Kansas
99 Days: Kansas Football 2023 Recap and Grades, Pt 1
We’ll be starting the first few days of our 100 Days Until Kansas Football countdown diving into a bunch of review of last season and the offseason so far. And just like last season, the Kansas Jayhawks are coming off of a bowl appearance and a very productive spring football season. Unlike last year, they are building off of a dominant bowl victory and come into this season with huge expectations.
Kansas matched their hot start from the prior season, but this time it didn’t feel like a fluke. The Jayhawks showed early that they expected to be a good team and compete in the Big 12, and overall things went about as well as you could expect despite some very trying circumstances. Today, we’ll be grading the first half of last season on the field, through the UCF game. Tomorrow, we’ll take a look at the rest of the season.
Result: 48-17 Win
Despite an early hiccup in the form of a Daniel Hishaw fumble and turnover, the Jayhawks put on a dominant performance in front of the home crowd, rushing their way to four touchdowns and passing for two more. The debut was marred by the offseason injury to Jalon Daniels, which would end up being a bigger deal than many thought.
The defense showed up as well, making the Bears work for their first touchdown after that turnover. Then they held their opponent to just 10 points the rest of the way, including snagging two late interceptions to seal any hope the Bears had to make it competitive. It wasn’t always pretty, but it got the job done.
Grade: A-
Result: 34-23 Win
Jalon Daniels made his anticipated debut and showed early why he was the Preseason Big 12 Player of the Year on offense. He led the Jayhawks to touchdowns on four out of five first half drives, with the only three and out coming on a blown blocking assignment to result in a sack. And the defense shut down the Illini in the first half as well, forcing punts on the first four drives before giving up a touchdown with less than a minute to go in the half.
But the second half was a completely different story. The offense sputtered early, anaging only two field goals in the third quarter. The defense looked to be just as dominant as the first half, forcing a turnover on downs followed by an interception. But the next two drives resulted in touchdowns and successful two point conversions to pull the game within 11. Even a long drive to run almost 5 minutes off the clock didn’t put the game away until an interception with just 2 minutes left perserved the win.
While the second half was less than you hoped for, it was still an overall solid performance that had many feeling optimistic about the next few weeks. Kansas nearly had two 100-yard rushers, with Daniel Hishaw just 2 yards shy of the century mark.
Grade: B
Result: 31-24 Win
In what was by far the strangest game of the season, the Jayhawks overcame some terrible fumble luck to hold on against the heavy underdog Wolf Pack on the road. Kansas fumbled the ball twice and lost one while Nevada fumbled five times without turning the ball over to stay in the game. Jalon Daniels was nonexistent in the running game, but Devin Neal and Daniel Hishaw picked up the slack, combining for 137 yards and four touchdowns.
The defense struggled in this one, allowing an abysmal Nevada offense to look good all night long, matching the Jayhawks drive for drive until late in the fourth quarter. Whether it was the late start, saving some for the Big 12 opener the next week or something else entirely, Kansas had a poor performance but still somehow managed to get a pass.
Grade: C-
Result: 38-27 Win
The Kansas defense made a big statement in this game, scoring one the first drive of each half to put the Jayhawks in the driver seat. Cobee Bryant had a crushing hit on Parker Kingston to force a fumble, which he promptly scooped up and ran into the end zone to give Kansas the lead. But the Cougars answered right back, hitting a late field goal to break a tie just before half.
It took just 19 seconds and 3 plays in the second half to take the lead for good. Two incompletions, including a dropped interception by Marvin Grant, were followed by Kenny Logan anticipating a pass to the sideline and getting the perfect jump to run it all the way back for the score. Holding the Cougars to a field goal preserved the one-point lead, and two touchdowns sandwiching a Bryant interception gave the Jayhawks a two-score advantage. It took a 6-minute drive ending in a field goal to finally make the lead safe.
Grade: B+
Result: 40-14 Loss
The biggest storyline to come out of this game wasn’t even from a player who hit the field. Jalon Daniels was a very late scratch in this one, with multiple reports indicating that Jason Bean and the Kansas staff was not aware that Daniels had reaggravated his back injury until the team was preparing to take the field in pregame.
Despite the drama surrounding the surprising scratch, Kansas looked competitive in this one for a while. The defense held firm in the first half, holding Texas to just 13 points on three long scoring drives. And while the offense was clearly affected by the loss, Daniel Hishaw was able to score on an 18-yard run to keep the halftime margin at a single score.
Texas scored quickly in the second half, but Bean aired out a huge pass to Trevor Wilson down the field for a 58-yard touchdown to pull back to within 6. The defense got a huge stop, forcing a missed field goal to give the Jayhawks an opportunity to take their first lead, but Bean fumbled and the Texas defense capitalized. The final 20 minutes of game time were all Texas.
