Kansas Jayhawks quarterback Isaiah Marshall is sliding backward on the team’s latest injury report, which now lists the first-year starter as “questionable” for Saturday’s game at TCU.
Marshall, starting seven consecutive games as a first-year starter, defeated fourth-year arm Cole Ballard for the starting job in fall camp. The Southfield, Michigan, native has thrown for 1,506 yards, 11 touchdowns, and 7 interceptions following a 25-24 homecoming win over Baylor.
Should Marshall sit out, it’d be Ballard, who missed significant time this season due to a shoulder injury from the Missouri game, with a presumed start on Saturday in Fort Worth. Ballard, voted a team captain by his teammates, appeared in eight games in 2025.
Kansas and TCU enter the Saturday matchup desperate for another conference win, as both Lance Leipold and Sonny Dykes are eager to salvage the back half of the schedule after 3-4 starts.
Going up against a tough TCU defense, Kansas is looking at a low-scoring scenario where they’ve largely struggled to succeed this season. Blake Herold blocked a game-sealing field goal attempt last week to hand the Jayhawks their first Big 12 win.
A potential change at quarterback on Saturday also complicates the math.
Marshall is a dynamic, dual-threat weapon Kansas has both grown and regressed with in terms of moving the football. Jaden Craig, too, has been hampered by poor pass protection, including 20 sacks, as the Frogs have struggled up front. Saturday could ultimately boil down to defense.
Ballard, should he receive the start over Marshall, is a patient passer, but hasn’t seen anywhere near the same number of reps this season due to his recovery. This raises a real question about whether Kansas can start fast, which has been a stated goal of Leipold’s this season after multiple close games.
TCU is a 6.5-point favorite in the contest, and now with Kansas looking at two quarterbacks, Marshall or Ballard, with injury concerns, it’d make sense for most to lean toward the Frogs at home in a game that Dykes, frankly speaking, can’t afford to lose.
Kickoff is slated for 2:30 p.m. CT on FS1.
