Now just one week away from the unofficial kickoff of the 2026 college football preview season, the Big 12 Conference recently released the names of each school’s attendees for the July 7-8 Big 12 Football Media Days in Frisco, Texas.
Each Big 12 football program is sending anywhere from three to seven players, along with the head coach, to Texas for two days of interviews, photos, videos and promos with the Big 12 media.
Kansas, which will be led by sixth-year head coach Lance Leipold, lands right in the middle as one of just two teams (Iowa State is the other) planning to send five players to Frisco for the fun.
Most years, the Big 12 media days event, which is spread out over two days with half of the teams going on July 7 and KU and the rest of the teams going on July 8, has included three or four players and the head coach from each school.
But this year, the guest list has expanded in a big way.
West Virginia is the only team bringing just three players. Five other schools are sending four players. And the rest, including KU are bringing five, six or even seven player representatives to help preview the upcoming season, which now sits just about two months away.
KU will open the season at home against Long Island on Friday, Sept. 4 (7 p.m. central on ESPNU) before hosting Border War rival Missouri on Sept. 11 (7 p.m. central on FOX) and then traveling to London to take on Arizona State in the Union Jack Classic (11 a.m. central on FS1), which will be the first American football game very played at famed Wembley Stadium.
The Jayhawks will have plenty of media opportunities between now and then and they’ll also have the rest of the summer workout program and an entire preseason camp before kicking off Leipold’s sixth season.
For now, though, the Jayhawks will send the following five players to Frisco to help give people a taste of what to expect from the 2026 team: O-lineman Calvin Clements and wide receiver Cam Pickett on the offensive side of the ball and defensive end Leroy Harris III, defensive tackle Blake Herold and linebacker Trey Lathan on defense.
Here’s a look at what likely earned each player the opportunity to represent the Jayhawks at Big 12 media day, along with a couple of potential storylines for each of them.
• OL Calvin Clements •
There’s no denying that Clements is on the brink of being one of the program’s big time leaders. He’s had a little of that in him ever since he arrived as a true freshman. And it has grown each year since then. As one of the anchors of the O-Line at left tackle, Clements’ job is incredibly important. As a Lawrence native and lifelong KU fan, representing the program and giving Kansas fans something to cheer about is incredibly important to him. He’s supremely qualified to talk about this year’s O-Line, which will feature a good mixture of returning talent and new faces and he’ll also be thoughtful in his analysis of what’s going on with KU’s quarterback battle, where Cole Ballard and Isaiah Marshall seem to be locked into a race that figures to go well into camp before a winner is announced.
• DE Leroy Harris III •
If there’s one guy on this Kansas defense who has breakout potential written all over him, it’s Harris. One of the most talked about players last preseason, after transferring to KU following his freshman season at Chattanooga, Harris delivered a solid season in his first year as a Jayhawk. While playing in all 12 games, he finished with 31 tackles (23 solo) and added a team-best 4.5 sacks, 6.5 tackles for loss, 8 pass break-ups and 1 QB hurry. Not bad for a guy still getting used to his new team and the new level. Fast-forward to Year 2 at KU, and there’s little doubt that the expectations have been raised, both for him and within him. Harris, now a junior who stands 6-5, 260 pounds, has a chance to anchor this defense and be an even more disruptive force on the edge.
• DT Blake Herold •
You know those guys who coaches just love because they work their butts off, do everything right and well and don’t cause any problems whatsoever? That’s Blake Herold. And it has been for a couple of years now. Whether you’re talking about work ethic and his ability to lead by example or his willingness to show up to every media availability he’s asked to attend, even though he’s really not much of a talker, Herold has shown beyond a shadow of a doubt that he’s a team-first dude all the way. He also happens to be pretty good at football, in large part because of how hard he works, how much he cares and how strong he is physically. Herold ranked 6th on the team in tackles last season and while he, like everyone, would like to improve upon his numbers, he’s the kind of guy who will be just as happy finishing 10th or 12th on the team in tackles if that means his teammates delivered in front of him and Kansas won more games.
