92 Days: Recapping the 2024 Kansas Football Transfer Recruiting Class

It's another intriguing transfer portal haul for Lance Leipold and the Jayhawk staff.

Oct 1, 2022; Lawrence, Kansas, USA; Iowa State Cyclones tight end DeShawn Hanika (83) reacts after a missed field goal during the fourth quarter against the Kansas Jayhawks at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium. M[andatory Credit: William Purnell-USA TODAY Sports / William Purnell-USA TODAY Sports

Under Lance Leipold, the Kansas Jayhawks have pulled together multiple successful transfer classes, with big performers like Lonnie Phelps, Austin Booker, Marvin Grant, Mike Novitsky and more joining the Jayhawks and immediately playing pivotal roles. This year, the class is smaller, but Kansas hopes to have found another crop of key guys for the upcoming season and beyond.

Transfers Out

The Jayhawks lost 13 players to the transfer portal, but four names really stood out. From the offensive line, Spencer Lovell and Ar'maj Reed-Adams left for Nevada and Texas A&M, respectively. On the defensive line, edge rusher Gage Keys left to go to Auburn. And the loaded wide receiver room lost Tanaka Scott, but with so many people returning, his departure was pretty understandable.

The rest of the players are a mix of guys down on the depth chart that were hoping to make the jump into the rotation, but spring football showed that they were likely fighting an uphill battle to break the rotation without further development.

With only 10 commits in the transfer class, the Jayhawks didn't rank out very well. But they did target some pretty big positions of need. And there were some rather impressive names on the list that will be calling Lawrence home next season.

Deshawn Hanika, TE (Iowa State)

Hanika hails from Topeka, and he comes to Kansas as a redshirt senior/graduate transfer after having spent three seasons with the Cyclones of Iowa State. He performed well in a crowded room in Ames, and he will have to do the same here, although his current availability is in question as he battles an injury in the offseason.

Dylan Wudke, EDGE (Youngstown State)

The 6'4", 265 lb defensive end comes to the Jayhawks with 35 career starts. He earned all-conference honors in the Missouri Valley Conference in each of the last two seasons. With the pass rushing position being such a big question mark, Wudke will get a chance to earn some time in a rotation role.

Darrell Simmons Jr., OL (Iowa State)

While Simmons lost his starting job with the Cyclones, he had an extremely successful career at the right guard position. He had 32 starts in his three seasons in Ames and was part of multiple dominant rushing attacks. He is expected to compete for a starting role with a floor of high quality depth.

Devin Dye, S, (Utah State)

The brother of Kansas safety Jalen Dye, Devin comes to Kansas after a single year with the Aggies. He started 8 of 12 games as a junior college transfer, and looks to be a depth and development piece with a chance to work into a rotation this season.

Shane Bumgardner, OL (Tiffin University)

The Jayhawks have long held the view that you can't have enough offensive lineman, and that has served them well the last few seasons. And they have once again plucked a promising veteran from the Division II ranks to help fill some holes. With Mike Novitsky graduating this past season, Bumgardner is a solid option to slide right in at the center position, although he won't be the only one competing for that spot.

Javier Derritt, DT (North Dakota State)

A veteran interior defensive lineman coming from North Dakota State, Derritt put up some impressive stats for the FCS powerhouse. He comes to Kansas with a single year of eligibility remaining and continues the trend of taking established guys to fill the biggest positions of need in the trenches. Expect big things from him this season.

Leyton Cure, TE (Fort Hays State)

Cure was a fairly late target for the Jayhawks, as they looked to fill some spots on the roster to flesh out a position group that is both crowded and shorthanded at the same time. Hanika joins the tight end group from the transfer portal as well, but his injury means that his ability to contribute is in doubt. Cure impressed new offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes, and it also doesn't hurt that his younger brother is an important target for the Jayhawks in the 2025 class. That meant the family was already building a relationship with the staff.

Bryce Cohoon, WR (Syracuse)

Cohoon joins a loaded wide receiver room, and the Maize High School alum out of Wichita has four years to make his mark on the program. After redshirting his only season at Syracuse, Cohoon decided to come back home. Kansas has a very deep wide receiver room, but Cohoon looks to join the wave of guys that will be here and established when the large stable of seniors have to move on after this season.

Bai Jobe, EDGE (Michigan State)

A four-star recruit coming out of high school, Jobe is best categorized as a raw talent who still has a lot to learn about the game of football. He has some very good physical tools, and the Jayhawks have a track record under Leipold of successfully developing transfer guys at the pass rusher position. I expect him to get immediate playing time.

Amir Herring, OT (Michigan)

The Detroit product was heavily recruited by many top-level programs coming out of high school, and the Jayhawks were thrilled to get a second chance at signing the gifted lineman. Herring comes to Kansas after having spent a season on the sidelines at Michigan. He will have four years of eligibility remaining and is talented enough to push for immediate playing time. But the real value is as a potential foundational piece of the offensive line moving forward after this season.

Summary

Once again, Lance Leipold and his staff found some big hits in the transfer portal, getting multiple guys that have the potential for big breakout seasons and a bunch of depth that will help restock positions of need after the upcoming season. It will be exciting to see how many of these players hit the field this season.