photo by: AP Photo/Vasha Hunt

Alabama wide receiver Emmanuel Henderson Jr. (3) takes the field for the kickoff to start the first half of an NCAA college football game against South Carolina, Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024, in Tuscaloosa, Ala.

The college football transfer portal always seems to create action at the most unexpected moments, but right now is about as quiet as it gets this time of year.

The window for players to enter the portal concludes on Saturday and schools are currently in the midst of a dead period during which they cannot bring potential transfers on campus for visits.

At this point, Kansas is up to 17 transfer commitments, having plugged plenty of its biggest holes ahead of the 2025 season but with a few more still to fill. Keep in mind that the Jayhawks will also get another chance to add players during the spring, as they did last year with the likes of center Bryce Foster (from Texas A&M) and defensive end Bai Jobe (from Michigan State).

Here’s a quick analysis of where KU stands at every position group right now.

Quarterback: KU is set here with Jalon Daniels returning, and has a pretty optimal scholarship distribution set up for the future with one quarterback in each recruiting class between 2023 and 2026.

photo by: AP Photo/Cliff Jette

Iowa running back Leshon Williams (4) evades a tackle by Purdue defensive back Cam Allen (10) during the second half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct. 7, 2023, in Iowa City, Iowa.

Running back: Since KU earned the commitment of former Iowa running back Leshon Williams what feels like an eternity ago — on Dec. 2 — no one else in the portal has reported an offer from the Jayhawks’ coaching staff at this position. That suggests Williams could be a one-for-one replacement for the departed Sevion Morrison, and in turn that the staff potentially doesn’t anticipate Daniel Hishaw Jr. leaving after he missed some late-season games for a family matter, meaning KU is set up well for next season with young backs Harry Stewart III and Johnny Thompson Jr. also in the fold and doesn’t need to do anything else here.

photo by: Keith Lucas/Sideline Media Productions

Ball State wide receiver Cam Pickett snags a catch against James Madison on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, in Harrisonburg, Va.

Wide receiver: The Jayhawks swung and missed on quite a lot of early targets at this position. Harvey Broussard went to Houston, Aziah Johnson to Bill Belichick’s North Carolina, Jalen Moss to Arizona State, Dean Patterson to Georgia Tech and so on.

But despite the setbacks, KU managed to add three accomplished wideouts to its ranks in Cam Pickett, Levi Wentz and most recently Emmanuel Henderson Jr.

Pickett and Wentz each have one year of proven production under his belt at a lower level of competition — Pickett at Ball State, Wentz at Albany — after fairly minimal usage earlier in his career. The two receivers also have demonstrated some versatility, given that Pickett ran the ball quite frequently with the Cardinals and scored a pair of touchdowns that way in 2024 and Wentz returned kicks in 2023.

Henderson came out of high school as a top-notch running back but has played primarily on special teams and only secured five career catches; however, the mere fact of carving out a consistent role at Alabama makes him an appealing prospect.

With Pickett retaining multiple years of eligibility and Henderson and Wentz both fairly new to the wide receiver position even as incoming seniors, there’s high upside with all three pickups.

What will be hard to parse is the exact pecking order heading into next season.

Before Henderson’s commitment on Monday, the Jayhawks were pursuing players like Bryson Canty of Columbia, Dekel Crowdus of Hawaii and Bobby Golden of Akron. Considering that KU targeted four primary wide receivers in the passing game last year, whether it tries to pick up one more player here probably depends on the coaching staff’s confidence in Doug Emilien to take a step forward in his final year of college football, or in Keaton Kubecka to return from injury and contribute on offense for the first time, or both. It’s also possible the Jayhawks could see what they have in spring practice and then sneak in one more wideout in a later portal window.

photo by: AP Photo/Young Kwak

Arizona tight end Keyan Burnett (88) runs a route while pressured by Washington State defensive back Cam Lampkin (3) during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023, in Pullman, Wash.

Tight end: KU has to feel good about this spot, at least in the near term, after initially missing on younger and less accomplished early targets but then bringing in Keyan Burnett, an experienced power-conference player at Arizona who could compete for a starting role. Time will tell exactly how Matt Lubick and Jim Zebrowski want to use the tight ends, but with Burnett in the fold and DeShawn Hanika back from injury, the Jayhawks should have more size and athleticism than at any point in recent years.

