The revamp of Kansas’ interior defensive line continued on Tuesday afternoon with the commitment of Tre’Von McAlpine.
McAlpine announced his decision in a post on X. He is a 6-foot-3, 305-pound defensive tackle who joins KU after spending the 2025 season at Tulane, which reached the College Football Playoff.
McAlpine played in all 14 games with 12 starts and about 31 snaps per game in his lone season with the Green Wave, recording a season-long Pro Football Focus grade of 64.8. He recorded 21 tackles with a sack and a fumble recovery on the year, and was a second-team all-league selection in the American Conference.
The native of Saraland, Alabama, a former three-star prospect out of high school, brings Big 12 experience, as he spent the first three seasons of his career at Texas Tech. He redshirted and did not play in 2022, then saw 408 combined snaps in 19 games with a pair of starts over the course of the following two years.
McAlpine brings extensive experience playing as a nose tackle. That will provide a level of versatility for KU defensive tackles coach Jim Panagos and defensive coordinator D.K. McDonald as they attempt to build on the multiple fronts they used last season, including three-, four- and five-defensive-lineman looks.
His commitment follows those of fellow transfer tackles Jibriel Conde (Grand Valley State) and Eamon Smalls (UAB). The trio joins returning players Blake Herold, Marcus Calvin and Josiah Hammond as well as incoming 2026 signee Nakwaine Carter.
With the addition of McAlpine, KU is up to nine transfers through five days of the portal window.
