Locked On Jayhawks - Daily Podcast On Kansas Jayhawks Football & Basketball - Sleeper Alert Khijohnn Cummings Coleman Transfers To Kansas Jayhawks From Isu In Underrated Move

Episode Date: January 11, 2026

Kansas Jayhawks land Iowa State transfer Khijohnn Cummings-Coleman—could this underrated portal pickup reshape KU’s defensive backfield in 2026? As KU football retools its secondary, Cummings-Coleman emerges as a key player to watch, with intriguing versatility as a box safety, nickel corner, and strong safety. Will his Iowa State background and resilience after an arm injury make him an immediate starter or long-term asset for the Jayhawks?Derek Johnson breaks down Cummings-Coleman’s fit within DK McDonald’s system, analyzes his college production and projected role, and evaluates how this addition impacts the safety room alongside Mason Ellis, Taylor Davis, and Jaden Harris. Strategic insights include KU’s evolving defensive schemes, potential changes in the safety rotation, and the outlook for the Jayhawks as they continue building through the transfer portal. Don’t miss this preview of Kansas football’s next defensive difference-maker.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.

Kejan Cummings-Colman. He is a defensive back transfer from Iowa State. I think this could end up being one of the more underrated portal pickups that KU winds up having in the portal period. 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 it your first listen. And thank you for making Locked on the number of things. number one sports podcast network. On today's episode of the show, we're breaking down the latest transfer commit with Gijon Cummings Coleman, a transfer defensive back from Iowa State. And why I think this is going to be one of more of your, I don't know, underrated transfer additions that's going to wind up being a really good one for KU. So we'll break down his game, what he brings to the table, what the secondary now looks like for KU football and more on this episode. Let's start here with the news. Gijon Cummings Coleman. He was a player originally from

Minneapolis, Minnesota, goes to Iowa State out of high school as a three-star recruit. He was a two-way player, actually, in high school receiver in DB. He spent two seasons at Iowa State where he redshirted one and then played a little bit as a freshman this past season, got hurt, missed the rest of the year. Obviously, Iowa State is like getting a brand new team with Matt Campbell departing, so he's in the portal. Boom, he winds up at Kansas where he'll be a red shirt sophomore in 2026 with three seasons left of play.

This is a player who you would think should be a little familiar with the scheme that D.K. McDonald wants to run. Again, there's no crossover there. There's no overlap between the two. They never, you know, McDonald never coached him or anything like that. And D.K. McGraths is not the same as what John Hickok was running with Iowa State. But he was there for a good amount of time coaching, you know, some of the DBs in the secondary.

It is the same, I don't know, you. it's a basic philosophy. It is the same like at the core of what they, they probably want to do. I'm sure there's some terminology that's the same. I'm sure there's some plays and some scheme stuff that that is the same, even though there will be certain differences. And that'll probably make it a bit of a smoother transition for him to try to get

early playing time in this first year. But like I, I think this could wind up being one of the steals of the portal class. Like obviously there's going to be certain ones that have the bigger headlines based on the school they were at or based on the position they play. But keep an eye on this one to be. one of these sneaky better under the radar pickups for KU. And I want to tell you why coming up in a second. Today's episode of the show is brought to you by Rocket Money.

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Okay, so who is Cummings Coleman? He is a 5-foot-11, 205-pound defensive back, who redshirted in 2024 with Iowa State after coming in as an 87-rated three-star. He was actually named the offensive scout team player of the year. I don't know if that is in reference to saying he was playing. playing because again, he was a two-way player in high school. It played receiver NDB. I don't know if that's saying that he was the offensive scout team player

because he was playing receiver his freshman year when he was redshirting and he did so well. Or if they're saying he was the offensive scouting player of the year because he helped the offense get better by being on the defensive scout team. I don't know. But either way that if you're going to be on the scout team, you might as well be the MVP of it, right? So that's good for that side of the ball. And then obviously he's a redshirt freshman for Iowa State this year. He plays five games.

He actually started the first two and then came off the bench for the next three games. The final game, the fifth game, he ended up playing one snap against Arizona. I got hurt on that one snap, which wiped away the rest of his 20-25. I'll be interested here because will he be able to get a medical red shirt as part of this year? You know, it really is four games played. Is there a chance, K.U could give four years out of him? but I guess at the very least, you gladly take three. And at this point in time, like, most guys aren't going to actually be at a school for three years anyway.

