Kansas football: How will the Jayhawks be affected by the transfer portal?

We saw the first Kansas football player of the offseason enter the transfer portal yesterday. How should Jayhawk fans expect this hectic time of year to play out?

Yesterday, we saw the first Kansas football player enter the transfer portal in the current cycle. 6-foot-7 tight end Will Huggins departed from the program after catching just one pass during his four years with the program.

His loss shouldn’t affect the Jayhawks, who have Trevor Kardell, Jared Casey, and redshirt freshman Jaden Hamm to carry the load next season. However, fans should expect a few more players to enter the portal in the coming weeks.

Before talking about how the portal will affect Kansas football, let’s look at which players are graduating so we know KU’s positional needs.

• DT Devin Phillips
• SS Kenny Logan
• QB Jason Bean
• LT Dominick Puni
• LB Rich Miller
• HAWK Craig Young
• TE Mason Fairchild
• C Mike Novitsky
• DE Hayden Hatcher
• DE Patrick Joyner Jr.
• CB Kwinton Lassiter
• RB Dylan McDuffie
• K Seth Keller
• CB Kalon Gervin
• TE Tevita Noa

At first glance, the linebacker group is going to be the biggest need this offseason. Although BGSU transfer JB Brown budded into a solid player and Taiwan Berryhill is impactful when he’s not injured, its depth is far too thin for Kansas to not look at the portal to add some more guys.

Defensive end and tackle will also be huge needs for the defense. Hatcher and Joyner played a second-string role but still played meaningful snaps. In the event that Austin Booker enters the NFL Draft or transfers to a higher-profile program, Kansas will generate practically no pressure off the edge in 2024 if they don’t go portaling.

The quarterback position should be set for the near future. Incoming freshman Isaiah Marshall had been red hot before winning the Michigan high school football state championship, and 2025 commit David McComb is now a top-300 recruit according to ESPN. Even though Jalon Daniels‘ injury history is concerning, the team should have enough faith in Cole Ballard to hold down backup duties.

Unrelated to the transfer portal, but looking for another running back might still be in the picture if KU isn’t confident in Devin Neal returning. Daniel Hishaw Jr. can likely take on a lead role back, though I wonder if the team is confident in Sevion Morrison as a true backup.

Then, we have to look at the pure fact that Kansas football is becoming a more prominent program in the sport. Not every transfer will be because their position is jam-packed with talent — some might decide to leave to pursue better opportunities, especially since KU is finally winning games and other coaches have taken attention. One would imagine that a player like Cobee Bryant or Austin Booker is getting looks from top-notch schools.

Last season, Lance Leipold had the highest retention rate among all Big 12 schools. Multiple players also reaffirmed their commitment to KU after offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki left for the Penn State job. Regardless, the transfer portal has become the new age of the NCAA, so brace yourself to be a bit disappointed when it comes to a close.