LAWRENCE — Kansas football got some good news Monday on the first day of the new year.

Cobee Bryant, a junior cornerback this past season for the Jayhawks, announced he will return to college for the 2024 season. That means the program will be able to feature its cornerback duo again, as junior Mello Dotson has also announced he’ll be back next season. It has the potential to be one of the best combinations in the Big 12 Conference.

“I’m back,” Bryant said in a video posted on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.

Bryant became the first Kansas defensive back to be named first team All-Big 12 Conference in back-to-back seasons since Aqib Talib, 2006-07, with his play across the past two years. In 2023 he finished tied for the team lead with four interceptions, in addition to collecting 32 tackles, five tackles for loss, a sack, a forced fumble and fumble recovery. In 2022, he finished with a team-high three interceptions, in addition to collecting 38 tackles, half a tackle for loss, a forced fumble and fumble recovery.

Bryant has had a knack for making highlight-worthy plays during his Kansas career, with his touchdown against BYU — off of a forced fumble and recovery — just one of the latest editions of that. Even in the bowl game victory against UNLV recently, his interception came at a pivotal moment of the game. Odds are there will be more in store for Jayhawks fans next season.

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Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. He is the National Sports Media Association’s sportswriter of the year for the state of Kansas for 2022. Contact him at jmguskey@gannett.com or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Kansas football cornerback Cobee Bryant says he will return in 2024