Kansas Football Adds Group of Impact Players Through Transfer Portal

The Kansas Jayhawks’ fortunes in the transfer portal have finally begun to turn around.

After losing more than 20 players to the transfer portal over the past couple weeks, the Kansas coaching staff was able to secure the commitments of four players this weekend who should be able to make an early impact as part of this roster next season.

The four players come from various other schools and conferences across the country, including two from programs in the SEC.

Here’s a look at some of the new faces joining KU next year.

Eamon Smalls (DL)

Eamon Smalls is a defensive tackle transferring to Kansas from the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). Standing at 6-foot-2 and weighing 310 pounds, Smalls was a wrecking ball for the UAB defense this season with 50 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, and one sack. He’s known for his run stopping ability, which was a huge problem for the Kansas defense this fall.

Smalls started every game for the Blazers this year and should be considered a likely starter on the Kansas defensive line next season as the Jayhawks will need to replace the production of three redshirt seniors (Tommy Dunn Jr., Kenean Caldwell, and D.J. Withers) now leaving Lawrence.

Smalls was a three-star recruit coming out of high school and is rated as the No. 20 defensive lineman in the transfer portal (per On3.com). He now has two years of eligibility remaining.

Connor Stroh (OL)

Connor Stroh is an interior offensive lineman transferring to KU from Texas. The 6-foot-7, 341-pound blocker played in 11 games this past season for the Longhorns, starting in five of them at left guard.

Stroh has a great chance at winning a starting spot on the KU offensive line thanks to the departure of graduating redshirt senior offensive guard Kobe Baynes.

Stroh was a three-star recruit coming out of high school and is ranked as the No. 21 interior offensive lineman available in the portal. He’s a graduate transfer who has two years of eligibility remaining.

Jalen Dupree (RB)

Jalen Dupree is a 6-foot, 210-pound running back joining KU after two seasons at Colorado State. He led the Rams in rushing this year as a redshirt freshman with 508 yards on 102 attempts. He scored two touchdowns and caught 12 passes for 83 yards.

His addition is critical as KU lost running backs Daniel Hishaw Jr. and Leshon Williams to graduation. The Jayhawks also lost two talented young tailbacks in Johnny Thompson Jr. and Harry Stewart III to the transfer portal – giving Dupree the early edge to be the starting running back next season.

Dupree was a three-start recruit coming out of high school and is rated as the No. 79 running back in the transfer portal this offseason. He’ll have three years of eligibility remaining.

Landyn Watson (LB)

Outside linebacker Landyn Watson is transferring to Kansas after a one-year stint with the Kentucky Wildcats playing primarily as a role player. The 6-foot-1, 242-pound linebacker had 21 total tackles (8 solo) and one tackle for loss this season for the Wildcats.

Watson heads to Lawrence with a lot of experience under his belt, entering the 2026 season as a sixth-year senior with stops at TCU, Marshall, and Kentucky. That experience will be welcomed to a linebacker core in need of more depth.

Watson was a three-star recruit coming out of high school and is ranked as the No. 70 edge player available in the transfer portal.

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