Kansas cornerback Damarius McGhee enters NCAA transfer portal

Kansas cornerback Damarius McGhee has entered the NCAA transfer portal, On3’s Pete Nakos has confirmed. McGhee spent the past two seasons with the Jayhawks.

McGhee initially enrolled at LSU out of high school. He spent two years with the Tigers before transferring to join the Jayhawks.

During the 2024 season, Damarius McGhee recorded eight tackles in six games played. That was a step up from his 2023 production, when he appeared in just two games and logged one tackle.

While at LSU, McGhee got off to a hot start. He played in 12 games as a freshman in 2021, starting in one of them. In that time, he recorded five tackles and showed some ability to make plays.

But he appeared in just one game for the Tigers in 2022, prompting Damarius McGhee to seek another option. He settled on Kansas.

Prior to enrolling at LSU, Damarius McGhee was a four-star recruit and a top-150 player nationally. He checked in as the No. 146 overall recruit in the 2021 class, as well as the No. 9 cornerback. He was ranked as the No. 22 overall player from the state of Florida, hailing from Pensacola (FL) Pensacola Catholic.

Lance Leipold speaks on Jalon Daniels’ health

While Kansas fans will be bummed to learn of Damarius McGhee’s departure, some other news in recent weeks is sure to please. Kansas QB Jalon Daniels has had a lot of injuries to update over his collegiate career. The latest one, though, suggests he’s back and better than ever in Lawrence.

While at the Otto Schnellbacher Classic in early June, Lance Leipold spoke on Daniels’ status coming off of a minor procedure on his knee earlier in the year. He said everything with his rehab is on track with him having continued to progress from the spring now into the summer.

“Yeah, you know, he’s right on schedule,” said Leipold. “He’s doing everything.”

Actually, not only that, Leipold retold a recent story shared with him by their athletic trainer. He told the head coach that, while watching their returning quarterback throw to WR Emmanuel Henderson, an incoming transfer from Alabama, Daniels was “throwing the ball as well as he’s seen him…of all the years (he’s) worked with Jalon”.

“Trent Carter, our trainer who does an outstanding job, told me about three weeks ago that he saw Jalon throwing the ball as well as he’s seen him. He was throwing with Emmanuel Henderson. He said I don’t know how far he threw it, like 70 to 75 yards in the air. He goes, of all the years I’ve worked with Jalon, he goes I don’t know if I’ve seen Jalon throw the ball that far,” Leipold recalled. “I was asking Jalon, who’s laughing, and he goes, yeah, I didn’t realize really how fast Emmanuel Henderson is so I’ve got to let go of it a little bit sooner, I had to catch up.”

Health has often been the question when it comes to Daniels. However, going into his sixth and final season overall as a redshirt senior for the Jayhawks, his most recent issue is being resolved with about two months until kickoff for KU.

“He’s on schedule,” said Leipold. “He’ll be doing everything as the guys got going here today.”

On3’s Sam Gillenwater also contributed to this report.