Lance Leipold still trusting Isaiah Marshall’s ability to lead offense
Kansas quarterback Isaiah Marshall looks for an open target downfield against Missouri Friday September 11, 2026 at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium. (Lynn Harrington/stayaliveinpower5)
LAWRENCE, Kan. — The sophomore quarterback is coming off a subpar performance in Kansas’ loss to Missouri Friday night, which concerns fans, but his coach understands it’s just part of growing pains.
Lance Leipold refuses to overreact to Isaiah Marshall’s outing against the Tigers, and remains confident with him behind center. After all, Marshall held his own in the first half against an SEC-caliber defense, and had some bright spots throughout the evening.
He led the Jayhawks on a 10-play, 75-yard touchdown drive late in the second quarter, that put his team ahead by seven points. Not to mention Marshall even led Kansas on a 11-play, 83-yard touchdown drive late in the third quarter, that took over five minutes off the clock. The Michigan native clearly showed Leipold what he’s capable of with touchdown passes to Nik McMillan, and Nahzae Cox.
On top of that, Leipold finds it encouraging that Marshall plays his heart out, and is willing to sacrifice his body just to get the extra yards.
“Once he settled down he made a throw to Nik for a touchdown, and that was a big-time throw, but at the same time he competed extremely hard for us, and tried to extend drives,” Leipold said. “This young man is just trying to make some things happen.”
However, Marshall suffered through some bad moments like his two interceptions. There were also several times when he held onto the ball for too long in the pocket, which led to four sacks on the night. Leipold thought the hits eventually took a toll on Marshall, and some of his passes were off target, and behind receivers.
“He (Marshall) was up there inconsistent, took a hit on his arm early in the game, and I think it affected him,” he said. “I think he was really excited for this game, too hyped up, or whatever, and I just felt he wasn’t himself on some of his throws by being uncharacteristically off, behind guys and a little bit all over the place.”
Once the smoke cleared, Marshall completed just 13 of his 30 passes for 168 yards. So what Leipold wants Marshall to improve on is his footwork, and not be so quick to escape the pocket as receivers try to get open downfield. The timing of the passes have to be right too, but that also requires better blocking up front, and polished routes from wideouts.
Minimizing turnovers will also be a priority for the offense moving forward. Practice is only going to get more intense as Marshall builds on the chemistry with his targets. It’s also vital for Marshall to get more help from his supporting cast, especially in the backfield. Kansas (1-1) only rushed for a mere 81 yards on 36 carries against Missouri, and that won’t cut it in Big 12 play.
There should be no shame in losing to an SEC team in the AP Top-25 though, and that measuring stick is only going to benefit Marshall in Leipold’s eyes. As the Jayhawks navigate through this season, Marshall will eventually go from being a wide-eyed underclassman, to a seasoned veteran.
No doubt the signal-caller has a lot to work on approaching Kansas’ overseas trip to London for the Big 12 opener against Arizona State. Regardless, Leipold felt Marshall found out a lot about himself against the Tigers, and will be better prepared for the Big 12 gauntlet ahead.
“I know he’ll learn a lot from this game, and he’ll be a lot better from it.”
