratio this season and is completing 65.1 percent of his passes. He’s thrown 66 touchdown passes and rushed for 22 more during his injury-marred career, and has thrown just one interception in the past seven games.

In other words, Daniels has come a long way — and it’s been a hard road — since he squared off against Brock Purdy in 2020.

RB Leshon Williams

The 5-10, 215-pound transfer from Iowa rushed for more than 1,300 yards in parts of four seasons as a Hawkeye, but somehow scored just three rushing touchdowns in that span.

He’s now part of a two-back tandem with leading rusher Daniel Hishaw, who’s compiled 430 yards on the ground. Williams isn’t far behind with 414 rushing yards and he outpaces Hishaw with a 5.3 yards-per-carry average. Williams also has been a reliable touchdown scorer — unlike at Iowa. He’s rushed for six scores this season, but has reached the end zone just once in the past four games while battling injuries.

Hishaw has shouldered more of the load in that span, rushing for three touchdowns in the past four games, so keep an eye on Wednesday’s injury report.

LB Trey Lathan

The 6-1, 228-pound transfer from Goulds, Fla., totaled 79 tackles last season for West Virginia and is Kansas’ leading tackler this season with 69 stops.

Lathan also has 1.5 sacks, a fumble recovery, an interception and four passes defended. Lathan’s had eight or more tackles in five games this season, and is a proven playmaker who forced a fumble in each of the past two seasons.

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WR Emmanuel Henderson Jr.

The speedy Alabama transfer grew up in small-town Hartford, Ala., which is closer to Tallahassee than it is to Tuscaloosa. Henderson averaged a heady 20.5 yards per catch in very limited duty for his home state Crimson Tide last season, and decided to transfer to Kansas, where he’s become the team’s leading receiver with 41 catches for 638 yards and five touchdowns.

Henderson’s breakout performance came in a 214-yard, two-touchdown effort in a 37-34 loss to Cincinnati in Sept. 27. He’s caught just one touchdown pass since, but remains a potent downfield threat who is occasionally utilized in the running game, as well.

DE Leroy Harris III

According to the Kansas athletics’ website, the lean and mean 6-5, 230-pound Harris is an avid bowler.

This fall, he’s been knocking down quarterbacks rather than pins, and leads the Jayhawks with 4.5 sacks. The Chattanooga transfer also has knocked down four passes and recorded 5.5 tackles for loss. Last season with the Mocs, he recovered three fumbles — while turning one into a touchdown — and was named a freshman All-American by Phil Steele.

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