The Kansas football
defense took a huge blow Tuesday when head coach Lance Leipold announced an injury to one of the defensive line's most important pieces. The Jayhawks will be without Tulane transfer Tre'Von McAlpine for the entirety of the 2026 season.
According to Leipold, McAlpine suffered the injury during the spring and tore his ACL. KU is looking to bring him back for an additional year since he was set to be a redshirt senior and could receive a medical waiver.
McAlpine, the team's projected starting nose tackle, started his career at Texas Tech, making him familiar with the Big 12. This past year, he was a key player on a Tulane squad that reached the first round of the College Football Playoff, finishing with 35 tackles, two tackles for loss, and one sack. He appeared in 19 games at TTU for three tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks the two years prior.
He committed to KU in January
and was expected to be the anchor of the defensive line. McAlpine would have been a perfect run-stopper for a Jayhawks squad that struggled against the run a year ago and lost DJ Withers, Tommy Dunn Jr., and Kenean Caldwell to graduation.
Considering McAlpine was supposed to start at nose tackle and be the team's best run defender, this is quite a blow to a defensive unit that already didn't have a lot going for it. Right now, the Jayhawks must lean on Grand Valley State transfer Jibriel Conde or Eamon Smalls to fill the gap.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/kansas as Report: Kansas Transfer Addition Tre'Von McAlpine to Miss 2026 Season .
