EXCLUSIVE: KU wide receiver Luke Grimm talks future of Jayhawk football on K-Nation

LAWRENCE (KSNT) – KU junior wide receiver Luke Grimm is not only coming off the best season of his career, but he proved his value as an offensive asset for the Jayhawks this year.

Grimm joined 27 sports anchor Lainey Gerber on Sunday’s episode of K-Nation to reflect on KU football’s offensive improvement and the team’s successful 2022 campaign. KU is in its second year of the Lance Leipold era, which Grimm credits for the team’s renewed confidence in 2022.

“It was a fact of us just having that extra whole winter to understand the offense, whereas the first season, they [Leipold’s staff] came in the summer,” Grimm said of the offseason preparation.

He said the offense started to click at the end of last season, but this year was when the pieces really started to fall into place.

“We really didn’t lose anybody,” Grimm said. “So it wasn’t that you had to reteach the whole offense, it was just everybody was already a step ahead. And we just go to work and round off those sharp edges that we had.”

KU’s offense is well-rounded, featuring a dual threat at quarterback in Jalon Daniels and Jason Bean, a deep running back room led by Devin Neil and Daniel Hishaw Jr., and a talented receiving corps that includes Grimm and Lawrence Arnold. Grimm posted 623 yards and 6 touchdowns in 12 games played this season, making him KU’s most productive wideout.

The rising senior said confidence and accountability were driving forces behind his personal performance this year. As for the team, Grimm said the teams experience over the past few season prepared them for times of adversity, and allowed them to stay focused on tough games.

He also said the early stages of winter workouts are going well, and that the team’s energy is in a good place right now.

“I think we’re going to prove a lot of people, the same way as last year, wrong,” Grimm said. “People might say it was a ‘Cinderella Story’ or we got lucky in games. I don’t think that’s the case, and I think next year we’re going to show people that we’ll keep getting better.”