Kansas Jayhawks Q&A: Emmanuel Henderson and KU football fall camp breakouts

The start of college football season is rapidly approaching.

KU football finishes preseason camp on Saturday. Kansas started camp a week early this season as the team prepares to face Fresno State on Aug. 23 in the newly renovated David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium.

The Jayhawks will look to bounce back after a disappointing 2024 season, when KU finished with five wins. The betting sites expect better things this year.

DraftKings has set KU’s win total at an over/under of 7.5 wins. Let’s see how it all plays out.

With that, let’s get to this week’s KU mailbag. Thanks as always for the questions.

Some have suggested the WR room isn’t quality, while others have said they’ve been fantastic in camp. I’m curious what your take on them is. @okie_jayhawk

I’m cautiously optimistic about KU’s wide receiver room. I believe the ceiling of KU’s receiver group is higher this season, but the floor might be a little lower because of a lack of continuity.

Whether you were a KU fan, player or coach, most people knew what kind of production the Jayhawks would receive from the trio of Luke Grimm, Quentin Skinner and Lawrence Arnold. They’d played with KU quarterback Jalon Daniels for years, and there was plenty of chemistry built over those seasons.

This year will be different: KU’s wide receiver room is completely brand new this season. The name on everyone’s mind since his arrival is Alabama transfer Emmanuel Henderson.

Henderson has impressed coaches and players alike. I believe he also has a higher ceiling than any wide receiver Kansas has had in Daniels’ tenure. On top of that, coaches and players have raved about how good Ball State transfer Cam Pickett has looked in camp.

KU freshman QB David McComb was quick to point out his name and the overall group’s play during fall camp. I think there’s a real opportunity that this group is more talented than any group Daniels has had as a QB, but that still remains to be seen.

How the room looks in the first couple of weeks, especially against Missouri in Week 2, will tell us a lot.

Has there been a player that Lance Leipold is talking about a lot, that is a surprise to you? @FrozenTakesInGB

I’m not sure this exactly fits the description, but I’m a little surprised by the recent comments of coach Lance Leipold on defensive lineman Leroy Harris. At Big 12 Media Days, Leipold had mentioned Harris as a likely redshirt candidate.

Recently, Leipold described him as “a guy that continues to show up on a daily basis and (is) getting better at the defensive end spot.” Harris, the former Chattanooga transfer, also earned praise from defensive ends coach Taiwo Onatolu.

“Some guys call him ‘Tree’ because he’s so tall,” Onatolu said. “He’s a very, very mature kid. His background, his father played seven years in the NFL, so he’s got a little bit of that in his background. Very quiet kid, but mature. When he goes out there, he makes one mistake; he usually only makes it one time, and then he figures it out from there. So we’re excited about him.”

It looks like Harris has put together some strong practices and may no longer need to redshirt.

Why do the conference, and as it follows, the schools, seem to be on a quest to make watching Big 12 games by Big 12 fans as tedious as possible? (In reference to Big 12 media deal with Peacock). @JAndrew_Cochran

Unfortunately, like most things in college sports, it is often driven by the desire to generate more money

I don’t think it was intentional, but in the pursuit of that desire, it’s now a bit more difficult for Big 12 fans to watch sporting events. At the very least, it’s another thing consumers must pay for (if they don’t already have it).

Which freshman do you see making the largest impact, if any? @Ku_Najee

This is a very good question. Honestly, I don’t see any (true) freshman getting much playing time this season.

For a redshirt freshman, I’d go defensive lineman Dakyus Brinkley. He should see some snaps and I could see him recording some sacks. He joined the Jayhawks as a four-star edge rusher in the 2024 class.

Also... of the WRs, Wentz, Henderson, Canty, Pickett ... what have you heard? @crimson_blu_cru

Everyone has raved about Henderson, but Cam Pickett has also earned plenty of praise. I expect both players to earn starting roles.

After that, Levi Wentz has been called the “bouncer” of the KU wide receiver room. His play style and height (6-foot-2) have earned him that nickname. These three wide receivers look to be pivotal to KU’s overall success next season.

Bryson Canty, meanwhile, continues to recover from his leg injury and is slowly acclimating within KU’s offense.

Shreyas Laddha

The Kansas City Star

Shreyas Laddha covers KU hoops and football for The Star. He’s a Georgia native and graduated from the University of Georgia.