The Kansas football defense is off to a strong start to the 2026 season. The Jayhawks’ defense currently ranks No. 1 in the Big 12 and No. 8 in the country in total defense with an average of 244.8 yards allowed per game.
A big reason for that has been the stellar play of junior defensive end Leroy Harris III.
Harris is currently the No. 1 ranked defensive lineman among all Power 4 defenders and the No. 2 ranked defensive lineman in college football overall, according to Pro Football Focus (PFF). He has a run defense grade of 94.2 and an overall grade of 93.5.
On the season, Harris has racked up an impressive 18 total tackles, seven tackles for loss, three forced fumbles, one sack, and one blocked kick.
This is coming off a sophomore season in 2025 when Harris played in all 12 games and led the team in sacks (4.5) and pass breakups (8) in his first year with the program after transferring from Chattanooga. He also had 31 tackles (23 solo, 8 assisted), 6.5 tackles-for-loss, and one blocked kick last season on his way to being named Honorable Mention All-Big 12.
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The progress he’s shown between year three and year two as a college football player has him in line to earn even more Big 12 honors by season’s end and potentially earn himself a spot in the 2027 NFL Draft.
There’s certainly no questioning the confidence that Harris has in himself after the early success he’s had this season.
“They can’t block me,” said Harris during a recent interview. “But I’d love to see someone try to prove me wrong.”
That’s the kind of confidence that KU will need as they head into the toughest four-game stretch of the season with a road trip to No. 12 Utah (4-0) on Saturday, followed by a road trip to Manhattan to take on Kansas State (3-1). After that, the Jayhawks welcome Baylor (4-1) to Lawrence for homecoming on Oct. 24 and then head on the road again at TCU (2-3) on Halloween.
You can expect KU to be an underdog in each of those four games, and they’ll need Harris at his absolute best if they hope to pull off an upset and get to that coveted six-win mark to reach a bowl game this season.
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