Cole Ballard
| No. 15 – Kansas Jayhawks | |
|---|---|
| Position | Quarterback |
| Class |  |
| Personal information | |
| Listed height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Listed weight | 220 lb (100 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Westfield (Westfield, Indiana) |
| College |
|
| Stats at ESPN | |
Cole Ballard is an American college football quarterback for the Kansas Jayhawks.
Early life
[edit]Ballard attended Westfield High School in Westfield, Indiana. As a senior, he threw for 1,654 yards and 11 touchdowns while rushing for 655 yards and 13 touchdowns.[1] Following his graduation, Ballard committed to play college football at the University of Kansas as a walk-on.[2]
College career
[edit]Ballard entered the 2023 season as the third-string quarterback behind Jalon Daniels and Jason Bean.[3] Following injuries to Daniels and Bean, Ballard received his first significant playing time against Texas Tech, completing 9 of 20 passes for 124 yards and an interception.[4] He made his first career start against Kansas State the following week, throwing for 162 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions in a 31–27 loss to the rival Wildcats.[5] Ballard finished the 2023 season with 286 passing yards, one touchdown, and three interceptions.[6] He played sparingly during his redshirt freshman season in 2024 as Jalon Daniels's backup.[7] In 2025, Ballard completed 10 passes for 108 yards and a touchdown while rushing for 92 yards on 15 carries.[8]
Entering the 2026 season, Ballard is competing with Isaiah Marshall for Kansas's starting quarterback position.[9]
Statistics
[edit]| Season | Team | Games | Passing | Rushing | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Record | Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | Avg | TD | Int | Rtg | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | |||
| 2023 | Kansas | 4 | 1 | 0–1 | 20 | 36 | 55.6 | 286 | 7.9 | 1 | 3 | 114.8 | 20 | 75 | 3.8 | 0 | |
| 2024 | Kansas | 3 | 0 | 0–0 | 5 | 6 | 83.3 | 51 | 8.5 | 1 | 0 | 209.7 | 5 | 42 | 8.4 | 0 | |
| 2025 | Kansas | 8 | 0 | 0–0 | 10 | 22 | 45.5 | 108 | 4.9 | 1 | 1 | 92.6 | 15 | 92 | 6.1 | 0 | |
| Career | 15 | 1 | 0−1 | 35 | 64 | 54.7 | 445 | 7.0 | 3 | 4 | 116.1 | 40 | 209 | 5.2 | 0 | ||
Personal life
[edit]Ballard is the son of Chris Ballard, the general manager of the Indianapolis Colts.[10]
References
[edit]- ↑ Bedore, Gary. "Kansas City Chiefs star Patrick Mahomes? KU football's QBs are well aware of exploits". The Kansas City Star.
- ↑ "Meet Cole Ballard, the freshman quarterback who turned heads during KU's camp". 247Sports. Retrieved August 27, 2026.
- ↑ Guskey, Jordan (August 31, 2023). "Why Cole Ballard's fall camp emergence, further development, is vital for Kansas football". The Topeka Capital-Journal. Retrieved August 27, 2026.
- ↑ Laddha, Shreyas. "Meet 3rd-string Kansas Jayhawks QB Cole Ballard. 'He's going to be a guy, so be ready'". The Kansas City Star.
- ↑ Laddha, Shreyas. "KU Jayhawks QB Cole Ballard wants one thing after KU's loss to K-State: 'We gotta win'". The Kansas City Star.
- ↑ Guskey, Jordan (July 16, 2024). "Kansas quarterback Cole Ballard's continued growth gets praise from coach Lance Leipold". The Topeka Capital-Journal. Retrieved August 27, 2026.
- ↑ Guskey, Jordan (May 18, 2025). "How Cole Ballard is learning from Jalon Daniels, and approaching 2025 with Kansas football". The Topeka Capital-Journal. Retrieved August 27, 2026.
- ↑ "Cole Ballard gives his perspective on the start of the QB1 battle". 247Sports. Retrieved August 27, 2026.
- ↑ Kinander, Jason (August 8, 2026). "The case for Cole Ballard as KU's starting quarterback". WIBW. Retrieved August 27, 2026.
- ↑ Neddenriep, Kyle (September 14, 2022). "Colts connections to IHSAA football on full display as sons light up Friday nights". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved August 27, 2026.