LAWRENCE — As 2025 unfolds, Kansas football’s defense will operate with D.K. McDonald at the helm.
McDonald was elevated from co-defensive coordinator/cornerbacks coach to defensive coordinator following the 2024 season, with Brian Borland’s retirement. Borland had been with head coach Lance Leipold at KU, Buffalo and Wisconsin-Whitewater. McDonald just finished his first season at Kansas with Leipold, and could further infuse influences from his past stops in college as an assistant and time as an assistant in the NFL with Philadelphia.
So, it’ll be interesting to see how the players the Jayhawks have recruited through the transfer portal on defense will fit into McDonald’s vision. Not too long ago KU received a commitment from Auburn linebacker Laquan Robinson, who at one point was a 247Sports Composite three-star safety coming out of junior college. The recruiting trail has also seen commitments from the likes of Kentucky outside linebacker Caleb Redd and Auburn defensive lineman Gage Keys, both three-star transfers according to 247Sports — with Redd listed as an edge.
Here are a few things to think about, regarding Kansas’ transfer portal recruiting on defense, based on the commitments made public by the afternoon of Jan. 12:
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Look for a pair of newcomers to compete at cornerback for Kansas
There was a lot of attention on Jalen Todd last season, and for good reason. Todd, as a freshman, worked his way into a role with the Jayhawks. And with Kansas’ cornerback room losing a pair of NFL-caliber talents from 2024 in Cobee Bryant and Mello Dotson, if Todd can continue to develop well he could battle for a starting spot as a sophomore.
But the Jayhawks aren’t just relying on Todd and his fellow returners to have that group ready in 2025. They earned commitments from Alabama defensive back Jahlil Hurley and Utah State cornerback D.J. Graham II, both three-star transfer cornerbacks. Coming out of high school, Hurley was a 247Sports Composite four-star cornerback.
At safety, Kansas brings in Lyrik Rawls
That Kansas has to replace the production of Marvin Grant and O.J. Burroughs is no easy task, given their veteran statuses and pivotal roles for the Jayhawks in 2024. Bringing in Oklahoma State’s Lyrik Rawls should provide a boost to the safety position group.
There are a number of safeties set to return from last season’s group, so the competition for playing time will be there as other players look to take the next steps in their own careers. But at the very least, Rawls brings multiple years of experience from another Big 12 Conference program.
There’s a lot to like about these 3 additions at linebacker
Cornell Wheeler, JB Brown and Taiwan Berryhill Jr. led Kansas’ linebacker room in 2024, but that group will look much different in 2025. Through the portal, the Jayhawks’ additions include South Carolina linebacker Bangally Kamara, Bowling Green inside linebacker Joseph Sipp Jr. and West Virginia linebacker Trey Lathan. All three are rated as three-star transfers at linebacker.
Lathan and Sipp both produced at high levels this past season. Lathan also has Big 12 experience, while Sipp played on a Mid-American Conference team that reached a bowl game and challenged multiple power-conference programs. Kamara might not have produced a ton during his stint at South Carolina, but has earlier in his career when he was at Pittsburgh.
BONUS: It looks like Kansas found its punter
With Damon Greaves’ decision to transfer to Colorado, Kansas lost its starting punter from the past two seasons. The Jayhawks chose to fill that void through the transfer portal with McNeese transfer Finn Lappin — a first-team, All-Southland Conference honoree in 2024 who’ll make the jump up from FCS to FBS competition in Division I.
Lappin punted 61 times this past season with an average of about 46 yards per attempt, and had 21 go 50-plus yards and 19 land inside the 20. Greaves punted 33 times with an average of about 42 yards per attempt, and had six go 50-plus yards and six land inside the 20.
Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. He is the National Sports Media Association’s sportswriter of the year for the state of Kansas for 2022. Contact him at jmguskey@gannett.com or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Kansas football transfer portal commitments on defense, cornerback
