LAWRENCE — Dylan Edwards' decision to continue his college career with Kansas football, understandably, drew attention.
It wasn't just that Edwards played high school football in the state of Kansas . It wasn't just that the running back would be a valuable and versatile addition to that Jayhawks position group. It was that Edwards, who first played in college at Colorado, was transferring to KU after a stint playing for Kansas State .
It's a choice that can heighten the intensity around an in-state rivalry, and an aspect of this recruitment that Kansas coach Lance Leipold said Wednesday everyone involved understood. There's no avoiding it. Even when Kansas and Kansas State match up on Oct. 17 in Manhattan, Kansas, in Edwards' return to his former home, the potential exists that it won't be the end of the book on this topic — instead, just the beginning of another chapter.
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"The thing that Dylan and I talked about is that I wanted to make sure that he knew that we were in this with him together to make this a good experience for him," Leipold said. "That was, maybe, different than some of his other options that he looked at.
And again, yeah, rivalries and emotions and things like that from that can be there, and it probably will continue until a game is played. But, for us, it was more of him being healthy and being in a great mindset that he knows that this is a place that can utilize his skills and for him to, like I said, play his best football that he possibly can."
Kansas' running backs room needed an infusion of talent after Daniel Hishaw Jr. and Leshon Williams each wrapped up their careers with the Jayhawks this past season, and there were departures through the transfer portal. Edwards isn't the only newcomer. But while he'll have to compete for playing time, how dynamic he could be this fall can't be ignored.
Edwards didn't make it through the 2025 season at Kansas State, dealing with injury and, at one point — as then-Wildcats coach Chris Klieman said that fall — deciding to redshirt and leave the team. But Edwards did rush for 546 yards and five touchdowns in 2024, in addition to catching 19 passes for 133 yards and two scores, and returning a punt for a touchdown. Leipold acknowledged there were discussions with former Wildcats staffers about Edwards to discuss what transpired.
KU associate head coach Andy Kotelnicki outlined that great running backs all have some things in common, like vision and gaining yards after contact, but noted what separates them is what happens outside of those two areas. For Edwards, that's operating in space in a way that's elite. In Kotelnicki's mind, it merits specialized packages.
Kansas might not have been able to recruit Edwards to Lawrence coming out of high school, or even when Edwards chose to transfer from Colorado to Kansas State. Leipold said the fact that KU still had running back Devin Neal on the roster at the time, to play a role, influenced Edwards' decision to make that transfer. But the Jayhawks have Edwards now, and are eager about what's next.
Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. He was the 2022 National Sports Media Association's sportswriter of the year for the state of Kansas. Contact him at jmguskey@gannett.com or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Dylan Edwards' transfer to KU from K-State fuels rivalry
