Kansas Hoping Leroy Blyden Commitment Jumpstarts Roster Rebuilding Project

The Jayhawks need to replace a lot of talent this offseason and it has been a slow start in the portal

Mar 14, 2026; Cleveland, OH, USA; Toledo Rockets guard Leroy Blyden Jr. (2) celebrates after hitting a three point basket against the Akron Zips during the first half of the men’s Mid-American Conference Championship at Rocket Arena. | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

Kansas was one of the programs hit the hardest by the transfer portal this offseason and it’s taken some time for Bill Self to get his rebuilding project off the ground.

However, the Jayhawks have two portal commitments and its most recent, Leroy Blyden Jr., could be the big addition needed to get its offseason rolling.

Blyden was the MAC Freshman of the Year at Toledo, averaging 16.4 points, 4.0 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 1.8 steals per game on 46.1-percent shooting from the floor and 40.7-percent from 3-point range.

"We felt Leroy was one of the very best guard prospects in the portal, period,” Self said in a statement after Blyden signed with the Jayhawks.

“He had a great year at Toledo and was the freshman of the year in his league. He can score, he shoots it with range, and he's efficient. He can be the lead guard and a scoring guard. His ability to make plays and get his shoulders past you is something we really need."

Kansas is losing superstar Darryn Peterson to the NBA Draft and saw Flory Bidunga, Bryson Tiller, Elmarko Jackson, and Jamari McDowell to the transfer portal while Melvin Council and Tre White are out of eligibility. Freshman center Paul Mbiya also entered the transfer portal but announced he will be returning to the program.

In the process, the Jayhawks went inside its conference to add another player to its roster in Utah forward Keanu Dawes, who posted a career high 12.5 points and 8.8 rebounds per game in his second season with the Utes.

The additions are a start for Kansas, which is still looking to add a major piece to its roster in top ranked high school recruit Tyran Stokes, who has trimmed his list to Oregon, Kentucky, and the Jayhawks.

While Kansas has seen successful seasons within the last four years, it has not been the sustained excellence like the Jayhawks are accustomed to and Bill Self is looking to get his team back in the same conversation as the top programs in the country.