Where former KU football players are headed as NFL free agents

By Henry Greenstein     Apr 27, 2024

article image AP Photo/Rick Scuteri
Kansas quarterback Jason Bean throws a pass against UNLV during the first half of the Guaranteed Rate Bowl NCAA college football game Tuesday, Dec. 26, 2023, in Phoenix.

The conclusion of the 2024 NFL Draft left a slew of former Kansas football players undrafted and looking for opportunities to continue their football careers.

The San Francisco 49ers took offensive lineman Dominick Puni in the third round and the Chicago Bears selected Austin Booker in the fifth, but that meant that more than a dozen KU products who participated in the Big 12 Conference Pro Day back in March would have to work their way onto a roster via free agency.

Here’s a look at where some former Jayhawks chose to take their talents amid the frenzy of post-draft signings.

Jason Bean

Bean, who served as KU’s starting quarterback for portions of three seasons and led the Jayhawks to a Guaranteed Rate Bowl victory in 2023, has signed with the Indianapolis Colts, according to his agent Brett Tessler.

Tessler made the announcement in a post on X Saturday night, writing “Many teams interested, but this was a perfect situation.”

Bean came to KU from North Texas in 2021 and over the course of three years in Lawrence threw for 4,662 yards, 38 touchdowns and 17 interceptions while rushing for 902 yards and nine additional scores.

Widely regarded as the fastest player on the team, Bean was listed on the roster as an “athlete” with the prospect of playing wide receiver as well as quarterback when he went to the Hula Bowl college all-star game in January.

He was later selected for the East-West Shrine Bowl as well but was unable to participate due to illness.

Bean is not the only undrafted free agent quarterback going to Indianapolis, as according to multiple reports, former BYU starter Kedon Slovis is also headed there to join a room that includes Anthony Richardson, Joe Flacco and Sam Ehlinger.

article imageAP Photo/Colin E. Braley

Kansas offensive lineman Mike Novitsky during an NCAA football game on Friday, Sept. 2, 2022 in Lawrence.

Mike Novitsky

The longtime center for Lance Leipold who started for him at both Buffalo and Kansas, Novitsky is headed to the Seattle Seahawks.

Novitsky spent six years in college football and played 3,914 snaps during that period, according to Pro Football Focus. PFF gave him a 61.1 grade for the 2023 season; one year at Buffalo, in 2020, he graded out at a whopping 88.3.

The 6-foot-5, 305-pound lineman was one of KU’s team captains in 2023. He was named an all-conference honorable mention in 2021 and second-team selection in 2022.

article imageMike Gunnoe/Special to the Journal-World

Kansas safety Kenny Logan Jr. gets the crowd fired up for a third down against Oklahoma Saturday, Oct. 28, 2023, in Lawrence.

Kenny Logan Jr.

Logan, who participated in the East-West Shrine Bowl back in January, was a fixture on the Kansas defense for five seasons. He will now test his mettle in a new environment, as he signed with the Los Angeles Rams.

Logan racked up the tackles, tallying at least 95 in each of his final three seasons in Lawrence. Over the course of his career, he forced five fumbles, intercepted six passes — one of which he returned for a touchdown (in September against BYU) — and knocked down 26.

He also served as the Jayhawks’ frequent kick returner and had a special-teams score in 2020.

article imageAP Photo/Eric Gay

Texas running back Jonathon Brooks (24) is hit by Kansas linebacker Craig Young (15) during the first half of an NCAA college football game in Austin, Texas, Saturday, Sept. 30, 2023.

Craig Young

The native of Fort Wayne, Indiana, will be in familiar territory, as he will join the Colts along with Bean.

Another transfer molded into a pro prospect by the Jayhawks, he played safety at Ohio State before transferring to KU in 2022 and filling the hybrid “Hawk” linebacker role on KU’s defense.

In two seasons with the Jayhawks, he totaled 101 tackles, six sacks, eight passes defensed, two interceptions and a forced fumble.

He was also in Orlando, Florida, for the Hula Bowl with Bean, where he worked to adjust to playing more of a true linebacker position.

Camp invitees

Tight end Mason Fairchild is headed to the Buffalo Bills minicamp, while middle linebacker Rich Miller will participate in minicamps for the Chicago Bears and Baltimore Ravens.

A pair of former KU cornerbacks secured camp invites on Monday. Kwinton Lassiter became the third Jayhawk to get an opportunity from Indianapolis as he will participate in a Colts minicamp.

Kalon Gervin, who started his college career at Michigan State, will go to minicamps for the Green Bay Packers and New York Giants.

“Honored! Let’s go earn a job! Inshallah,” he wrote on X.

Defensive tackle Devin Phillips joined the group later on Monday and will attend a Bills minicamp (like Fairchild) and one for the Kansas City Chiefs.

Running back Dylan McDuffie, who served as KU’s No. 3 option behind Devin Neal and Daniel Hishaw Jr., received the same set of invites as Gervin, from the Packers and Giants.

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Written By Henry Greenstein

Henry is the sports editor at the Lawrence Journal-World and KUsports.com, and serves as the KU beat writer while managing day-to-day sports coverage. He previously worked as a sports reporter at The Bakersfield Californian and is a graduate of Washington University in St. Louis (B.A., Linguistics) and Arizona State University (M.A., Sports Journalism). Though a native of Los Angeles, he has frequently been told he does not give off "California vibes," whatever that means.