By Michael Swain
LAWRENCE, Kan. (247Sports.com) – It’s been a good day for the KU staff on the transfer portal front. The Jayhawks landed Devin Dye and Dylan Wudke on the same day, taking KU’s portal class to three members. There’s a good amount to like about the duo, so let’s dive into it.
Starting with Dye, he’s going to bring experience and proven production to KU’s safeties room. We know what OJ Burroughs offers KU at the field safety spot and what Marvin Grant offers at the boundary spot (plus the field role) but KU needs another player to be ready to enter the rotation. Dye offers just that. He can play either side of the field and offer different things. He’s good in coverage, so he can play the field. He’s also a good tackler, so he can play the boundary.
The eligibility aspect is something I’m digging into. I believe he’ll have two seasons of time left. If that’s true, I love this addition even more. Both Grant and Burroughs will be in their final seasons of eligibility in 2024, so if Dye can play in 2025 that helps KU because the staff will have an incumbent piece in the rotation so it’s not a massive drop off in returning production. If he only has one year, I still like the addition because it helps KU in 2024, when the window to compete for a Big 12 title is there and KU has the team to do it.
As for Wudke, he fills a need for KU at defensive end. The Jayhawks are losing veteran pieces of the rotation in Hayden Hatcher and Patrick Joyner. It’s going to be a big offseason for Dylan Brooks and he’s expected to take a big jump over the next eights months. But as we’ve covered guys like Dean Miller and Davion Westmoreland aren’t taking the jump to earn a spot in the rotation, so adding depth to the room is key.
With his size at 6-foot-4, 265 pounds, Wudke will fit in nicely on the strong side of the rotation for KU. If both Jereme Robinson and Austin Booker return, KU has a nice top three. If Brooks ends up taking the jump that is expected, I like KU’s top four a lot. Wudke provides some strength and power, while Robinson, Booker and Brooks all have the combinations of size, length and athleticism to be productive.
Long term, the addition of Wudke also gives KU even more of a buffer to the freshmen Dakyus Brinkley and Deshawn Warner. In an ideal world, both guys can redshirt and be ready to compete for some form of role in 2025.
The addition of Wudke fills KU’s need at defensive end and barring Austin Booker going to the NFL, KU should be done at the position. Defensive end is a hard spot to fill in the portal because everybody wants them so this was a very good evaluation and recruiting job from Taiwo Onatolu.
