Locked On Jayhawks - Daily Podcast On Kansas Jayhawks Football & Basketball - Jayhawks Say Goodbye to Bai Jobe - Lance Leipold Looks for Portal Replacements After 4-Star Exits KU

Episode Date: April 21, 2025

Defensive end Bai Jobe's unexpected entry into the transfer portal shakes up the Kansas Jayhawks football landscape. What does this mean for KU's defensive strategy and at DE? Dive into the latest developments as Derek Johnson unpacks the implications of losing a former 4-star recruit and Michigan State Spartans transfer. Key figures like Lance Leipold and potential recruits such as Cam Williams and Leroy Harris come into focus as KU navigates the transfer portal. Justice Finkley and other current players are poised to step up, but can they fill the void left by Jobe?Explore the strategic moves and potential targets that could redefine the Jayhawks' defense. Tune in for an in-depth analysis of Kansas Jayhawks football's evolving dynamics and discover how these changes could impact the upcoming season.Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!Supply HouseJoin the Trade Master program today at SupplyHouse.com/TM and start ordering plumbing, HVAC, and electrical supplies with just a few clicks. Plus, use promo code SH5 for 5% off your first order. That’s SupplyHouse.com!PrizePicksDownload the PrizePicks app today and use code LOCKEDONCOLLEGE and get $50 instantly when you play $5! You don't even need to win to receive the $50 bonus, it's guaranteed! Prizepicks. Run Your Game. https://prizepicks.onelink.me/LME0/LOCKEDONCOLLEGEAmazon Fire TV Stick 4kDid you know your Fire TV is also an Xbox? Turn any TV into your gaming and entertainment hub with Fire TV Stick 4K devices — no console required. Head to Amazon.com/firetvlockedon to get started. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription and compatible controller required.Monarch MoneyTake control of your finances with Monarch Money. Use code LOCKEDONCOLLEGE at monarchmoney.com for 50% off your first year. GametimeDownload the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONCOLLEGE for $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply. Download Gametime today. What time is it? Gametime.FanDuelRight now, new customers can get TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY DOLLARS in BONUS BETS when your first FIVE DOLLAR BET WINS! Download the app or head to FANDUEL.COM to get started. Bet with FanDuel—Official Partner of the NBA.FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN)

Say goodbye to this one by Joe Bender, this is the transfer portal and is gone from KU football. You are locked on Jayhawks, your daily podcast on the Kansas Jayhawks, part of the locked on podcast network, your team every day. What's going on Derek Johnson here, this is locked on Jayhawks. Thanks for making us your first listen every day. Thank you to the every dayers catching each and every episode of this show. You can find us anywhere you get your podcast including on our YouTube page where you can like and subscribe to the show and on today's edition of LOJ a little bonus episode for you here. We're gonna be talking a little KU football because by job was former big

time recruit that the program brought in. Well, he is entered into the transfer portal and is seemingly away from KU football as you know, this day and age we saw for bedouin God maybe something can happen to bring him back but we'll get into that we'll get into where it leaves KU in the defensive end room as well as kind of hunting in the transfer portal, so to speak. So here's the news. So his trainer Sean Cooper posted this on Twitter, Kansas Edge by job is entering

the transfer portal with three years remaining. He will be a Richard sophomore this upcoming season. So if you remember by job, it was a big get when Kansas got him out of the transfer portal last off season. So he out of high school was like a very highly regarded prospect, four star prospect on ESPN rivals, 24 seven sports and on three. He was listed as like a top 150 overall recruit by all of those different sites. So like very high level prospect, one of the top 10 or 15 edge players, depending on which site they're kind of looking at there, a raw player out of high school, somebody who,

you know, moved to the United States in eighth grade as like an exchange students like wasn't playing football for all of his life, but was a freak athlete and picked it up quickly to that level. And then all of a sudden, they're in that four star status goes to Michigan State as a freshman, plays in just one game in 2023, where he had two tackles and 11 snaps, but he's able to retain his red shirt

by not playing four years. So then he comes to Kansas as a red shirt freshman. And for Kansas team that, you know, you're kind of developing these young stud talents at defensive end with, by Job, with DJ Warner, and with Dak Brinkley. And with, you know, Job, he starts the season injured, then he ends up, you know, I guess he starts season injured was kind of playing through it with the cast on his arm, still plays five snaps in

the opener against Lindenwood 60 at West Virginia and week six starts to see his snap count go up a little bit over the back half of the season. You're looking at over the the first four games that he played in through the first six weeks of the season. He played 33 snaps between Lindenwood, West Virginia, TCU and Arizona State. And then between the Houston, Iowa State, Colorado and Baylor games, he ends up playing 46 snaps to seize a little bit of an uptake there, but Baylor game was the biggest one he played.