The grade for this one has to be put into context of the situation, as a ranked Kansas team went on the road against one of the best teams in the nation and was competitive for 40 minutes without their best player and clear leader of the team. But the performance put on by Jason Bean helped set the tone for the rest of the season. That keeps this from a failing grade.
Grade: D
Result: 51-22 Win
The Jayhawks exorcised some demons against the helpless Knights, who saw a banged-up John Rhys Plumlee take some heavy hits and have to leave the game early in this one. The defense took advantage of Timmy McClain’s inability to match the production of Plumlee, forcing the Knights to turn to their running game. They put up a respectable 202 yards.
But about the only thing not working for the Jayhawks in this game was the passing game, and that was mainly because it wasn’t needed. Kansas put up 399 yards on the ground, including 154 from Devin Neal, 134 from Daniel Hishaw and 91 from third-stringer Dylan McDuffie, combining for 5 rushing touchdowns. The lone receiving touchdown was pulled in by Lawrence Arnold, and Trevor Wilson provided a huge special teams highlight late in the first half when he returned a punt 82 yards for the touchdown, pushing the Kansas lead to 24-0.
If you are looking for things to nitpick, the defense did allow two touchdown drives of 5 plays or less that went for 75 yards in less than two minutes. But those didn’t come until the game was well out of reach in the second half, and the 31-0 scoring run to start the game was more than enough to counteract that.
Grade: A+
We’ll finish up with the second half of the schedule and an overall grade tomorrow.
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KANSAS CITY, Mo. — From 25,000 parking spots to 19,000 within a 10-minute walk to the stadium, that’s how many Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas says will be available near the new Royals ballpark in Crown Center, with 9,000 of those spots on the actual campus.
While there will be less parking, Royals fan Roger Nickell says he believes this move is good for Kansas City.
“I think anything that makes Kansas City an exciting place to come to, and a good destination, the parking itself is not going to be the issue,” Nickell said “We’d rather have good things in our city, and if you go to other cities, Kansas City is actually really, really easy right now.”
While it might not be ideal for some, downtown stadiums and parking is the normal for a number of teams and cities throughout Major League Baseball. Upwards of 20 teams have a stadium in the downtown area, including the Twins, Cardinals and Tigers.
“I think every new stadium in the MLB is being built downtown, so I kind of expected it,” Royals fan Jackson Fort said. “I think parking will be kind of, they’ll have to figure out something because there’s going to be a big building and not a lot of space to put it. I think you’ll see a lot more Ubers and less of that tailgating scene that the chiefs and the royals are so known for.”
While tailgating as we know it will look different, walking to the stadium won’t actually look that bad if you use the streetcar. From the stop at the World War I Museum, you’re looking at a nine-minute walk to Crown Center, and four-minute walk if you get off at Union Station.
“I think it would be a good thing for the city, for the baseball park and for everybody,” avid streetcar user Gary Henderson said. “Especially for the people who use the trolley would get a chance to see how comfortable it is and maybe it’ll increase their business too.”
With hopes of the new stadium to be ready for opening day in 2030, the Royals, Kansas City, and fans have time to figure out any potential obstacles.
“I think we’ll get to figure it out,” Royals fan Caden Tucker said. “I think that they have plenty of time to be able to figure everything out and make sure everything’s not going to be packed in here and just kind of slowed down in the process.”
While a lot of parking will be taken away in the near future, if one thing is for certain, the Royals will not. The current lease for Kauffman stadium is set to expire in 2031.
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Kansas
Final 7-Round Kansas City Chiefs 2026 NFL Mock Draft: Putting my skills to the test against an AI trained to think like Brett Veach
I trained my AI to think and draft like Kansas City Chiefs GM Brett Veach. Then I challenged it to a duel for my final 2026 NFL Mock Draft.
YouTube/Chiefs
You’re going to see a lot of final mock drafts for the Kansas City Chiefs this week, but I decided to make mine a little bit differently this year.
I wanted to give Chiefs fans an idea of what I would do while also adding a predictive element. What I settled on was a dueling mock draft against an AI trained to think like Chiefs GM Brett Veach.
How did I train my AI? First, I uploaded Veach’s draft history since he took over as general manager following the 2017 NFL Draft. Then, I fed it pre-draft and post-draft press conference transcripts to give the AI context on how Veach views the NFL Draft. I weighted the more recent press conferences more heavily. From there, I uploaded historical data on key thresholds at specific position groups. It had access to confirmed combine formals and pre-draft meetings with 2026 NFL Draft prospects, along with historical context on their importance.
I also uploaded the Chiefs’ stats from last season so the AI could quantify areas that needed improvement relative to NFL averages. The final piece of the puzzle was to upload the Chiefs’ 90-man offseason roster and team needs.
