photo by: Mike Gunnoe/Special to the Journal-World

Kansas safety Lyrik Rawls makes an interception against Fresno State at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium Saturday, Aug. 23, 2025 in Lawrence.

Kansas safety Lyrik Rawls wasn’t quite aware of how dramatic his interception looked on television.

After all, he didn’t get the same slow-motion view as those watching at home when he was flying in at high speed toward Fresno State receiver Josiah Freeman. Rawls said he saw “the sky and the ground all in one second,” as he made his diving catch off a deflection.

“I was flipping over, but I was excited that it happened,” he recalled on Monday.

Rawls’ interception, which was both KU’s second of Fresno State quarterback E.J. Warner and the third of the veteran safety’s career, was arguably the single most impressive individual play of the Jayhawks’ 31-7 win on Saturday. But it also came during a game in which the Jayhawks already led by 24, and didn’t result in any additional points for them, as they turned the ball over on downs early in the fourth quarter.

Instead, the greatest value of Rawls’ pick might have been as a teaching moment, to hear defensive coordinator D.K. McDonald tell it.

“When you run to the ball, good things happen,” McDonald said. “And you never know when it’s going to happen, but it’s going to happen.”

Indeed, Rawls was already making a beeline for Freeman before the ball bounced off the receiver and Rawls’ “eyes got big,” as the safety put it.

“We talk about that all the time in this room, and he’s one of the guys who bought into that and he ran to the football, and as a result, something good happened,” McDonald said. “That’s a lesson for all our guys, especially our young guys who might not be playing right now.”

Rawls, for his part, has slotted in immediately since joining KU from Oklahoma State, as one of the Jayhawks’ most experienced transfers overall — and one with some of the most applicable experience as a former Big 12 rotational contributor and occasional starter at safety. Though he made a strong first impression with the interception, Rawls has said he actually considers stopping the run to be his biggest strength.

“I think Lyrik’s been a great addition to this program from the time he came on his visit,” head coach Lance Leipold said. “He’s shown lots of maturity, passion for the game, studies it, he’s well liked in the locker room, loves the way he goes about it.”

In his KU debut, the Marshall, Texas, native finished with five tackles, all solo, and a pass breakup. His Pro Football Focus grade of 72.2 on 36 defensive snaps ranked among the highest on the Jayhawks’ defense, though he was charged with a pair of missed tackles.

“I thought he had a solid game,” Leipold said. “That was a big-time interception. Definitely a nice way to get it started for him, and a guy that we’re going to count on a lot in that back end throughout the season.”

photo by: Mike Gunnoe/Special to the Journal-World

Kansas senior Lyrik Rawls celebrates making an interception against Fresno State at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium Saturday, Aug. 23, 2025 in Lawrence.