28 snaps in what was the finale for KU. So you see that and you go, okay, a guy who played 79 snaps, which was fifth on KU last season at defensive end, but three of the guys in front of him in snaps, no longer with the team. Jeremy Robinson, Dylan Woodke graduated, and then DJ Warner transferred away.

So it was like, okay, he was second in returning snaps along KU defense events, graded out, you know, average-ish on PFF, above average, whatever you're gonna call it, 63 on PFF, but again, just 79 snaps. So can't take a ton away from that necessarily. But this guy who was gonna be counted on to be, you know, for this year, I think more of a rotational piece. And is this move, is him transferring away?

Is it at all indicative that maybe he was getting beat out? Is it indicative that maybe he wants to be a starter somewhere? Right? Like maybe there's a chance he was going to be on that too deep, but he wasn't going to be a starter for KU. But I don't know, certainly this one is a little bit weird, because I look at it. And I'm like, I look at the current KU, you know, defensive end room. And I'm like, okay, even if you are the second string at defensive end year, the two guys who are projected starters for KU are seniors. So like, you're going to have your opportunity as soon as the next year and wherever Bijoe goes to as a transfer this year. Is he going to be a starter? I don't know, I guess it depends where he goes,

right? If you're going to another power five, probably not. If you're going to, you know, transfer down a little and just opt for more playing time, then maybe that is the answer. Now, does this come in from maybe Kansas again, like saying that certain players have beat him out further down the depth chart? Or does this come in from, I don't know, Kansas looking for more defensive end competition, and to that notion feeling like he hasn't been good enough so far. So they're going to need more

players in the portal. And they've told him, hey, we're looking for players that are going to compete with you for even the second string in the portal. And from his perspective, he's like, No, I don't want that. So I don't know what the reasoning is specifically. But obviously, from this year's perspective, probably losing more of a rotational piece from a future's perspective, probably losing more of a rotational piece from a future year perspective is where you really feel like

you're losing out on something possible here, right? Again, a former four star crew, the idea would be, okay, maybe by 2026 and or 2027, you have something really cooking here that you lose out on. And yes, you still have that possibility with guys like Dak Brinkley and, and some of the other highly recruited guys that we'll get into here in our third segment of the show. But it just feels like these two guys with immensely high potential,

with DJ Warner and Byjab that you brought on that we were so excited about. Now you don't really get to see the fruits of your labor there. And I don't know if there is a lesson here. I don't know that there is to be completely honest, but certainly unfortunate for KU football. So where do they go from here? Certainly, Lance Leipold is going to be hunting in the transfer portal.

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and leaves the roster there and you're probably looking at, I mean, it already seemed like KU was going after defense heads. Was this a response that they knew this was going to happen with Bai Job and that's why they were looking? Or is it possible now that they're going to view this as a we're already looking at one more. And now that Joe beliefs to we're going to add try to add two more. And if the idea with Joe was to be, you know, a future player in a

rotational piece this year, maybe it makes sense to add somebody who can be if you're adding to write one is more of your ready to go right now. And one of them is more of your like long term players. Again, we'll see if that ends up kind of being the case. But we mentioned some on one of our previous shows that it sounds like they're going to have a visit being set up with Cam Williams, who's a transfer from Georgia State. So that would certainly be one to watch

somebody who had 21 tackles last year at Georgia State with one sack one forced fumble. You know, not not super high numbers necessarily, but in his limited snaps that he got great out really well on a pro football focus. He's six foot five 245 pounds. He'll be a senior this upcoming season after spending two years at Jacksonville State. So he would be somebody who would kind of fit the billing is you kind of would expect him to be able to come in and you'll compete right away. Then there's this Leroy

Harris kid, six foot five 230 pound freshmen from Chattanooga, I believe Chattanooga at the FCS level at 11 tackles last year. So didn't play a ton that an FCS levels freshmen but entering the portal, maybe he's more of your future piece necessarily, right. And then another guy that we mentioned on a previous episode was Eddie Kelly Jr. He's a six foot four, 278 pound defense man who spent time in South Florida, Georgia Tech and Missouri. He's in the transfer portal now. He'll be a senior for his career.

