The offseason is off to a bumpy start in Lawrence, as several players have hit the transfer portal since the season ended two weeks ago. And with a ton of conversation swirling as to why KU is seeing a lot of turnover this offseason, one player’s parent is calling out General Manager Rob Ianello.
Redshirt senior Gage Keys‘ mom responded to Jayhawk Slant on X and put the blame on the transfer portal exodus squarely on the shoulders of Ianello, saying he is the “#1 reason these kids are leaving” and adding that he “continually lies to these kids”. She goes on to say, “He is terrible for this program”.
Here’s the post on X from Friday evening.
Jon Jon Kamara was the most recent portal entry for the Jayhawks. Kamara finished the 2025 season with 13 tackles and a half sack while rotating through the Jayhawks’ defensive front. He wasn’t an every-down guy, but he found his way onto the field often enough to matter. He brought energy, got downhill when asked, and looked the part of a young player figuring it out week by week.Â
Top secondary player Lyrik Rawls hit the portal last week as well. Rawls played four seasons at Oklahoma State before joining the KU secondary for the 2025 season. Rawls led the safety group with 72 tackles (56 solo), seven pass deflections and one interception against Fresno State in Week 1.
The transfer portal officially opens up on January 2nd, and we’ll see how many players Lance Leipold and his staff can prevent from hitting the portal between now and then.
