Locked On Jayhawks - Daily Podcast On Kansas Jayhawks Football & Basketball - PORTAL COMMIT: GIGANTIC LINEMAN from Texas Connor Stroh Brings the Beef to Kansas Jayhawks Offense

Episode Date: January 5, 2026

Kansas Jayhawks land Texas transfer Connor Stroh, a 6-foot-7, 341-pound offensive lineman, instantly upgrading their front and raising expectations for a road-grading, run-first offense. Will Stroh's SEC experience and physicality give KU's young quarterback and running backs the breathing room they need to dominate the Big 12?Derek Johnson breaks down how Stroh’s arrival reconfigures the Jayhawks’ offensive line, analyzes projected depth chart battles at guard and center, and explores the ripple effects from Tyler Mercer’s unexpected transfer. Key topics include Pro Football Focus grades, interior O-line competition featuring Amir Herring and Tavaki Tuikolovatu, and KU’s ongoing portal search for a top-tier right tackle. Can the new-look line set the stage for a breakthrough season in Lawrence?Everydayer Club  If you never miss an episode, it’s time to make it official. Join the Locked On Everydayer Club and get ad-free audio, access to our members-only Discord, and more — all built for our most loyal fans. Click here to learn more and join your team’s community: https://lockedonpodcasts.com/everydayerclub  Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors! Rocket MoneyLet Rocket Money help you reach your financial goals faster. Join at http://RocketMoney.com/LOCKEDONGametimeToday's episode is brought to you by Gametime. Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONCOLLEGE for $20 off your first purchase. Terms and conditions apply.RugietIf you’ve been thinking about taking the next step, now’s the time.Head to https://Rugiet.com/LOCKEDONCOLLEGEto get 15% off your order for a limited time.Rugiet Ready. Feel present. Feel confident. Feel ready.FanDuelToday's episode is brought to you by FanDuel. Football season is around the corner, visit the FanDuel App today and start planning your futures bets now.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) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Whether it's Isaiah Marshall or Cole Ballard, they've got to be really happy because KU just added a mountain of a man to the offensive line in Conorstrow, a 6-foot-7 offensive linemen from Texas. 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. Commitment Breakdown Portal episode on Lockdown Jayhawks. Thanks for making it your first listen.

Check out our other episodes as well. Thank you the everydayers who already did. Thank you for making the Lockdown Podcast Network to the number one sports podcast network. We're going to be breaking down Connor Stroh, KU's gigantic offensive lineman commit from Texas. We're going to be getting into the news, the scouting report, what he brings to the table, what the KU offensive line room looks like now and what else still needs to be done in the portal for KU on this bonus episode of the show. So let's just start here, Stroke committing to Kansas. this on a Sunday evening.

It's kind of a fun case of a player who is both a grad transfer and still has two years left of eligibility. So got his academics as much as that's not really thought of as much anymore. But he is a mountain of a man, six foot seven, three hundred and forty one pounds. You know, at the end of the day, football is a sport where big people move each other and hit each other hard and are physical. And you just added, the biggest dude that you could possibly add. with Connor Stroh. So he came to Texas as a high-end three-star recruit. He redshirted in

2023, did not play in 2024. And then this past year, he ends up being a day one starter for Texas. He starts five games. He appears in seven overall, loses his job midway through the season, but still in first year red shirt sophomore playing for Texas, playing in the SEC, playing some difficult games, has starting level and big game experience here. And this is an ad that KU's offensive line, I think, really needed when Tyler Mercer entered the transfer portal. Mercer, somebody who was projected to be the starting center for KU coming into the year. KU added him out of the portal last year, redshirted him for the year, developed him, and the hope was that he was going to take over for Bryce Foster.

With Mercer entering the portal last minute, it created an added need for KU on the interior of their offensive line. And we'll see what ends up happening. Do they shuffle somebody from guard to center? Um, at the very least stroke comes in here as somebody who is going to add a lot of size, a lot of physicality, a lot of, uh, get off the bus, look at this, um, that is going to be like, it's one thing to have six, seven, three, forty one in the SEC, like that's still big in the SEC. It's another thing to have it in the big 12 though, too, right?

And, uh, let's break down more of his game, what he brings to the table, um, as well as, you know, what's the projected role here and, and what does this do to the offense line Roop for KU. This episode of the show is brought to you by Fandual Sportsbook. And hey, this upcoming Friday, just like all Fridays here, is another NBA happy hour. NBA happy hour is your official pregame. It's a limited time window where special offers drop right inside the Fandul app before it even starts. You don't just have to get in on the NBA action too.

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Don't forget you can check out our Everydayer Club as well, or you can get ad-free versions of the podcast. Okay, so Connor Stroh comes in to KU. He was the starter for Texas at Left Guard for the first five games of the season. Then he came off the bench for two more over the back half of the season. Overall, 59 Pro Football Focus grade leaves a little bit. bit to be desired. It's not a disaster, but it does leave some room for improvement. 61.4 in pass blocking, 56.4 in run blocking. Overall, that ranked 30th of the 42 qualified guards in the SEC. But I'll say this. If you're viewing that as like, okay, that's a below

average guard in the SEC this past season. But then he's adding another year under his belt, or he gets a year older, theory, a year better. Then maybe you, become, you know, an average guard in the SEC, and then what does that translate up to the Big 12th? Is that an above average guard in the Big 12th? So like, there's a lot of ways for this to succeed. He had a 97.1 pass blocking efficiency grade, which again was on the lower end in the SEC. At a comparison, like Bryce Foster was a 98.4. Kobe Baines was a 98.6, which is really good. Amir Herring was 98.9.2. Another one of KU. Guards was a 97.1. Now, is it concerning at all that he did get benched at one point. Sure, a little. But also, like, if he stays the starter

