Kansas Jayhawks 2016 Season Preview - BionicBeard52's Dynasty

BionicBeard52's Dynasty Blog

Kansas Jayhawks 2016 Season Preview

Posted on July 7, 2016 at 02:47 PM.

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It was quite the year for Kansas and 1st-year head coach Taylor Zachar as the Jayhawks won 8 games and made it to their first bowl game since 2008. KU defeated 13th-ranked Stanford 16-10 in the Alamo Bowl to cap off an outstanding first season for coach Zachar.

For Zachar the toughest part was changing the philosophy of the offense from an air raid type offense to more of a pro style rushing attack. While the offense had its up and downs throughout last season, the Jayhawks hit their stride late in the season as evident by their win over a tough Stanford team.

While KU doesn't return many starters this season, they have some talented young players ready to prove themselves. True freshman HB Kevin Jones is receiving rave reviews so far and many are expecting him to earn the bulk of the carries in 2016. The Jayhawks will have a new QB leading their offense this season as senior Montell Cozart steps into the starting role. Cozart did play in the 2nd half of last season's bowl win and has the mobility and arm strength that Zachar likes from his quarterbacks. Cozart will be targeting his TE a lot as senior Kent Taylor is also back after having a breakout junior campaign. The 6'5", 230 lb TE caught 59 balls for 778 yards and 5 TDs in 2015. Taylor was recently voted a 2nd-team All-American.

KU has a relatively inexperienced defense this season, but pre-season 2nd-team All-American safety Tevin Shaw is back for his senior season after grabbing 2 picks and forcing a fumble in 2015. The Piscataway, NJ native also finished 2nd on the team in tackles with 47. It will be up to an experienced secondary to help bring along a young front 7 for the Jayhawks.

Can Kansas improve on its 2015 season? The Jayhawks are an inexperienced squad, but are not short on talent after coach Zachar brought in good recruiting class. The schedule is tough with just 5 home games, and they also open the season against old rival Missouri on the road. Big 12 media has the Jayhawks pegged to finish 7th in the conference, but I'm sure Zachar has KU thinking bigger than that.

Kansas Jayhawks 2016 Schedule
DATE	OPPONENT	RESULT
Sep 6	at Missouri
Sep 13	at Colorado
Sep 20	vs Texas
Sep 27	vs BYU
Oct 11	at Texas Tech
Oct 18	at Oklahoma
Oct 25	at Kansas State
Nov 1	at West Virginia
Nov 15	vs TCU
Nov 22	vs Oklahoma State
Nov 29	vs Iowa State
Dec 6	at Baylor