The NCAA Transfer Portal is something that fans must become accustomed to, and for a team like Kansas, which posed what 247Sports ranks as the 15th-best recruiting class in the Big 12, the transfer portal gives Kansas fans their biggest chance of reeling in immediate high-level talent.
Head coach Lance Leipold and his staff realized this and brought in a number of players thanks to the portal. This class of 27 players Leipold enlisted allows Kansas to boast the seventh-best transfer class the Big 12 has to offer.
Leading that charge is South Carolina transfer linebacker Bangally Kamara. Kamara, the Jayhawks' sole four-star recruit from the portal, was ranked as the 70th overall transfer from this last portal.
Kamara has spent the majority of his career in the ACC at Pittsburgh. In his junior season, Kamara compiled 49 tackles, three tackles for loss, one sack, one interception, and seven pass breakups before rising in the ranks in his last season in the ACC, where the senior Kamara was credited with 55 tackles, including 6.5 tackles for loss and a pair of sacks. Kamara further registered five quarterback hurries, one pass breakup, and one fumble recovery.
Throughout Kamara's two years getting big minutes as a Panther, Pitt marked a 12-13 record.
Kamara decided to transfer to the Gamecocks prior to last season, but never made the impact he'd hoped for.
Kamara played in just four games as a reserve linebacker, where he made nine tackles and one tackle for loss, before redshirting to preserve his eligibility.
Kamara reportedly wanted to stay as a Gamecock, but disagreements with head coach Shane Beamer led to Kamara's departure from the program, according to Pittsburgh Panthers on SI.
Coming out of Akron, OH, Kamara was rated as a four-star prospect out of high school, being the 21st outside linebacker and eighth-best player from the state of Ohio in the 2020 class.
Kamara will be a big-time player for Kansas next season. Having those years of experience under his belt for a position like linebacker will allow Kamara to marshal a defense corps full of 12 incoming transfers who are all looking to vie for a starting spot.
Linebackers coach Chris Simpson will continue his stay as linebacker coach for the Jayhawks, where he has been in charge of the linebackers since 2021. Simpson led an experienced group of linebackers in 2024, captained Cornell Wheeler, JB Brown, and Taiwan Berryhill, among others. Brown led the Jayhawks with 74 total tackles and 9.5 tackles for loss, while the Kansas defense took a step forward, allowing 26 points per game in 2024, marking the fewest points allowed since 2007 (16.4).