Kansas football associate head coach Andy Kotelnicki has seen plenty of encouraging flashes from the Jayhawks' offense during fall camp, but he still wants one thing to improve before the season begins: consistency.

Kansas struggled to sustain offensive success last season, averaging 26.5 points and 368.8 yards per game. The Jayhawks were more efficient on a per-play basis, averaging 5.7 yards, but too often failed to maintain that production throughout games.

Kotelnicki said the coaching staff is still working to identify exactly how each player can best fit within the offense.

“There's been a ton of flashes,” Kotelnicki said. “For me, it's about consistently showing it over and over and over again. I think, one of the biggest things that coaches have to do is identify what are the limitations of players? And what are the capabilities of players?”

Kotelnicki added that more practice time will help the staff determine how to put players in the best positions to succeed.

“As long as you put a picture of that, you can always put the puzzle pieces together to get guys in the right spots,” Kotelnicki said. “And so you just need a few more practices of that evidence.”

Kansas now has additional clarity after naming redshirt sophomore Isaiah Marshall its starting quarterback for the Sept. 4 opener against Long Island University.

Marshall will lead an offense featuring several new pieces, including Buffalo transfer wide receiver Nik McMillan, offensive lineman Connor Stroh and running back Yasin Willis.

One area Kansas will especially look to improve is the red zone. The Jayhawks converted on 71.79% of their red-zone opportunities last season, ranking 124th nationally. Kansas also converted 38.13% of its third downs.

Those numbers were significantly better during Kotelnicki's previous stint with the program. In 2023, Kansas posted an 81.82% red-zone conversion rate and converted 47.76% of its third downs.

If the Jayhawks can regain some of that efficiency while finding more week-to-week and drive-to-drive consistency, the offense could take a meaningful step forward in 2026.

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