To execute the mock draft, I used the A to Z Sports NFL Mock Draft Simulator. I provided the AI with the list of the 10 best available players at a given pick. I made my picks before the AI, but I didn’t tell it who I had chosen. The AI was prompted to use all available data to make a decision for each draft pick. With all that in mind, here’s a look at how the mock draft competition turned out.
Final Kansas City 2026 NFL Mock Draft
Pick No. 9
Top available: Mansoor Delane, Caleb Downs, Jordyn Tyson, Spencer Fano, Makai Lemon, Monroe Freeling, Jermod McCoy, Kenyon Sadiq, Ola Ioane, and Keldric Faulk.
My pick: Arizona State WR Jordyn Tyson
Solving for the Chiefs’ need for “the guy” on offense in the future just feels like the right move for this draft class. Travis Kelce can’t play forever. Add Tyson and get back to scoring 30+ per game.
What AI Brett Veach did: Auburn DE Keldric Faulk
Edge rusher was the No. 1 need that I provided to the AI. At 6-foot-6 and 275 pounds with 34-inch arms, Faulk meets virtually every Chiefs threshold from a physical standpoint. It’s not an exciting pick for fans, but even a robot can see the upside here.
Pick No. 29
Top available: Kadyn Proctor, Akheem Mesidor, Caleb Banks, Cash Howell, T.J. Parker, CJ Allen, Denzel Boston, Chris Johnson, R Mason Thomas, and Colton Hood.
My pick: Tennessee CB Colton Hood
I’m becoming increasingly comfortable with the idea of taking a cornerback early. The old NFL adage goes that you can never have too many cornerbacks, and the Chiefs need bodies there. Not just for 2026, but also for the long term. Hood gives you a physical man coverage corner who can play outside, but probably crosstrains inside, too.
What AI Brett Veach did: Alabama OT Kadyn Proctor
Offensive tackle wasn’t rated as highly on the AI’s needs list. However, the Chiefs did have a top-30 visit with Proctor. I think it probably took note of Brett Veach’s comments about offensive tackle drying up by pick No. 35. He also hits some athleticism thresholds, despite missing on one key measurable (arm length).
Pick No. 40
Top available: Caleb Banks, Chris Johnson, R Mason Thomas, Denzel Boston, Chris Bell, Zion Young, Christen Miller, Chris Brazzell, D’Angelo Ponds, and Gabe Jacas.
My pick: Florida DT Caleb Banks
There are obviously some questions regarding the nagging foot injury. Plus, there’s still some development and pad-level issues to work out. I just think the 6-foot-6, 310-pound defender would really thrive by learning from Chris Jones.
What AI Brett Veach did: Florida DT Caleb Banks
What a copycat. Based on the information I gave the AI, this doesn’t surprise me. Banks had the medical top-30 visit with Kansas City. Veach, of course, mentioned needing two more defensive linemen in this class during his pre-draft presser. This just makes me feel even more strongly that this is a no-brainer pick if he’s available at pick No. 40.
Pick No. 74
Top available: Ted Hurst, Davison Igbinosun, Dom Orange, Antonio Williams, Jonah Coleman, Genesis Smith, Caleb Tiernan, Dani Dennis-Sutton, Will Lee III, and Keionte Scott.
My pick: Penn State DE Dani Dennis-Sutton
A member of the 2026 All-Juice Team, Dennis-Sutton feels like he was built in a lab solely for Steve Spagnuolo. He hits all of the physical thresholds, but also is quietly one of the more productive players at the position.
What AI Brett Veach did: Georgia State WR Ted Hurst
I think this might have been a “best player available” pick for the AI. Hurst took a pre-draft visit with the Chiefs, and wide receiver is pretty high on the needs list. It makes sense why the AI Brett Veach would value him here.
Pick No. 109
Top available: Brian Parker, Nick Singleton, Isaiah World, Oscar Delp, Dontay Corleone, Bud Clark, Kaleb Proctor, Harold Perkins, Emmett Johnson, and Charles Demmings.
My pick: TCU S Bud Clark
A versatile safety prospect for the Chiefs. Clark has ball skills for days, with four consecutive college football seasons with 3 or more interceptions. At 6-foot-1 and 188 pounds, he’s also a physical presence in run support. He fits the Spags mold.
What AI Brett Veach did: Stephen F. Austin CB Charles Demmings
Cornerback also ranked highly on the needs list, so I can see how the AI prioritized this position group at this pick. Veach also has a history of drafting FCS talent, including Fayetteville State CB Joshua Williams and Western Illinois DT Khalen Saunders. Demmings fits the mold for what K.C. likes at the cornerback spot in terms of physicality and athleticism.
Pick No. 148
Top available: Sam Roush, Kevin Coleman, Jalon Kilgore, Billy Schrauth, Kaleb Elarms-Orr, Ephesians Prysock, Justin Jefferson, Zane Durant, Logan Taylor, and Jeff Caldwell.
