Minnesota RB commits to Kansas Jayhawks football. He was an MVP in Gophers’ bowl game

Jesse Newell
·2 min read
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Kansas football coach Lance Leipold has continued his raid of the transfer portal — and the Big Ten conference.

The Jayhawks landed a big fish on Saturday night, picking up a commitment from former Minnesota running back and Topeka native Ky Thomas.

As a redshirt freshman for the Gophers last season, Thomas led the team with 166 rushes for 824 yards while also earning Offensive MVP honors in the team’s 18-6 victory over West Virginia in the Guarantee Rate Bowl on Dec. 28.

Thomas announced his decision on social media Saturday night. He took an official visit to KU this weekend.

This continues a pattern of Leipold utilizing the transfer portal to plug roster holes immediately.

Three of KU’s previous anticipated transfer commitments were from the Big Ten: Ohio State redshirt sophomore linebacker/safety Craig Young, Nebraska running back Sevion Morrison and Michigan State cornerback Kalon Gervin. In addition, central Florida linebacker Eriq Gilyard and Buffalo offensive lineman Nolan Gorczyca earlier announced plans to attend KU.

The Jayhawks’ most recent commitment further solidifies a running-back room that nearly ran out of bodies at the end of 2021. KU leading rusher Devin Neal — a Lawrence native — will return after rushing for a team-best 707 yards in 11 games as a true freshman. Morrison, meanwhile, rushed 30 times for 116 yards with three touchdowns as a redshirt freshman for the Huskers in 2021. Daniel Hishaw also is back after missing last season with injury.

Thomas, listed at 5-foot-11, 205 pounds on Minnesota’s roster, was initially ranked as a Rivals three-star in the class of 2020. He also was rated the second-best prep player in Kansas.

Leipold has shown in the past an ability to use multiple backs while committing himself to both the running game and the “wide zone” blocking scheme. In Leipold’s final season at Buffalo, for example, Jaret Patterson and Kevin Marks both eclipsed 1,000 rushing yards in the same year.