The 2024 Kansas football season did not go how many fans expected. Despite entering the campaign with Big 12 title aspirations, the Jayhawks failed to make a bowl game for the first time in two years. It was a massive setback for the program, especially for a team that was chock-full of seniors and talented veterans.
While the roster still has holes to fill, Lance Leipold has done an incredible job piecing the team back together. Quarterback Jalon Daniels announced he would be returning to school for a final year, and the coaching staff did not waste any time in the transfer portal. Most of the additions have already been completed, but Leipold and Co. still remain active in the market, earning the commitment of a SEC transfer on Monday:
Former Texas EDGE Justice Finkley is set to transfer to Kansas, his agency @APSportsAgency tells @CBSSports/@247Sports.
— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) January 13, 2025
Had ranked as one of the top uncommitted front seven players in the portal. pic.twitter.com/xFH7I0gRvr
Kansas football lands highly touted Texas transfer in portal
The latest player to head to Lawrence is Justice Finkley, a 6-foot-2, 250-pound edge rusher from Texas. He spent three years with the Longhorns and will finish off his college career in Lawrence after UT fell in the College Football Playoff to Ohio State.
Across three years in Austin, Finkley accumulated 26 tackles, four TFLs, 2.5 sacks, and one forced fumble. He enjoyed the most production in 2023, but he saw his playing time dwindle this past season. The former top-100 high school recruit comes to KU with hopes of becoming the next edge rusher Leipold and his staff develop — transfers such as Lonnie Phelps and Austin Booker had breakout years once arriving at KU.
Finkley was not the only SEC transfer to commit to the Jayhawks in recent days. Former Auburn safety/linebacker Laquan Robinson pledged to KU over the weekend. The transfer class now sits at 22 additions with a Rivals rating of 1,455, good for the eighth-best mark nationally.
This transfer addition might be the last the Jayhawk fanbase hears about in a while until the spring window opens up. Regardless, faith has been restored after a disappointing on-field showing. Kansas football's portal class is easily the most impressive in school history.