photo by: AP Photo/Dylan Widger

Nebraska wide receiver Jaidyn Doss (12) runs after a catch for a touchdown during an NCAA college football practice Saturday, April 26, 2025, in Lincoln, Neb.

Acquiring four transfer wide receivers wasn’t quite enough for the Kansas football coaching staff.

The Jayhawks took advantage of a newly enacted portal window for Designated Student-Athletes (DSAs) that opened on July 7 and earned the commitment of Nebraska transfer Jaiden Doss on Monday. JayhawkSlant first reported the news, which Doss shared on social media.

“Choosing Kansas just felt right for me,” Doss told JayhawkSlant’s Jon Kirby. “After hitting the portal, I really took my time thinking about what I wanted. Not just in football, but as a student-athlete overall. Kansas stood out because of the culture they’re building and the momentum the program has right now.”

DSAs are players who would have lost their roster spots under the new limits imposed by the House v. NCAA settlement, but will instead be exempt from those limits for the remainder of their careers.

Although he was designated for prospective removal from Nebraska’s roster, Doss was once a three-star prospect out of Raymore-Peculiar High School in Kansas City, Missouri, the same school that gave KU Luke Grimm.

Doss played two seasons with the Cornhuskers, redshirting in 2023 as he caught two passes for 20 yards in four games and then playing cornerback in 2024, when he appeared in one game. He will be a redshirt sophomore for the 2025 season.

Doss chose KU over Kansas State. He becomes the fifth transfer wideout in total to join KU this offseason, following Bryson Canty (Columbia), Cam Pickett (Ball State), Emmanuel Henderson Jr. (Alabama) and Levi Wentz (Albany). Pickett, Henderson and Wentz arrived in Lawrence in the spring, while Canty joined the team during the summer.

KU had continued recruiting wide receivers in the winter when it already had four commitments in hand. For example, at one point the Jayhawks were reportedly targeting Cortez Braham Jr. from Nevada, but it eventually turned out that Braham wouldn’t be eligible pending some sort of legal recourse. (He is currently suing the NCAA for a seventh year of eligibility and has not committed to a school.)

Doss now gives the Jayhawks another depth option in an increasingly crowded new-look receiver room. He will also never count toward their 105-man roster limit due to his DSA status.

“I’ve learned a lot from my time at Nebraska, and now I’m bringing that experience with me,” Doss told Kirby. “I’m ready to take the next step. It’s exciting to walk into a new locker room with something to prove but also knowing I’m stepping into a program that believes in me. I feel motivated, focused, and thankful for the opportunity. This next chapter is all about growth, competing at a high level, and doing whatever I can to help Kansas win.”

The portal window for DSA transfers, which exists for all sports, closes on Aug. 5. KU coach Lance Leipold had previously expressed some concerns about the new window at Big 12 media days.

“You just don’t want it to be where guys are forcing people out,” he said. “Is it a way to find a way to get another guy late in the year? That’d be my concern. In this new way with the roster limits, I guess they had to do something.”

Canty, Henderson and Wentz will all exhaust their eligibility following the 2025 season, as will Doug Emilien, so Doss’ entrance as a redshirt sophomore provides some long-term upside for the Jayhawks. Other wideouts with additional eligibility include Bryce Cohoon, Kubecka and Pickett as well as freshmen Jackson Cook, Tate Nagy, Jaden Nickens and Bryson Hayes.