KU linebacker Trey Lathan made big plays vs. WVU — including one you didn’t see
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- Kansas held West Virginia to 319 total yards and 3-for-15 on third downs.
- Linebacker Trey Lathan recorded a sack and his first career interception.
- Lathan emerged as a defensive leader after transferring from West Virginia.
All week, Kansas linebacker Trey Lathan heard trash talk from his former West Virginia teammates.
So naturally, KU’s 41-10 blowout over WVU was pretty sweet for Lathan. The WVU transfer joined KU before the start of the 2025 season and is already making a difference.
“It felt good,” Lathan said. “Those guys were blowing me up all week. It felt good to go out there and put the belt to them.”
KU’s defense dominated West Virginia from the onset. Kansas limited WVU to 319 yards of total offense, much of which came in garbage time. WVU went 3-for-15 on third down.
A big reason for that was Lathan. Since his arrival, Lathan has earned praise from many in the program. He has 25 total tackles, 11 solo, and 1.5 sacks through four games.
Lathan had another monstrous game Saturday. It felt like he was everywhere. He made three tackles and recorded a sack, but his most notable contribution came in the third quarter.
That’s when Lathan picked off West Virginia quarterback Nicco Marchiol and returned it 32 yards. It was his first career interception.
“My first pick, I envisioned it all week,” he said. “I was telling (KU linebackers Bangally Kamara and Joseph Sipp) that I knew he was going to throw me one on the hash. It was like a dream.
“I told them I was going to pretend like I wasn’t there, and then I was just going to run as soon as he took his hand off the ball.”
Lathan said Marchiol often predetermined who he was throwing to at practices last season, when the two were teammates.
All of that would’ve been enough for a big game. But Lathan earned an assist, of sorts, on another moment.
He may have kept the Jayhawks from getting a flag.
Late in the second quarter, he pushed Kansas defensive coordinator D.K. McDonald away from Marchiol. The Jayhawks had just earned a key stop, and McDonald yelled in the face of the WVU quarterback.
“D.K. was tripping, man,” Lathan said. “He was getting into the quarterback's face, and we almost got a flag. That just shows how excited he is and how great of a coach he is. He has such great enthusiasm.”
Lathan noted that McDonald is usually more reserved.
“I’ve never seen him like that,” Lathan said. “He was twitching.”
As for coach Lance Leipold, he was quick to downplay one element of Saturday’s game — Lathan playing his former team — while highlighting another.
“Did it have a factor? Yes, but Trey has been playing good football,” Leipold said. “Trey has become more confident and more vocal. He has become a better leader within our defense and our program. He’s well respected. That was also part of the equation. And maybe being a former Mountaineer had something to do with it.”
This story was originally published September 21, 2025 at 6:45 AM.
