Even with Kansas coach Lance Leipold soon to be five years removed from his tenure overseeing the program at Buffalo, the Jayhawks will continue to have a western New York presence on their roster in 2026.
Former Buffalo wide receiver Nik McMillan has committed to KU, his agent Matt Glose confirmed to the Journal-World on Thursday morning.
McMillan is a splashy addition for the Jayhawks at a position of need, one where it lost several of its top targets with the graduations of Bryson Canty, Emmanuel Henderson Jr. and Levi Wentz. KU brings back Cam Pickett and Keaton Kubecka next year, but McMillan provides another immediate starting-caliber wideout. He is coming off a year in which he caught 62 passes for 981 yards and three touchdowns and received first-team All-MAC honors.
McMillan is a Buffalo native who played at Canisius High School. After a redshirt year in 2022, a modest 13-catch, 180-yard showing in seven games in 2023 and a season-ending injury that cost him nearly all of 2024, he broke out as a redshirt junior.
He actually had a fairly slow first half of the season with just 16 catches for 194 yards through six games, most of which came in a single performance against Kent State. In the latter half of the year, though, he reeled off six consecutive 100-yard performances. (He also, not coincidentally, did not receive a Pro Football Focus grade lower than 68.2 in that stretch.) For comparison, KU as a team had three total 100-yard showings all year in 2025, all of which were by Henderson.
McMillan lines up primarily as an outside receiver, though he did play a lot in the slot in the Kent State game. On the whole, his 62 catches on the year came on 97 targets. He dropped six passes on the year and was responsible for 243 yards after the catch.
McMillan technically has one year left to play as a fifth-year senior, but the injury from 2024 after just two games leaves open a very realistic possibility of a medical redshirt, which could make the acquisition even more impactful.
At KU, he is the first transfer wideout of the offseason and joins Kubecka and Pickett along with the young quartet of Jackson Cook, Bryson Hayes, Tate Nagy and Jaden Nickens. KU also has Corbin Glasco, Tyren Parker and Nate Sims signed for 2026.
