Former Kansas cornerback Damarius McGhee, who left the team prior to the start of spring practice, has entered the transfer portal, according to multiple reports on Wednesday.
The news was first reported by 247Sports and then shared by McGhee himself on social media.
A former four-star recruit out of Pensacola, Florida, McGhee joined the Jayhawks in 2023 after two seasons at LSU. He lost most of his first season in Lawrence to a back injury, as he played just five snaps in one game, according to Pro Football Focus.
“It was just a minor tweak, but I just couldn’t play on it, so they just sat me out,” McGhee said in August. “There was a certain point during the season to where I was going to go back out there, but they just sat me out for the rest of the year.”
He was healthier headed into his redshirt junior year, and had an opportunity for greater playing time as the initial No. 3 cornerback behind eventual all-conference picks Cobee Bryant and Mello Dotson. However, he saw 59 snaps, primarily as an outside corner, during KU’s first six weeks of the season, then just three the remainder of the year as true freshman Jalen Todd took on an increased role.
McGhee was not listed on the roster at the start of KU’s spring practices, and head coach Lance Leipold confirmed his departure from the roster, saying in March he expected McGhee and fellow departure Tristian Fletcher, a linebacker, “to graduate and take the next step.” (According to 247Sports, McGhee went into the portal as a graduate transfer, explaining why he was able to enter outside of a usual transfer window.)
“We appreciate those young men,” Leipold said. “Both had trouble staying healthy. Good young men, love both of them, love their personalities, very unselfish, never a problem with attitude or work ethic, but yeah, they’re no longer with us.”
Chance Parker/Special to the Journal-World