He has, let's see, 19 tackles at USF, 37 tackles at Georgia Tech, and then 20 tackles at Missouri. Not a ton of like sack production, but he's been kind of a good run stopping defensive end. And maybe that makes sense as a strong defensive end, because when you're looking at the two defensive end spots, kind of the weak side and the strong side, I think Job was profiling more to be a strong side defense events. And maybe that makes some sense, or maybe it's a name that we haven't even talked about. But I do think expect Lance Lightpool to bring in a defensive end of the transfer portal if not two at this point in time after the job news. What does the current room look like?

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Last minute tickets, lowest price guaranteed. Thanks for joining us on this bonus episode locked on Jay Hawks. Don't forget to check out our deep dive of Cedric Howard and what he could bring to the table for KU basketball out of the transfer world there. What is the current look at the defensive end room for KU football right now? Well, at the strong side of the defensive end, so seven total defensive ends on scholarship, I believe for KU football right now. Well, at the strong side of the defense events, so seven total defense events on scholarship,

I believe for KU at this point in time. So the strong side, which is where Job was from for KU, I think Justice Finckley, who was the transfer he brought in from Texas, to me he's kind of been thought of as ever since you brought him in, like probably gonna end up being the starter. Obviously he has to earn it,

but it seems like that has all gone according to plan at this point in time. So then it's kind of a competition for who was gonna be the second string. And was that gonna be by Joe? Was it gonna be Dylan Brooks coming off the injury, right? You would think Brooks coming off the season long injury, maybe that would be advantage for Joe.

But again, maybe KU viewed it and said, yeah, listen, you would win the job right now, but our intention in the portal is to get somebody even better. And that's gonna knock you to third string. I don't know. Also, you have guys on the weak side like Dean Miller, who will be a redshirt senior, although I don't know how that all works with the Juco stuff. Dak Brinkley, who

will be a redshirt freshman, Caleb Redd, who will be a redshirt freshman, former talented guy, and then wherever Adrian Hawley and Garrett Martin kind of profiling this is incoming players as freshmen. The good news here is that even though Job is being seen as somebody who like has this high potential, you still do have guys who fit that billing, who are on the depth chart. Right. Dak Brinkley, former four star as a registered freshman now, he still fits the billing as being the guy who has a very high potential

that can reach that for you. Same with Caleb Red, who was a highly recruited three star prospect to to win to an SEC school, right? With Adrian Hawley and Garrett Martin, those are two dudes who could be real dudes for you in the future. Dillon Brooks is a former four-star recruits. Like you still do have potential on the defensive end room. Dean Miller is a second team all big 12 player

for current production. Justice Finkeley should be able to give you some current production after coming in from Texas. I still like the way the defensive end room looks. I don't think it's one of the biggest strengths on the roster necessarily. I think they do need to add more depth. And I do think that's why they're looking into the transfer portal. But I don't think it's in a place of just like, you know, it's a it's

a mess right now. Obviously, you would have liked to have by job and DJ Warner still on the roster. But you know, that's the nature of the transfer portal, you got to kind of deal with the punches as you go, roll with the punches and kind of figure things out from there. And I do think they're going to be able to figure some of that stuff out with the portal. And I do still like some of the pieces of the combination of current production and future production that you still do have even without By Job on the roster, though,

you know, it certainly is a miss to not have them. All right, that'll do it for this episode of Lockdown Jayhawks. You can find our show anywhere you podcast, including on our YouTube page. And again, don't forget to check out our deep dive on Cedric Coward, typing a little KU basketball there. Next to make the Lockdown Jayhawks your first, your second listen, whatever it is, every day.

And don't forget to check out some of our other shows across the Lockdown Podcast Network, like Lockdown College Basketball, Lockdown College Football, to get you ready for the rest of this portal season that is to come. See you next time on LOJ.