Kansas football lands 2 potential impact transfer commitments

The Kansas football program made commitments of a pair of potential impact transfers on Saturday.

Former Minnesota running back Ky Thomas, a native of Topeka with past ties to current KU running back Devin Neal, and Miami (Ohio) defensive end Lonnie Phelps, both committed to KU during the weekend.

Thomas announced his decision on Twitter, and Phelps’ engagement was first reported by JayhawkSlant.com’s Jon Kirby.

According to Kirby, the addition of the two talented and proven young players takes KU’s already impressive transfer class in the current recruiting cycle to a new level.

“They’ve been near perfect in using the (transfer) portal so far,” Kirby wrote of KU’s coaching staff. “They used all available spots and filled them with players who were at the top of their list. Filling (the class) with the last two engagements today would push their rating to an A in my early ratings.

A 6-foot-3, 244-pound rusher from Cincinnati, Phelps was an all-MAC second-team selection in 2021, finishing third in the conference with 9.5 sacks while adding 13.5 tack-les for the loss.

Thomas is a 5-foot-11, 205-pound guard from Topeka High who rushed for more than 7,000 yards during his prep career and earned Kansas Gatorade Player of the Year honors in his senior season. He rushed for 824 yards and six touchdowns on 166 drives for the Gophers during the 2021 season.

KU was the first program offered to him when he entered the portal and it is clear that the possibility of returning to the Sunflower State played a huge role in his decision to transfer and choose KU.

When Thomas announced his commitment to KU on Twitter on Saturday, he added, “I’m coming home!” as a slogan.

This weekend’s pickups, as well as previous transfer portal commitments of cornerback Kalon Gervin (Michigan State), running back Sevion Morrison (Nebraska), linebacker Craig Young (Ohio State), offensive line Nolan Gorczyca (Buffa-lo) and linebacker Eriq Gilyard (Central Florida), figure to bring even more depth, talent and experience to Lance Leipold’s Kansas second team.

Six of the seven impact transfers are still more than a year away from eligibility and all seven fit Leipold’s assertion that his job this offseason was to improve KU’s roster by any means necessary, regardless. be the stigma that may exist from past KU coaching efforts in this area.

According to Kirby, Leipold and company on the recruiting trail continued to capitalize on the momentum with which they ended the 2021 season.

There is still work to be done in the months to come,” Kirby wrote. “The Jayhawks could have up to seven more spots to fill. But their work in the first part is done and they are off to a good start.

Here’s a look back at some highlights from Thomas’ career at Topeka High.

And here’s Phelps’ highlights tape from his senior high school season before joining Miami, Ohio.