How KU Jayhawks WR — and son of former NFL player — went from walk-on to record books
Kansas had just fallen behind two touchdowns in the fourth quarter against TCU last week when quarterback Jalon Daniels said teammate Kwamie Lassiter II approached him on the sideline.
“JD, rally up the troops,” Daniels recalls Lassiter saying. “You already know what you’re doing. Be a leader. Be yourself.”
Daniels listened, which has often been the case when the sixth-year player Lassiter speaks up. Soon after, Daniels had engineered two touchdown drives, tying the game with help from three passes to Lassiter for a combined 58 yards.
The sequence was just a snapshot of how far the 6-foot wideout from Chandler, Arizona has progressed in his KU career ... after starting as a walk-on.
“He doesn’t play like that,” Daniels said with a smile.
Lassiter’s development, though — he’s moved up to fifth in career receptions at KU with 141 — stands out as a major success story for a rebuilding program, especially given where he started.
Though Lassiter said he had some interest from junior colleges out of high school, he sent out emails with help from his mother, Ericka, while hoping to land with a Division I school. His pitch: He’d be happy to play special teams and also was sure-handed when it came to catching punts. More than anything, though, he just needed someone to give him an opportunity.
KU coach David Beaty didn’t need much convincing after receiving one of those notes and watching Lassiter’s film. Beaty saw a player much better than an average walk-on, as he was smooth on tape and had great hands.
Beaty started to believe he’d been a bit fortunate in this scenario; Kwamie II’s late father, Kwamie, had played at KU, which left his son more interested in the school than he might otherwise be.
Lassiter came to a KU spring game for an unofficial visit, and after meeting with Beaty and the receivers group, he said he knew he’d found a home.
“Walking on, I knew I was gonna have to work,” Lassiter said. “So that comes with it.”
He laughs now, though, saying he never figured he’d be in Lawrence this long.
Lassiter redshirted his freshman season, then after earning a scholarship by his sophomore year, he elected to use the COVID opportunity to come back for a redshirt super-senior campaign in 2021.
Advanced stats show he’s made the most of his time. According to Pro Football Focus’ numbers, Lassiter has improved his grade every season from redshirt freshman to super-senior, going from 51.6 to 56.9 to 62.7 to 67.7 to 74.9.
Not only does Lassiter rank as the fifth-best player on KU’s offense this year according to PFF, but he’s also been reliable, catching 52 passes with only a single drop this season.
“He keeps his head down,” KU super-senior defensive end Kyron Johnson said. “He just keeps working and working and working.”
Daniels has seen that as well. Lassiter was the first one to text him once he arrived on campus last year, asking him to come out for extra throwing reps at Lawrence High School outside of normal practices.
“I feel that he’s helped me build as a quarterback,” Daniels said.
KU coach Lance Leipold, meanwhile, has seen Lassiter as someone who has set an exceptional team standard. He said much of the work ethic he was hoping to build among players in his first season were habits that Lassiter had already established.
Leipold also had a memorable meeting with Lassiter just after he’d accepted the KU job in late April.
“He really didn’t care who I was and who was sitting there, because he was about the University of Kansas and Jayhawk football and I really respect that,” Leipold said last month. “And that’s what he was going to make sure — that he was gonna do everything he can to make this program better and for himself to get better along the way.”
Though Lassiter will be playing his final home game against West Virginia on Saturday, he promises he won’t get too emotional.
Sure, many of his family members will be at Booth Memorial Stadium, but after six years at KU, he’s also looking forward to what’s next.
That figures to be at least a look at the next level. Lassiter was invited to the football showcase Hula Bowl a couple weeks ago, and he also has pro pedigree, as his father played 10 seasons in the NFL as a safety with eight of those coming with the Arizona Cardinals.
Lassiter, for his part, says all he wants is a chance to show what he can do.
“Once I put my foot in the door, I’m in, in my opinion,” Lassiter said. “That’s how I look at it. You’ve got to be in.”
He’ll still keep focus on KU next year. That’s because his younger brother, Kwinton, is a junior walk-on cornerback, with Kwamie saying he’s working as hard as anyone on KU’s roster.
There are others, too, that Kwamie says he’ll be tracking after leaving his own mark on the program.
And though he didn’t figure he’d spend six years with the school, he’s not regretting the path he’s taken either.
“It worked out for the best,” Lassiter said. “It’s God’s plan, and I’m going with it.”
