The NCAA Transfer Portal has become one of the biggest factors in a team's chances for immediate succes. The addition of even one or two high-level transfers is imperative for a team looking for a real chance at a National Championship.
This season, head coach Bill Self was able to reel in four transfers, the likes of Tre White (Illinois), Melvin Council Jr. (St. Bonaventure), Jayden Dawson (Loyola Chicago), and, most recently, Nginyu Ngala from Laurentian University.
Each poses their strengths, which vary from size, sharpshooting, and years running an offense, but CBS Sports thinks differently.
Earlier today, CBS Sports' David Cobb published a piece analyzing transfer portal winners and losers.
Look away Kansas fans as the Jayhawks were given this concerning title.
"Loser: Kansas cuts its losses"
"Kansas looked like a big winner this time last year, as the Jayhawks appeared to be adding some much-needed perimeter scoring punch in ex-Wisconsin star A.J. Storr and sharpshooting former Alabama wing Rylan Griffen. But after disappointing 2024-25 results for KU — both its transfer class and the team as a whole — the Jayhawks cut their losses.
"Storr (Ole Miss) and Griffen (Texas A&M) are on to new destinations, and the program's top transfer from last season, Zeke Mayo, is out of eligibility. The new motto around Lawrence is, "in Darryn Peterson we trust," as the freshman star enters to run the show for the Jayhawks. Don't be surprised if KU lands one of the final few big-name stragglers in the portal to play on the wing. But for now, there are no head-turning additions in the Kansas transfer class."
247Sports has posted Kansas with the 43rd-best portal in the nation, which files the Jayhawks with the 8th-best class in the Big 12. Last season, play began with Self's squad tallied as the 3rd-best transfer class in the nation.
Kansas has taken a step back. Yesterday, we overviewed how the Jayhawks have been knocked off the perch by Kelvin Sampson and the Houston Cougars, and with a weakened transfer class, it does not push the Jayhawks any further up the mountain.
What would it take to push Kansas back on top of transfer ranks?
The easy answer is an improved Big 12 record. Kansas opens up the season with matchups against the University of Carolina, Duke, and Connecticut over their early-season stretch, where losses against these powerhouses will be forgiven.
Yet in Big 12 play, Kansas sits just 21-17 over the last two conference seasons. Texas Tech, the aforementioned Houston, and the occasional upset are understood. However, many losses after, begin to rapidly lose excuse.