photo by: AP Photo/Colin E. Braley

Kansas safety Lyrik Rawls (2) during an NCAA college football game on Saturday, Sept. 6, 2025, in Columbia, Mo.

Kansas endured on Thursday its most significant transfer-portal defection of the offseason thus far, as Lyrik Rawls will be leaving the Jayhawks.

Rawls, a starting safety for KU during the 2025 campaign, will enter the portal when it opens on Jan. 2, his agent Zach Williams confirmed to the Journal-World on Thursday.

The 6-foot-1, 205-pound redshirt senior has played five seasons of college football but has access to a sixth year as a result of a season-ending injury suffered early in the 2023 season, Rawls’ third of four he spent at Oklahoma State before making the move to KU. The remaining eligibility became more apparent when he did not go through senior-day festivities ahead of KU’s season finale against Utah.

In his lone season with the Jayhawks, Rawls played the second-most snaps on KU’s defense with 632, according to Pro Football Focus, and was the second-leading tackler with 73 tackles, right behind middle linebacker Trey Lathan in both categories. Rawls also intercepted a pass in the season opener against Fresno State and broke up seven passes in total.

The native of Marshall, Texas, a former three-star recruit out of high school, started all 12 games for KU and finished the year with a PFF grade of 69.7. He also served as a rotational captain for games against Wagner and OSU.

The departure of Rawls is the second by a KU safety in two days after reserve Damani Maxson announced on Wednesday that he plans to enter the portal. It certainly exacerbates the Jayhawks’ need at the position, where KU will return Taylor Davis and Mason Ellis (who played at first as a nickel back in 2025) along with backup Laquan Robinson and freshmen Darrion Jones and Brandon Schmelzle.