The only downside of Burnett is that he doesn’t provide a multi-year prospect in the way previous transfer targets like Connor Cox or Luke McGary would have, which puts more pressure on Jaden Hamm and Carson Bruhn to emerge as legitimate players for 2026 and beyond.

photo by: Northwest Missouri State Athletics

Northwest Missouri State tackle DeAndre Harper, right, prepares to block in this undated photo.

photo by: Brett Rojo/Tulsa Athletics

Tulsa’s Jack Tanner blocks against East Carolina on Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024, in Tulsa, Okla.

photo by: Zach Del Bello / UNT Athletics

North Texas center Tyler Mercer blocks against East Carolina on Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024, in Denton, Texas.

Offensive line: KU may have done its most impressive recruiting job in any position group along the offensive line and has four players in the fold, yet it still has work to do.

First, acquiring three players in DeAndre Harper, Jack Tanner and headliner Tyler Mercer who possess the rare combination of youth and extensive playing experience is a significant coup for Daryl Agpalsa and his unit. Between this trio, an incoming redshirt sophomore in Tavake Tuikolovatu from UCLA and the remaining 2024 recruits already in KU’s program like David Abajian, Kene Anene and Carter Lavrusky, the future is incredibly bright for the Jayhawks in the trenches.

The present may not be quite as secure, however. Whether Harper, Mercer, Tanner or Tuikolovatu can contribute in 2025 will likely depend on how they adapt to Agpalsa’s coaching and Matt Gildersleeve’s strength and conditioning program. In Mercer’s case, it could also require an adaptation to guard after he started at center for North Texas out of high school. Tuikolovatu has the advantages of versatility and another year in college already compared to his fellow transfers, but also didn’t see the field much for the Bruins.

As it is, one starting spot at guard and one at tackle are there for the taking with Foster, guard Kobe Baynes and tackles Calvin Clements and Nolan Gorczyca the primary returners. Ideally, the Jayhawks would probably get at least one more veteran player to compete for these spots. But they could also choose to get a look at Harper, Mercer, Tanner and Tuikolovatu in the spring and then reassess their needs ahead of the second portal window.

Clearly, though, they won’t stand pat. The recent pursuit of players like Melvin Siani, who started at right tackle for Temple and has three years to play, and Leon Bell, a 6-foot-8, 325-pound tackle who played two seasons at Kilgore Community College and two at Mississippi State but committed to Cal after getting an offer from KU, suggests a search for additional experience on the outside in particular late in the winter portal window.

photo by: Mike Gunnoe/Journal-World photo

Kansas defensive lineman Gage Keys celebrates a tackle for a loss against BYU Saturday, Sept. 23, 2023 at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium.

Defensive line: The return of Gage Keys is a welcome addition for the defensive tackles and a luxury in what already looked like one of KU’s best position groups for 2025 with the likes of Kenean Caldwell, Tommy Dunn Jr., Blake Herold and D.J. Withers. Meanwhile, the recent acquisition of Kentucky transfer Caleb Redd at weak-side defensive end helps account for the surprise departure of once-marquee recruit DJ Warner, who transferred to SMU.

Strong-side defensive end, however, remains the most glaring need on the roster.

KU needs a bona fide run stopper at this position, and preferably someone with some veteran savvy to help account for the losses of Jereme Robinson and Dylan Wudke. Unless the Jayhawks have confidence in a player like Jobe or Dylan Brooks, each of whom is listed at 240 pounds, to bulk up and assume a key role here, they need to pick up the pace dramatically. Even then, they may require additional depth.

The portal has not been kind to KU so far in this realm. Early target and Northwest Missouri State transfer Langden Kitchen, for example, opted for Missouri over the Jayhawks. But there are some intriguing prospects left on the board.

