This Kansas Football OL Might Work His Way Into the First Unit

All of Kansas football's offensive line position battles were settled by the time fall camp concluded. However, one of the team's backups may be making a push to win a starting role in the middle of the season.

A player the coaching staff has spoken highly of throughout the offseason is DeAndre Harper, a second-year Jayhawk who transferred to KU last year after a brief stint at Division II program Northwest Missouri State. He's listed as the second-string left guard on the team's Week 2 depth chart, but he saw all of his snaps at right tackle last Friday in the season opener against Long Island.

Harper, who Lance Leipold himself said will be "hard to keep off the field," can play on the inside or outside and appears poised to carve out a role in 2026. Leipold and offensive line coach Daryl Agpalsa made it clear throughout the offseason that rather than utilizing traditional backups, the O-line prioritizes its sixth-best lineman as the next man up. That forces everyone to be versatile and comfortable moving around, and Harper feels like the best fit on the unit for that swingman-type role.

During his weekly press conference on Monday, Leipold sang his praises for Harper, remaining apprehensive about his play but encouraged by what he saw in his first taste of real Division I action.

"I thought he played fine. He's obviously got plenty to work on," Leipold said.

"As I told the staff, I said, 'For a guy that didn't play last year for us and was playing D-II ball two years ago, Long Island could have been the best competition he's played against,'" Leipold added. "But for him, to get out there and really play for the first time, I thought he did a very solid job. He's going to continue to get his opportunities."

Sep 4, 2026; Lawrence, Kansas, USA; Kansas Jayhawks head coach Lance Leipold watches team warm ups against the LIU Sharks prior to a game at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The 6-foot-6, 320-pound monster from Omaha only appeared in one game during his first year with the Jayhawks. However, Leipold believes he's taken the biggest jump of any returning player on the roster.

"I think I've said it in here before, he's probably the most improved football player on our team," he continued. "And it's a really great thing to see, a guy who's worked to change his body, increase his strength, but more importantly, the time he's put in to learn the game."

Slowly but surely, Harper is giving Cal transfer Nick Morrow a run for his money at right tackle. At the very least, Morrow doesn't have the position locked down as most fans initially thought entering the campaign.

While Morrow received the start on the outside, Harper outsnapped him by the time the night was over. Morrow's 77.1 Pro Football Focus grade didn't necessarily wow Jayhawk fans in his debut with the team, compared to Harper, who finished as the Big 12's highest-graded right tackle of the entire week.

Morrow was a two-year starter at Cal and is undoubtedly the more experienced option. Still, Harper's emergence as a legitimate option for right tackle reps is creating healthy competition along the offensive line. Knowing Andy Kotelnicki's creative schemes, he'll find ways to get Harper on the field, even if it's as the sixth lineman.

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