photo by: Chance Parker/Special to the Journal-World

Kansas offensive lineman Nolan Gorczyca runs through drills during the first practice of spring on Sunday, March 2, 2025.

Kansas coach Lance Leipold recently expressed satisfaction, upon the conclusion of KU’s spring practices on Friday, with the way the Jayhawks’ nearly two dozen transfers had integrated themselves into the program.

There may be more assimilation yet to come at the Anderson Family Football Complex. The spring portal window opens Wednesday and closes on April 25, providing another opportunity for KU to bring veteran players into the fold as it hones its new-look roster.

Granted, the transfer portal has maintained a consistent and low level of activity over the course of the spring, given that graduate transfers can enter it outside of typical windows. KU was already linked to sixth-year senior offensive tackle Markell Samuel from Appalachian State before he committed to Oklahoma State on Tuesday.

But the next week and change is likely to result in a particularly intense flurry of activity and give the Jayhawks more opportunities to bolster their roster entering the summer. They capitalized last year by hauling in center Bryce Foster from Texas A&M in June.

It is worth noting that KU already has a spring transfer of sorts lined up. Columbia wide receiver Bryson Canty committed to join the Jayhawks back on Dec. 30 as part of KU’s receiving-corps overhaul, but wasn’t on campus for spring practice and will make the move in the summer.

It will also be interesting to see exactly how KU’s roster numbers shake out entering fall camp. Leipold said recently that the Jayhawks were “slightly over 110” players. The implementation of the House v. NCAA settlement is still expected to impose a roster limit of 105 for next season, regardless of scholarship status, even despite some recent suggestions by Judge Claudia Wilken, who is overseeing the case, that she might like to see current players exempted from such a provision. It’s not clear exactly how many spots KU will want to devote to new spring transfers with another small cutdown coming.

Regardless, there are several clear needs for the Jayhawks in the aftermath of the spring, even with the considerable investment they made in rebuilding the roster during the winter.

photo by: Carter Gaskins/Special to the Journal-World

Kansas offensive tackle James Livingston during practice on Saturday, March 30, 2024, in Lawrence.

1. Proven offensive lineman

The reported interest in Samuel, a veteran who started 11 games for Appalachian State in 2024, made a lot of sense given the uncertain state of two spots on KU’s O-line. Foster is locked in at center, Kobe Baynes at right guard and Calvin Clements at left tackle, but in the absence of further additions the Jayhawks will need multiple longtime reserves to make considerable steps forward.

James Livingston and Nolan Gorczyca, who have a combined 93 career offensive snaps, were KU’s apparent first-stringers at left guard and right tackle, respectively, during the spring, at least until Gorczyca had finger surgery and was replaced by young Tulsa transfer Jack Tanner. Between Tanner, Tyler Mercer (formerly of North Texas) and DeAndre Harper (Northwest Missouri State), KU brought in three true sophomores who all played unusually often as freshmen but don’t yet seem immediately poised to contribute extensively this year.

That doesn’t quite tell the whole story, however, as KU has a fourth transfer who could figure prominently into the Jayhawks’ plans for 2025. Much like Gorczyca and Livingston, UCLA transfer Tavake Tuikolovatu has experience both at guard and tackle. He missed a chunk of the spring due to injury before seeing more significant action in KU’s later practices.

If the Jayhawks view him as a candidate to compete with Livingston at left guard, it makes sense to hunt down a tackle to vie for Gorczyca’s spot too. It essentially depends on where the Jayhawks see Tuikolovatu fitting in best and how much they expect him to contribute when the 2025 season eventually arrives.

photo by: Chance Parker/Special to the Journal-World

Kansas cornerback Jahlil Hurley runs through drills during the first practice of spring on Sunday, March 2, 2025.

2. Veteran cornerback

This is another position that could use an influx of experience, which it has never really lacked in recent years. But gone are Cobee Bryant and Mello Dotson and in are rising sophomore Jalen Todd, who acquitted himself well enough as a freshman to suggest he’s ready for a big role, and sixth-year senior D.J. Graham II, who has been around the block in stints at Oklahoma and Utah State.

That is at least a promising starting duo. Beyond those two is where KU looks shakier. Austin Alexander was, like Todd, a marquee recruit in the 2024 class. However, unlike Todd, he did not enroll early, nor did he actually play during the 2024 season. He broke his wrist early in the year. He’s back healthy again and bulked up considerably since his arrival.

Jahlil Hurley, meanwhile, has another year of college experience under his belt — and it was at Alabama, one of the top programs in the country, after he was one of the nation’s premier cornerback prospects coming out of high school, recruited by the legendary Nick Saban. But he still has played just 19 career defensive snaps and is new to KU. Defensive backs coach Brandon Shelby said he reminded him of Bryant, a fellow Alabama native, and added, “He’s still younger than most people think, although he was a portal guy, but he has all the talent in the world when it comes to athletic ability.”

Elsewhere in the position group are the likes of Jameel Croft Jr., Jacoby Davis and Aundre Gibson, as part of a group that overall seems like it needs additional seasoning. As evidenced by Todd’s unexpectedly significant action during the 2024 campaign, cornerbacks below the top two — he wasn’t even necessarily the third cornerback to start the year, back when KU still had Damarius McGhee in the fold — have a notable role to play. Perhaps even more so if the Jayhawks choose to play more often with additional defensive backs under new coordinator D.K. McDonald.

There is reason to believe KU sees this position as a priority considering its reported interest in North Alabama graduate transfer Ashaad Williams earlier in the spring. Williams ended up committing to Wake Forest.

photo by: Kahner Sampson/Special to the Journal-World

Kansas defensive end Dakyus Brinkley, right, talks with head coach Lance Leipold at spring practice on Thursday, March 6, 2025, in Lawrence.

3. Backup strong-side defensive end

Defensive ends coach Taiwo Onatolu recently discussed the work that returning players like Dakyus Brinkley, Bai Jobe and Dylan Brooks have received behind Texas transfer Justice Finkley at this spot, so KU has a reasonable range of options at its disposal for a position that seems to be shaping up rather nicely.

The problem is that these are largely the same players charged with backing up Dean Miller at weak-side end, making for a fairly shallow group overall.

It’s not quite like last year when the Jayhawks could trot out Miller, DJ Warner (now at SMU) and Jobe on the weak side and Jereme Robinson, Dylan Wudke and Ronald McGee (all graduated) on the strong side.

KU did add young Caleb Redd from Kentucky, a former high school recruiting target, but he probably projects more as a pass-rush end and Onatolu mentioned that the coaches will have to have patience with him as he develops. A plug-and-play rotational option to slot in behind Finkley (and potentially behind Brinkley as well) would be a bit of a luxury but certainly a welcome addition to the Jayhawks’ defensive line.

Others

It doesn’t seem quite as likely now given the positive reviews for returning redshirt sophomore Keaton Kubecka, now back from injury, but KU did continue pursuing receivers in the portal during the winter even after it already had four transfers committed. If the Jayhawks find themselves with extra space they could look for one additional complementary option, although there may not be as much playing time up for grabs after Emmanuel Henderson Jr., Cam Pickett and Levi Wentz acquitted themselves well during the spring.

And finally, it’s not out of the question that KU itself could experience an unexpected departure of some kind and have to scramble to fill a spot. These days, portal entries have become far less predictable than ever before across all sports, particularly as teams have attempted to complete their final deals under the existing system of name, image and likeness funding before the House settlement goes into effect.