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Depth chart transfer review: Lyrik Rawls' move from the Cowboys to the Jayhawks

How will the veteran safety aid the Jayhawks?
ByConnor Mardian|
Oct 5, 2024; Stillwater, Oklahoma, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers wide receiver Traylon Ray (7) runs the ball against Oklahoma State Cowboys safety Lyrik Rawls (6) during the third quarter at Boone Pickens Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-Imagn Images
Oct 5, 2024; Stillwater, Oklahoma, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers wide receiver Traylon Ray (7) runs the ball against Oklahoma State Cowboys safety Lyrik Rawls (6) during the third quarter at Boone Pickens Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-Imagn Images | William Purnell-Imagn Images

Safety Lyrik Rawls possesses one of the most invaluable things that any collegiate player can have. Experience.

Rawls comes to Kansas with three years of playing time at fellow Big 12 school Oklahoma State. With the Cowboys, Lawls' minutes began to stack up his redshirt freshman season where the safety played in 12 games finishing with 24 tackles, with two tackles for loss, a sack, two pass breakups and a forced fumble.

Moving into his redshirt sophomore season, being handed a starting position before suffering a season-ending injury just three starts into his career. In Rawls' three games, he marked 20 tackles with 10 solo stops and an interception against Arizona State.

Last season was Rawls' biggest in terms of playing time. Rawls endured all 12 games in what was a down year for the Oklahoma State football team, as the Cowboys mustered just three wins, marking the team's lowest number of wins since 2000. Rawls finished last season with 23 tackles and an interception.

Rawls had two standout performances for head coach Mike Gundy. The first came when the Cowboys fell to West Virginia in a 38-14 loss, where Rawls marked eight tackles. His best performance likely came when Gundy's squad narrowly lost to Brigham Young University, when Rawls snagged his lone pick on the year to go with six tackles as BYU escaped with a 38-35 win.

Rawls finished 190th in the Big 12 with 23 tackles. Rawls' three deflections ranks 12th in conference play from safeties last season. Two safeties from Kansas posted some top numbers in deflections last season which could have aided in the recruitment of Rawls, as Kansas saw Marvin Grant (4), and O.J. Burroughs (6) each tied for the 18th spot in deflections from all Big 12 players last Fall.

Rawls was touted as a starting safety under head coach Lance Leipold according to Leipold's depth chart release earlier this week.

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