Though listed as an outside linebacker, Oregon’s 6-foot-4, 255-pound Emar’rion Winston appeared primarily on the defensive line, even at tackle, and acquitted himself well in a rotational role for the nation’s top team. Harvey Dyson III of Texas Tech had a pair of sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery for the Red Raiders this year. Texas State’s Ben Bell, who will be a sixth-year senior after redshirting in 2024, tallied 10 sacks for the Bobcats the prior season; KU also recently offered another final-year prospect in Deamontae Diggs, formerly of Coastal Carolina and Youngstown State. Jordan Norman of South Alabama presents a younger option who still played extensively for the Jaguars this year. Of course, the Jayhawks will face stiff competition for all five.

photo by: AP Photo/Keith Srakocic

APTOPIX —Pittsburgh linebacker Bangally Kamara (11) deflects a pass to Duke wide receiver Jordan Moore (8) in the end zone during the second half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Nov. 19, 2022, in Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh won 28-26.

photo by: AP Photo/Jose Juarez

Michigan running back Donovan Edwards (7) dives for yardage as he is tackled by Bowling Green linebacker Joseph Sipp Jr. (3) in the first quarter of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023, in Ann Arbor, Mich.

Linebacker: It’s not clear yet exactly how new coordinator D.K. McDonald plans to deploy linebackers from a schematic perspective, but in Bangally Kamara from South Carolina and Joseph Sipp Jr. from Bowling Green he already has two strong starting options. Throw in the return of Hawk linebacker Jayson Gilliom and addition of a potential Cinco candidate in safety Lyrik Rawls from Oklahoma State, and the top-line talent doesn’t look too bad here. It’s certainly no longer as dire a need as it once was.

Still, maybe learning from how thin this position got at times in 2024, KU is hunting for more depth, perhaps for a sort of Taiwan Berryhill Jr. replacement. Pittsburgh transfer Jordan Bass, a former teammate of Kamara’s, and Nicholls transfer Eli Ennis are two recent recipients of a KU offer. With one more player, the return of Tristian Fletcher and second-year leaps from the likes of Jon Jon Kamara and JaCorey Stewart, the Jayhawks won’t be in bad shape at all at linebacker.

photo by: Utah State Athletics

Cornerback D.J. Graham II plays for Utah State in this undated photo.

photo by: Kaitlin Arnold/UA Athletics

Alabama’s Jahlil Hurley lines up against Mercer during a game on Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024, in Tuscaloosa, Ala.

Cornerback: Much like with wide receiver, whether KU remains active at corner in the portal probably says more about its confidence in its returning talent than anything else. Already, in former Utah State and Oklahoma cornerback DJ Graham II, an experienced starter who could slot in right away, and young Alabama transfer Jahlil Hurley, a high-ceiling option, the Jayhawks struck a strong balance with their two recent additions.

If the Jayhawks think Jalen Todd and Damarius McGhee could vie for starting roles, they really don’t need anything else, particularly with other players like Austin Alexander, Jameel Croft Jr., Jacoby Davis and Aundre Gibson already in the fold. If KU has some qualms — which might be understandable given Todd’s relative inexperience and McGhee’s struggles to stay on the field — it could keep adding. JUCO cornerback Carrington Pierce of Chaffey College in Rancho Cucamonga, California, recently reported an offer from the Jayhawks, though he ended up committing to Oklahoma State.

photo by: AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin

Oklahoma State safety Lyrik Rawls, left, celebrates his interception against Arizona State with cornerback D.J. McKinney (8) as umpire Marlow Fitzgerald, right, signals the turnover during the second half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 9, 2023, in Tempe, Ariz. Oklahoma State won 27-15.

Safety: It’s hard to know exactly what to expect at this position in 2025 — is Taylor Davis now a favorite to start just because he played well when thrust into action as a redshirt freshman, or will Devin and Jalen Dye have the upper hand? What about Mason Ellis? — but Rawls is a proven player with Big 12 bona fides and thus the perfect sort of addition to the unit under new defensive backs coach Brandon Shelby. He fills in the scholarship slot left by the departure of Kaleb Purdy with a much more accomplished player.

Special teams: Kicker looks more solid than in recent memory with Laith Marjan coming in from South Alabama and high school addition Dane Efird to back him up. KU also has a pair of long snappers expected to return. With a pending roster limit of 105 players due to the House settlement, it doesn’t seem likely the Jayhawks will get much deeper than that.

Their attention must now turn to punter, where Damon Greaves, the starter each of the last two seasons, left for Colorado and backup Grayden Addison went through senior day. This position won’t receive much attention, but it’s suddenly a glaring need.