See which Kansas Jayhawks earned All-Big 12 recognition in annual football awards
Ten Kansas Jayhawks football players earned All-Big 12 recognition on Thursday.
One garnered first-team honors: punt returner Emmanuel Henderson. He also made the annual all-league’s third team as a wide receiver. Punter Finn Lappin earned third-team honors, too.
Henderson, a transfer from Alabama, additionally earned honorable mention in balloting for the Big 12’s Offensive Newcomer of the Year award. He’s the first KU player to earn All-Big 12 first-team honors as a punt/kick returner since 2005 (Charles Gordon).
Henderson averaged a conference-topping 25.3 yards per return, bringing back 18 kickoffs for 455 total yards and one touchdown. He was also KU’s top receiver with 45 catches for 766 yards and five TDs.
Lappin, KU’s Australian punter, ranked fourth in the Big 12 in punt average (45.3), booting the ball 39 times for 1,767 yards and placing 12 punts inside the opponent’s 20-yard line.
A total of nine KU players earned honorable mention. Those players include Henderson; running back Daniel Hishaw Jr.; tight end Boden Groen; offensive linemen Kobe Baynes, Enrique Cruz Jr. and Bryce Foster; linebackers Bangally Kamara and Trey Lathan; and defensive end Leroy Harris III.
Each of those nine is a first-time all-league honoree, with the exception of Foster, who garnered second-team recognition a year ago.
Here’s a closer look at the 2025 Big 12 all-conference football awards:
All-Big 12: Football 2025
Offensive Player of the Year: LJ Martin, RB, BYU
Defensive Player of the Year: Jacob Rodriguez, LB, Texas Tech
Offensive Newcomer of the Year: Devon Dampier, QB, Utah
Defensive Newcomer of the Year: David Bailey, DE, Texas Tech
Offensive Freshman of the Year: Bear Bachmeier, QB, BYU
Defensive Freshman of the Year: Wendell Gregory, LB, Oklahoma State
Special Teams Player of the Year: Palmer Williams, P, Baylor
Offensive Lineman of the Year: Spencer Fano, OT, Utah
Defensive Lineman of the Year: David Bailey, DE, Texas Tech
Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Sawyer Robertson, QB, Baylor
Chuck Neinas Big 12 Coach of the Year: Kalani Sitake, BYU