So you just worry about what's in front of you. But he had two tackles against Kansas State in the opener in that game in Ireland. He had three against each of Iowa and South Dakota before the injury. Wound up with 101 snaps over the five games, really 100 through the first four games. And he was the one who gave up that 65-yard touchdown to K-State and Avery Johnson in that game in, in Ireland, which kind of tanked his pro football focus grade was not a group game. But from then that point on, he was targeted six times over the next, you know, three games,

basically. He gave up just three catches on the six, about seven yards per target with most of that coming on one catch and about a third of those total yards coming off of like screens with yard after catch. So it was actually pretty good there. Now, his overall pro football focus grade is a retro freshman. Again, would make you think, you know, not much to see there. 3.4. But again, his first ever start is coming in a foreign country against a rival who's

a cupcake in the first game of the season. And he makes really one really bad play. And every other game from then on, like, if you exclude that game, he would have graded in the 60s from then on, including having a 68 grade, which is his best game against Iowa. So I think he was getting better. He learned from that opening experience. He's still just a redshirt freshman. it's safe to assume he's going to continue to get better. You might be wondering, okay, what was the season ending injury? Like, is it something that could keep him out of the beginning or make him miss spring ball or something like that?

I did a quick little Google search and couldn't totally find it. All I found was that it was like shoulder arm injury, and that his arm at one point was in a sling. But that's not like an ACL. That's not like, you know, so I would think he'd be good to go for next season. That makes me even think that he could be good to go for spring ball, which would be great for KU, right? But this is a young, talented player.

And let's not forget the success that Iowa State has had under Matt Campbell, obviously now off to Penn State, with producing defensive backs to the NFL at a really solid level. And the diamonds in the rough they've been able to find and develop. And now you're finding somebody in that who's been in that program for a couple of years. I think this is somebody who can come in right away and start for KU in the secondary. Now, if you do want to slow things down for younger player coming off the arm injury and stuff, and maybe he ends up being on the too deep to start.

He's still playing, but I kind of think he's going to wind up being one of KU's three best safeties. Maybe that's, you know, sticking my neck out too far, but like that's kind of the sense I get with this edition. I really like this edition. So let's get into that projected role and what that safety room looks like for KU next. Thanks here for joining us here on Locked on Jayhawks, Kansas landing, Kejohn Cummings, Coleman, a defensive back from Iowa State who had nine tackles a season ago. Let's just start here with what his projected role would be. Of the 101 snaps that he played, 50 of them were in the box,

so it was a box safety, or it was basically kind of that safety linebacker hybrid. 42 of them were in the slot, so almost like a nickel corner safety type. And then nine were at free safety. Overall pro football focus lists him as a strong safety. And that kind of tells you that, I mean, based on those snaps, he can do whatever.

But I can't help but wonder if given his, his knowledge of being in the Iowa state system, which Kansas is kind of sort of going into and playing that other safety role. Like, KU mostly used Mason Ellis in that third safety role this year, which sometimes they use Saeed Gibbs as an extra corner. In years past, it wasn't called it this past year, but in years past, it was kind of the hawk role, like your linebacker safety to get that third safety on the field where KU typically played more of a linebacker, but this past year more of a safety.

And I can't help but wonder if that would be the role here. But we'll see how they use it. The way I think I overall view it, because if you do do that, could you move Mason Ellis to more of a free safety role, where you can utilize his speed more in the back end and coverage? I don't know. But I basically look at it now. I think you basically have four safeties for three starting spots.

If you're going to start that third safety, you look at Taylor Davis, Jaden Harris, Keijon Cummings, Coleman, and Mason Ellis. And basically that means the returning guys with Ellis and Davis, they got to prove themselves in the offseason. and they got to take a step. Do you think it'll help Taylor Davis going from last year more of a free safety role to back to his original position of more of that strong safety role?

When I look at Mason Ellis, like, I don't know, like what's going to be the best position for him? Obviously, Jaden Harris is somebody who was a starter in Miami a couple years ago. So honestly, like right now, maybe I'd project like Cummings, Coleman, Davis, and Harris to be the starters. But, you know, maybe you do give the seniority with Mason Ellis. Either way, I think Cummings Coleman is going to play a role. on this team. And I think he's long term going to be an awesome edition for KU. I wouldn't be surprised if he's an awesome edition for KU right off the rip. And if this is one that we don't end up being sleep, you know, kind of sleeping on a little bit more moving forward. Now, you look at the overall

safety room outside of that. Obviously, you added Christian Pritchett as well from Georgia Tech. You have a couple freshmen in there, retro freshman at Darian Jones and Brandon Schmelsley, and then Robert Reddick comes in as a true freshman. Could you afford to add probably another kind of depth body in there into the safety room. Yeah, you probably could. And then maybe you hope one of those redshirt freshmen kind of step up a little bit more here in 2026 to at least get on the field a little bit, maybe on special teams or in a deeper rotation role. But, you know, I do like this edition for KU. All right, that'll do for this episode of Lockdown Jayhawks. We have plenty of other commitment episodes up for KU football in their transfer portal edition. So make sure to check them

all out. We'll see you next time for another edition of L.O.J. Anywhere you, your podcast or on YouTube. Thank you.