all season long for Texas, is he even in the transfer portal? Does Kansas even have a shot at getting him? And then you look at this, like the fronts, the speed, the size, the athleticism that he's facing in some of the games. It's not just that he's playing in the SEC. It's playing the first game against like Ohio State. You know what I mean? It's a little different than what KU is going to face gaming and not to say that like KU won't face some of those teams like KU plays Missouri SEC team KU

there are certain teams of the Big 12 whether you look at like Texas Tech and BYU and Utah who do spend up there and really develop that position and occasionally there are pros on other teams right so it's not to say you won't face it at all but it's just a little less common right and also the other thing it was his first year playing

for Texas as a sophomore you're allowed to get better and I'd imagine he's going to as well here's another positive for me when you look the idea of, okay, you know, again, those numbers aren't a disaster, but it leaves a little bit room for improvement and some to be desired. Okay, what are some, what are some reasons you can look to and say, I think he's going to improve? I mean, one would just be that he is a giant human and he has all the physical traits in the world to be a good player. But the other is that was he improving over his first season. He was. His four highest pro football focus rated

games was his final four games. So he was playing better as the season went on, probably not easy to play Ohio State in your first game and then, you know, maybe have a few struggles against one of the best teams and defenses in the country and get judged off of that moving forward, right? So, you know, rewatching some of those Ohio State clips, like it wasn't pretty always, but I do think he got better from then on. And he does have physical traits you can't teach and he does have physical traits that you don't wind up seeing on the Kansas offensive line very often. And I think this is a big swing on the offensive line for KU because, you know, if you are getting what he was at Texas this past year, there's going to be, you know,

some ups and downs, so to speak. But it's one that if you get it right, this is the kind of addition that like when you added like Logan Brown, for instance, right? Like you added Logan Brown and he became an all big 12 player for you a tackle. And that's the kind of addition. And by all means, if you're talking about a good kid who's going to work hard, I think that kid's going to get better. So I really love this edition for KU with Connor Stroh.

He's going to add some physicality. He's going to add some size to that offense line. And I've continued to talk about that I want this offensive line to be a road grading offensive line. I want this to be a run first football team. Isaiah Marshall running it. Good running back in there. Offensive line that road grates you.

This kind of adds up to that to me. So let's talk more about that offensive line room next. This is Locked on Jayhawks. Today's episode of the show is brought to you by game time and you can get tickets to the rest of college football season. I guess MLB season coming up in a couple of months. I'm a college basketball season over with game time. I'm looking right now at the KUTCU game.

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Don't forget to check out our other commitment videos. Plenty going around for KU and we'll continue to go around to make sure to subscribe to the show anywhere you get your podcast. All right. So what does the offensive line room look like for KU and what is the projected role here for Conor Stro? I think the first question you have to ask. So first of all, I guess 6-7, 341, like that's big enough he could play tackle.

But I'm under the expectation he's going to play guard, which is where he was playing for Texas. So, I mean, we can talk about the offense tackle room if we want. It's like Calvin Clements returning as a starter, trying to figure out the right tackle spot. What is Jack Tanner, Antonio Wilson going to provide you? What are some of the freshmen going to provide you? What about David Abaji? And that's fine.

But I think this centers to more of a interior offensive line discussion because Stroh played left guard for Texas, right? So Amir Herring was one of the better guards in the Big 12 this past season. He comes back for another year. Then you look at Tovaki, Tuiko, Lovatu, limited role, rotating, in, but some of the pro football focus numbers really liked what he did in his limited role. So, but Combs like, okay, so is this going to be a mere herring starting? It's a competition between Stro and Tuico-Lovatu. That'd be very interesting. Here's what I think takes it to the other level, though, and I think why, because I can't imagine Connor Stro was a cheap

addition. Like, this is probably a pretty expensive edition. When you look at the potential, the size where he's coming from in terms of what school he was at, this probably was, will be one of the the more expensive. I don't know that for sure. It just my, if I was pricing these, these additions or whatever, right? I could see that being the case. And so you lose Tyler Mercer to the portal. You need a center after your projected starting center is gone. Amir Herring has some, some cross training at center. What if KU is going to move Herring to center? And then that opens up one of the starting guard spots where you can say, hey, even if you like Tuico-Lovatu, you can still start him now next to Connor Stroh. And you can say, hey, if Tuicholovatu is

ready after doing well in a more limited role, him and Stroh will be our guards, and Herring will be our center. And that's going to be a good interior of the offensive line, in my opinion. If Tuukalovatu is not ready, maybe you still at a center. Maybe you have Herring and Stro as the two starting guards, or maybe that's where James Livingston comes in. But that to me is that right now the projected offense line. I would look at Calvin Clements at left tackle, Mayor Herring in the middle with Tuicholavatu and Stro as your guards, and then figure out right tackle. And some of these young guys, some of these guys you're trying to develop can kind of fill in on the too deep. So I still think they need a stud right tackle that I'd be looking

to add in the transfer portal. Maybe there's even one more that you're looking to add from there, but I like the vision here. And one of the other cool things of this is when you look at Tuico Levatu, Stro and Herring, if those are your starters, they're all redshirt juniors. So as you look at, and I know it's really hard in today's day and age to really look ahead more than one year. But in theory, if they had a good year and you could keep them for another year, then it's like, hey, you've got this young quarterback who comes in for their first year's a starter this year. It looks like, hey, you might have a young running back in there. Like, now you're developing this interior of the offensive line, not just for one year, but for two. So I really like this edition for KU and I think helps beefing up and strengthen that interior of the O line.

I thought it'll know for this episode of Lockdown Jayhawks. You can find our show anywhere to your podcast, including on our YouTube page, check out some of our other commitment videos. I'm on LOJ.