My pick: Stanford TE Sam Roush
I’m a big Roush fan. He’s already one of the better blocking tight ends in the class, but I also think there’s big upside as a pass-catcher. He has a 6-foot-6 and 267-pound frame. Plus, he’s a legacy player in Kansas City.
What AI Brett Veach did: South Carolina DB Jalon Kilgore
Nickel/safety versatility probably appealed to the AI here. There’s also really good ball production with eight career interceptions and 21 passes broken up. I think he’s rather role-limited in the NFL, but the AI could’ve done a whole lot worse at pick No. 148.
Pick No. 169
Top available: Landon Robinson, Josh Cameron, Caden Curry, Taureen York, Demon Claiborne, Domani Jackson, Eli Raridon, Cade Klubnik, J.C. Davis, and Keagen Trost.
My pick: Illinois OT J.C. Davis
I hadn’t taken an offensive tackle yet, so this felt right. This one is a bit of a homer pick as Davis played for my UNM Lobos before transferring to play for my Fighting Illini. If the Chiefs wait on offensive tackle, he’s the one I’d want them to target.
What AI Brett Veach did: Navy DT Landon Robinson
Doubling up on the pass-rushing interior defensive linemen. I see you, Brett Veach AI. Robinson is undersized, but his athleticism and production are absolutely worth taking a chance on. Being the top-ranked player on the list I gave to the AI probably played a part in this decision.
Pick No. 176
Top available: Jeremiah Wright, Ar’Maj Reed-Adams, Mikail Kamara, Marlin Klein, Adam Randall, Trey Moore, Jakobe Thomas, Nick Barrett, Kaelon Black, and Febechi Nwaiwu.
My pick: Michigan LB Jimmy Rolder
Call it a reach on my part, as Rolder is 201 on the A to Z Sports big board. Only a one-year starter. Instinctive with impressive closing speed at 6-foot-2 and 238 pounds. He’s someone who could slot in as a SAM linebacker in 2026, but potentially develop into the green-dot-wearer down the line.
What AI Brett Veach did: Indiana RB Kaelon Black
I noted three things the Chiefs still needed at running back in team needs for the AI: Pass protection, short-yardage, and return specialists. Black (5-foot-10, 210 pounds) can handle the first two, at the very least. The one thing I found interesting here is that running back was very low on my AI’s needs list.
Pick No. 210
Top available: Tyren Montgomery, John Michael Gyllenborg, Robert Spears-Jennings, Skyler Gill-Howard, Diego Pounds, Carver Willis, Caleb Douglas, Eli Heidenreich, Red Murdock, and George Gumbs Jr.
My pick: Florida EDGE George Gumbs Jr.
Gumbs felt like that developmental speed-rusher prototype that the Chiefs want, but haven’t really hit on. He’s long (6-foot-6 with 34-inch arms), springy, super-athletic, and the flash plays look really good. It’s just all about further development and consistency.
What AI Brett Veach did: Buffalo LB Khalil “Red” Murdock
The AI got a little sassy with me and spat out Red’s government name. I feel like Brett Veach’s recent comments about the linebacker position stuck with the AI here. I also feel like it valued Murdock’s production (364 tackles and 17 forced fumbles in his career).
Final verdict
Charles Goldman’s Final 2026 NFL Mock Draft:
- 9: Arizona State WR Jordyn Tyson
- 29: Tennessee CB Colton Hood
- 40: Florida DT Caleb Banks
- 74: Penn State EDGE Dani Dennis-Sutton
- 109: TCU S Bud Clark
- 148: Stanford TE Sam Roush
- 169: Illinois OT J.C. Davis
- 176: Michigan LB Jimmy Rolder
- 210: Florida EDGE George Gumbs Jr.
AI Brett Veach’s Final 2026 NFL Mock Draft:
- 9: Auburn DE Keldric Faulk
- 29: Alabama OT Kadyn Proctor
- 40: Florida DT Caleb Banks
- 74: Georgia State WR George Hurst
- 109: SFA CB Charles Demmings
- 148: South Carolina DB Jalon Kilgore
- 169: Navy DT Landon Robinson
- 176: Indiana RB Kaelon Black
- 210: Buffalo LB Red Murdock
Overall, I was surprised by how well the AI drafted. My draft feels a bit more top-heavy with the instant-impact contributors, but I think the AI might’ve actually done a better job on Day 3. That felt especially Brett Veach-like, given his history and penchant for finding late-round steals.
If I do this again next year, I think I’ll feed the AI some of our draft rankings at A to Z Sports to give it better context. It had access to prospect data, but not any specific set of rankings. That’s probably the one area this experiment failed. The only context it had for “best” was the order of the 10 players I gave it to choose from at each pick. If I had the ability to “reach” as I did at 176, the AI should be able to.
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