• LB Trey Lathan •
One of KU’s starting linebackers last season, and the Jayhawks’ leading tackler by a fairly wide margin, Lathan almost left in the offseason. He explored the transfer portal and went searching for other opportunities. In the end, though, it turned out that KU offered the best fit for him and he elected to return as a key piece of the Kansas defense. Getting him back was important because of the position he plays, but, more than that, KU now returns its most experienced defensive player and a guy who understands what D.K. McDonald is trying to do with this defense. So, how will it be the same as last year? How will it be different? How will Lathan be different? And what will he bring in Year 2 as a Jayhawk that will make him stand out even more and make this defense better?
• WR Cam Pickett •
The Jayhawks have depth and talent at wide receiver, but none of the options there have quite the blend of experience and production that Pickett does. He was a beast before a nagging injury derailed his season a year ago, and that’s a big part of the reason he’s back in Lawrence for Year 2 with the Jayhawks. He loves the culture and wants to be a big part of this offense, both as a pass catcher and stat producer and also as a leader. Pickett, you may remember, is not the top-end speed demon that Emmanuel Henderson Jr. was last season. He did most of his work underneath, using his wiggle, start-stop change of direction of ability after the catch to make plays. When he was fully healthy, he looked like a real weapon. Can he get back to that this year and what has he added to his game that might make him better suited to be a true No. 1 wideout for whoever plays QB for Kansas this year?
Complete 2026 Big 12 Media Days Lineup
Tuesday, July 7
Arizona State
TE - Khamari Anderson
RB - Kyson Brown
LB - Zyrus Fiaseu
DL - C.J. Fite
OL - Jalen Klemm
DB - Lyrik Rawls
DB - Montana Warren
Baylor
DB - Michael Allen
DE - Kyler Jordan
TE - Matthew Klopsenstein
QB - DJ Lagway
LB - Kyland Reed
DL - Jamaal Whyce Jr.
BYU
QB - Bear Bachmeier
LB - Isaiah Glasker
DB - Evan Johnson
RB - LJ Martin
OL - Bruce Mitchell
DL - Keanu Tanuvasa
UCF
QB - Alonza Barnett III
DB - Jayden Bellamy
LB - Lewis Carter
OL - Preston Cushman
Colorado
TE - Zach Atkins
DB - Ben Finneseth
QB - Julian Lewis
DB - Naeten Mitchell
WR - Danny Scudero
DB - Cree Thomas
Houston
OL - McKenzie Agnello
DB - Jordan Allen
DL - Khalil Laufau
WR - Amare Thomas
DB - Kentrell Webb
QB - Conner Weigman
Oklahoma State
RB - Caleb Hawkins
DE - Jaleel Johnson
QB - Drew Mestemaker
LB - Ethan Wesloski
Texas Tech
TE - Terrance Carter Jr.
WR - Coy Eakin
DL - A.J. Holmes Jr.
DB - Brice Pollock
LB - Ben Roberts
OL - Sheridan Wilson
Wednesday, July 8
Arizona
OL - Tristan Bounds
LB - Taye Brown
DB - Jay'vion Cole
QB - Noah Fifita
WR - Chris Hunter III
DE - Tre Smith
Cincinnati
QB - JC French
LB - Antwan Peek Jr.
OL - Evan Tengesdahl
OL - Taran Tyo
Iowa State
DB - David Coffey
RB - Aiden Flora
K - Kyle Konrardy
QB - Jaylen Raynor
DE - Isaac Terrell
Kansas
OL - Calvin Clements
DE - Leroy Harris III
DT - Blake Herold
LB - Trey Lathan
WR - Cameron Pickett
Kansas State
DB - Wesley Fair
RB - Joe Jackson
QB - Avery Johnson
LB - Rex Van Wyhe
TCU
QB - Jaden Craig
DT - Markis Deal
DT - Ansel Din-Mbuh
DB - Jamel Johnson
DE - Paul Oyewale
OL - Ben Taylor-Whitfield
Utah
QB - Devon Dampier
LB - Johnathan Hall
DE - Lance Holtzclaw
RB - Wayshawn Parker
West Virginia
WR - Jaden Bray
OL - Nick Krahe
DB - Geimere Latimer II
— For tickets to all KU athletic events, visit kuathletics.com
