The Kansas football team has been hit by the injury bug early in the 2026 season. Several key Jayhawks have been sidelined or limited through the first three games, forcing depth pieces to step up in their absence.
As a result, Lance Leipold and his coaching staff were forced to look for additional players during their bye week. Thanks to an Indiana court injunction that KU basketball player Tre White was a part of
, the Jayhawks were able to do just that.
Last week, KU brought two newcomers on board who can immediately play this season. The first player it announced was 6-foot-2, 350-pound nose tackle Clifton Thompson.
Thompson was one of many players included in the Indiana lawsuit that recently received a temporary injunction against the NCAA. He has already reported to campus in Lawrence and is set to make an impact on the defensive line starting this Saturday.
The Jayhawks were already struggling with front-four depth after Tulane transfer Tre'Von McAlpine was ruled out for the season during fall camp. An all-conference selection at Central Connecticut State last year, Thompson has logged 76 total tackles and seven tackles for loss in his collegiate career. He'll play a key role on the interior line alongside Blake Herold, Marcus Calvin, Kevin Oatis, Eamon Smalls, and Jibriel Conde.
The second player KU added is also quite intriguing. Former Kennesaw State running back Chase Belcher was part of the same Indiana lawsuit and is set to bolster a thin running back room.
Syracuse transfer Yasin Willis underwent surgery after sustaining an injury in the loss against Arizona State and is now 'doubtful' to return in 2026, per Leipold. Between season-ending injuries to Kory Amachree and Justin Thurman, KU's backfield was in incredibly poor shape.
Prior to his time at Kennesaw, Belcher played at the FCS level at West Georgia and Northern Arizona. He had 107 carries for 566 rushing yards a year ago for the Owls, adding 194 more yards through the air.
Even with Belcher now in the picture, Dylan Edwards is expected to receive the bulk of the carries moving forward. Colorado State transfer Jalen Dupree, who has also dealt with his fair share of injuries, is the only other running back listed on this week's depth chart, though Belcher and Micah Johnson should ease themselves into the workload over time.
It isn't often you see a school bring "free agents," so to speak, to the squad midseason, but that's the current state of college athletics. Kansas is still deficient in many areas on its roster, but these two players will provide some much-needed depth on both sides of the ball.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/kansas as Lance Leipold and Kansas Make Surprise Midseason Additions to Bolster Roster .
