Former K-State Standout Dylan Edwards Will Be X-Factor for Kansas Football

The Kansas football offense was shaken up significantly this offseason after it lost several key players to graduation. To combat those departures, head coach Lance Leipold brought in a strong group from the transfer portal and even rehired former offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki to the staff.

Although the program made several lauded acquisitions to the squad, perhaps none was bigger than the addition of Dylan Edwards in January. The speedy running back stayed in-state after spending two years in Manhattan and will look to bring the Jayhawks back to relevance this year.

Although he will be competing with two other solid portal backs for carries, Edwards is one of the biggest X-factors on this team heading into the campaign. He has extremely high expectations entering spring practice, which began this past Thursday.

First spring practice as a Jayhawk for RB Dylan Edwards 👀

#KUfball @KSNTSports pic.twitter.com/5RKifWUAc1
— Sydney Clark (@SydneyClark___) March 26, 2026

Edwards was spotted wearing a crimson and blue jersey for the first time earlier this week as spring practice gets underway. It is certainly a more pleasing sight than watching him in that hideous shade of Wildcat purple.

Across three seasons at the collegiate level, Edwards has tallied 1,072 rushing yards on 184 carries, good for an excellent 5.8 YPC average. He has also caught 58 passes for 449 yards and six more scores through the air.

Coming out of high school, Edwards was recruited heavily by Leipold and Co. but ultimately committed to Colorado. Since then, his collegiate path has been rocky, as he spent a pair of seasons at K-State before transferring due to a mysterious injury saga that persisted throughout the 2025 season.

Kansas State Wildcats running back Dylan Edwards (3) runs the ball during the second half of the game against UCF Knights at Bill Snyder Family Stadium on Sept. 27, 2025. | Evert Nelson/The Capital-Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Although fans are well aware of the drama that surrounded Edwards last year, his talent more than makes up for it. He may be undersized at 5-foot-9, 170 pounds, but he packs a punch in his smaller frame as one of the most electric tailbacks in the country when healthy.

He is expected to be the change-of-pace back to Syracuse transfer Yasin Willis and former Colorado State running back Jalen Dupree. Both of those rushers are more short-yardage power backs, whereas Edwards is not an every-down player but is capable of making game-breaking highlights in an instant.

With the departures of Daniel Hishaw Jr. and Leshon Williams, the Jayhawks must replace over 1,000 rushing yards this season. They have a strong running back corps to do so, but the performance of Edwards will be one of the key factors that determine KU's success in 2026.