Kenny Logan Jr. says returning to Kansas football in 2023 is ‘best for me,’ ‘the program’

LAWRENCE — Kenny Logan Jr. had made his mind up.

This was before Logan had played a game this season for Kansas football. This was before the senior safety had played his part in the Jayhawks’ first bowl-eligible season since 2008. Logan, entering the 2022 campaign as one of Kansas’ top talents, was going to make this his last year with the Jayhawks.

But then came the season itself, and the ups and downs Logan and the Jayhawks (6-6, 3-6 in Big 12 Conference) experienced. Then came the feedback on how he was doing, some good and some not so good. And as he thought about the future, how he’d be able to put himself in the best position to be successful down the line, Logan said he decided toward the end of the regular season that he would in fact return to play one more year at Kansas in 2023.

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“I just felt like that was best for me, best for the program,” said Logan, who has another year to play because he was in college during the pandemic-affected 2020 season. “Talking with (head) coach (Lance) Leipold, he gave me his feedback on what he thought was best for me and to help me down the line. And coming back was it.”

Logan didn’t get into too many specifics, but acknowledged the talks with Leipold ranged on a number of different topics. Leipold, Logan said, told him that it would be better for him to come back. Leipold told him it would benefit him both as a player and a person.

It meant a lot to Logan that Leipold made the push, privately and publicly, for him to stay. The two have a strong relationship, Logan explained. And, in a way, it felt as if Logan was going through the recruiting process again.

Whether or not Logan starts consistently next year as he has this season and the two seasons before, he will provide the Jayhawks with a wealth of experience and someone who’s led the team in tackles in both 2021 and 2022. Even if he’s not a captain, he’ll remain one of the faces of the defense. For defensive coordinator Brian Borland, Logan’s official announcement earlier this month served as an early Christmas present of sorts.

“I had my feelings and suspicions about that before all that came about, but yeah it’s good to have him back,” Borland said. “I think it’s in his best interests and it’ll help further prepare him, but at the same time it’s kind of a win-win situation because obviously we get one of our best players to be with us for another year as well. So, I’m excited and happy about that.”

First, Logan will do his part to help Kansas try to win its first bowl game since 2008. He’ll go up against an Arkansas offense on Wednesday in the Liberty Bowl in Memphis he described as high-powered, and capable of playing with tempo. But then the attention will turn swiftly toward what the expectations are for 2023, when Logan hopes to continue to grow as a player as he helps the Jayhawks grow as a program, too.

Senior linebacker Rich Miller, who also plans on being back next year, considers it a big deal that he’ll have someone with so much experience behind him. Miller knows Logan will give it his all. And Miller knows Logan wants to make the last season they play special.

“That’s good to know,” Miller said, “because we all want to make this next one even more special than this year was.”

Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. Contact him at jmguskey@gannett.com or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Kenny Logan Jr. says return to Kansas football in 2023 is what's best