Duke to Host Kansas Safety

One of the top safeties in the transfer portal visiting Durham.

Sep 10, 2021; Durham, North Carolina, USA; A Duke Blue Devils helmet sits on an equipment chest during the third quarter of the game against the North Carolina A&T Aggies at Wallace Wade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Howard-Imagn Images | William Howard-Imagn Images

The 2026 transfer portal is officially here, and the madness has already begun as thousands of college football stars will be looking for new homes over the next two weeks, while teams try to add talent to their rosters heading into next season. 

Duke and new head coach Manny Diaz will likely add a lot of talent to their roster during the portal window and have already made progress with a few transfer prospects. One of those prospects is a Kansas safety transfer whom the Blue Devils are expected to host for an official visit (OV) in the coming days. 

Blue Devils to Host Former Kansas Safety For Official Visit

On Jan. 2, On3’s Pete Nakos reported on X that Kansas safety transfer Lyrik Rawls is lining up OVs with three schools: Duke, Arizona State, and Clemson.

Kansas transfer Lyrik Rawls is lining up visits with Arizona State, Clemson, and Duke, his rep @coachzwill tells @On3sports. https://t.co/a1T5skglh8 pic.twitter.com/v4e2LtFRt6

— Pete Nakos (@PeteNakos) January 2, 2026

Although no specific dates have been reported for Rawls’s trip to Durham, it is expected to take place within the next two weeks. 

Rawls was a three-star safety in the 2021 recruiting class from Marshall, Texas, and committed to Oklahoma State out of high school. After redshirting his freshman season, Rawls saw a decent amount of playing time as a redshirt freshman but suffered a season-ending injury during his redshirt sophomore season in 2023. 

Nov 8, 2025; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Kansas Jayhawks safety Lyrik Rawls (2) against the Arizona Wildcats at Arizona Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

He returned to play for the Cowboys in 2024 before transferring to Kansas ahead of the 2025 season, where he started all 12 games. In his career, Rawls has totaled 140 tackles, three tackles for loss, one sack, and three interceptions. He enters the portal with one year of eligibility remaining.

He’s a veteran safety who would be able to make an immediate impact for Duke’s defense in 2026. Rivals’ transfer portal rankings list him as a three-star prospect, the No. 319 overall player in the portal, and the No. 25 safety. 

Getting Rawls to campus in Durham for an official visit is a key first step in Duke's effort to land the Kansas transfer. 

Nov 19, 2022; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Duke Blue Devils helmets on the sidelines against the Pittsburgh Panthers during the third quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Although the Blue Devils will face competition from Arizona State, Clemson, and other schools for Rawls, the visit will allow Diaz and his staff to speak with him in person and showcase everything the program has to offer, which should improve their standing with the former Jayhawk.

The Blue Devils’ secondary is in desperate need of an upgrade, and Rawls would be a major addition to their defense. While there’s no guarantee Duke will be able to land the three-star transfer, they are at least in contention to win his portal recruitment. 

As always, make sure you stay up to date with all Duke content by following us on Facebook, by clicking HERE and following us on X (formerly Twitter) HERE.