These two things are true about college athletics in the age of the transfer portal system:
• You really cannot tell who the players are without a program.
• The college sports transfer portal system is a mess.
Monday was the first day of the transfer portal period for college football players throughout the United States. It ends Jan. 16.
It is estimated that more than 4,500 college athletes entered the transfer portal by noon on Friday, Jan. 2.
Take the Kansas State Wildcat and Kansas Jayhawk football programs (6-6 and 5-7 in 2025) for example. You might be able to count on both hands and a couple toes how many players on each team from 2025 will return in 2026.
While Lance Leipold returns as the KU coach, Kansas State hired former quarterback and offensive coordinator Collin Klein as its head coach. He replaced Chris Klieman, who retired after six seasons at Kansas State.
Kansas State can use the example of Andy Burburija, a 6-foot-2, 290-pound defensive tackle for NJCAA Division I national champion Iowa Western Community College, as evidence that the college sports transfer portal is a mess.
Burburija flipped to the Wildcats from Washington State on National Signing Day. Then he posted on social media in late December that he won’t play in Manhattan. Burburija de-commited from Kansas State because of coaching staff changes.
Burburija was ranked as the 47th-best overall community college prospect by 247Sports after posting 78 tackles (27.5 tackles for a loss) during the past two seasons. He was named a NJCAA First Team All-American after the 2025 season.
The Reivers from Iowa Western defeated Hutchinson Community College 28-10 in the NJCAA Division I national title game Dec. 17 in Canyon, Texas. Burburija recorded 8 tackles (including 2 sacks) against the Blue Dragons.
Burburija would have been tormenting quarterbacks for the Wildcats. Now he’s headed somewhere else — maybe to another Big 12 Conference team.
Kansas State hopes to hang on to quarterback Avery Johnson, the Maize High School alumnus. He was recruited to Manhattan by Klein when Klein was offensive coordinator.
If Johnson stays, he will be throwing the ball to Hutchinson CC standout Derrick Salley, the No. 1 junior college wide receiver in the country. Salley’s Blue Dragon teammate Michael Graham Jr. will be anchoring the Wildcat secondary.
However, Kansas State will lose more than 20 players to the transfer portal, including starting linebacker Austin Romaine, running back Dylan Edwards and wide receiver Jayce Brown.
The Kansas Jayhawks will also lose more than 20 players to the transfer portal. Among the Jayhawks’ portal losses are redshirt senior safety Lyrik Rawls, redshirt junior linebacker Trey Lathan and freshman quarterback David McComb. Lathan led the team in tackles in 2025 and Rawls was second on the team in tackles.
When Klieman announced his decision to retire, he cited (among several reasons) for getting out of the game that college football is a mess.
Many coaches (and former coaches like seven-time NCAA champion Nick Saban) have expressed similar sentiments that it’s a mess.
