LAWRENCE, Kan. – Head Coach Lance Leipold announced the addition of seven Division I transfers to the Kansas Football roster today, and eight total additions. All eight student-athletes are on campus and enrolled at Kansas for the 2022 spring semester.
The Jayhawks added four defensive transfers in defensive end Lonnie Phelps (Miami of Ohio), cornerback Kalon Gervin (Michigan State) and linebackers Eriq Gilyard (Central Florida) and Craig Young (Ohio State) and three offensive transfers in running backs Ky Thomas (Minnesota) and Sevion Morrison (Nebraska) and offensive lineman Nolan Gorczyca (Buffalo). Kansas has also added high school tight end Max Dowling from Columbia, S.C.
Gervin, Gilyard, Young, Morrison, Phelps, Thomas and Gorczyca have combined to play in 136 career games at the FBS level, bringing a blend of experience and talent to the Jayhawks, while all having multiple years of eligibility remaining.
“This is an exciting day for Kansas Football, adding a group of such versatile and accomplished players to our program,” Leipold said. “Our staff did an excellent job identifying the types of players we want to build with both on and off the field. It’s a tremendous advantage to have these student-athletes already on campus with our returning players, working hard to prepare for the 2022 season.”
This newest group of Jayhawks join the eight members of the 2022 recruiting class previously announced in December.
Here is a closer look at the newest group of Jayhawks:
Kalon Gervin
Cornerback
5’11” / 190 lbs. / Redshirt Junior / Detroit, Mich. / Cass Technical HS/Michigan State
Prior to Kansas: Played in 23 career games at Michigan State with nine career starts…Totaled 44 tackles in his Spartans career with four pass breakups and one fumble recovery for a touchdown…Played in four games in 2021 with three starts and 14 total tackles…Played in six games in 2020, starting all six…Tied for the team lead with four pass breakups…Finished with 22 total tackles…Had four tackles apiece against Penn State and Ohio State…Played 420 total snaps in 2020; fifth-most of any Spartan defender…Played in 10 games with one start in 2019…Played in three games in 2018, while preserving redshirt status…Prepped at Cass Tech, where he was ranked as the top senior in the state of Michigan by ESPN.com, Rivals.com, the Detroit Free Press and the Detroit News…Ranked as the 113th-best player in the country by Rivals in the Class of 2018…Selected to play in the Under Armour All-America Game…Helped lead Cass Tech to a 14-0 record and a Division I state championship as a junior.
Eriq Gilyard
Linebacker
5’11” / 228 lbs. / Redshirt Junior / Jacksonville, Fla. / Trinity Christian Academy/UCF
Prior to Kansas: Played in 38 total games at Central Florida, totaling 199 tackles, 18.5 tackles-for-loss, three forced fumbles, two interceptions and one sack…Made 23 starts for the Knights over four seasons…In 2020, totaled a career-high 8.5 tackles-for-loss to go with 59 total tackles and three forced fumbles…Earned Pro Football Focus National Team of the Week honors once (11/15/20)…Registered a career-high 77 tackles in 2019 to go with five tackles-for-loss and an interception…Played in 11 games as a true freshman in 2018 with 38 total tackles and five tackles-for-loss…Three-time AAC All-Academic Team honoree…UCF’s Campbell Trophy nominee in 2021…Dean’s List honoree in the spring of 2021…Played high school football at Trinity Christian and led team to three straight Class 4A state championships…Averaged 11 tackles per game as a senior.
Nolan Gorczyca
Offensive Line
6’6” / 289 lbs. / Redshirt Freshman / Omaha, Neb. / Roncalli Catholic HS/Buffalo
Prior to Kansas: Redshirted the 2021 season at Buffalo; his first with the Bulls…Saw action in four games (Wagner, Nebraska, Coastal Carolina and Old Dominion) while preserving redshirt status…Three-year starter and team captain at Roncalli Catholic…Two-time All-state Class B selection…Two-time All-River Cities Conference selection…Two-time All-district selection…Allowed just five sacks in 31 high school starts….Rated as a three-star prospect by 247 Sports out of high school and ranked as the ninth-best prospect in the state of Nebraska by 247.
Sevion Morrison
Running Back
6’0” / 210 lbs. / Redshirt Sophomore / Tulsa, Okla. / Edison HS/Nebraska
Prior to Kansas: Spent two seasons at the University of Nebraska…Redshirted in 2020 and did not play in any games…Suited up for seven games in 2021…Rushed 30 times for 116 yards and three touchdowns…Made his collegiate debut against Fordham, rushing nine times for 31 yards and a pair of touchdowns…Also scored a touchdown against Northwestern, where he had five carries for 26 yards…Had three carries for 15 yards and one catch for 14 yards against No. 20 Michigan State…Prepped at Edison, where he set school record for career rushing yards…Finished high school career with more than 5,000 career yards, including 1,798 as a senior with 26 touchdowns…Named district offensive player of the year and was named the Ford Award winner as the player of the year in Northeast Oklahoma…Led the state in rushing as a junior with 2,728 yards…Named first-team all-state by the Tulsa World as a junior…Rated as a four-star prospect by Rivals.com and 247 Sports.
Lonnie Phelps
Defensive End
6’3” / 244 lbs. / Junior / Cincinnati, Ohio / Mount Healthy HS/Miami (OH)
Prior to Kansas: Spent three seasons at Miami (OH) University, playing in 29 career games…Totaled 14 sacks and 18 tackles-for-loss in his career with 56 total tackles…Played in all 13 games in 2021 with 30 tackles, 13.5 tackles-for-loss and 9.5 sacks…Earned second-team All-MAC honors in 2021 and third-team honors in 2020…Played in three games in 2020…Had six tackles and a pair of sacks against Ball State…Played in 13 games in 2019 as a true freshman…Finished third on the team with 4.5 sacks and also had 19 total tackles and two forced fumbles…Prepped at Mount Healthy High School in Cincinnati…Named first-team All-Southwest Ohio…Produced 100 tackles and 18 tackles-for-loss as a senior…Conference defensive player of the year.
Ky Thomas
Running Back
5’11” / 205 lbs. / Sophomore / Topeka, Kan. / Topeka HS/Minnesota
Prior to Kansas: Started four games as a freshman for the Gophers, playing in nine games…Led the gophers in rushing attempts (166), rushing yards (826) and tied for the team lead in rushing touchdowns (6) … His 824 rushing yards ranked fourth all-time for a Minnesota freshman… In the Guaranteed Rate Bowl against West Virginia, he carried 21 times for 144 yards and a touchdown, earning Offensive MVP honors… Carried seven times for 66 yards and 1 touchdown in his Minnesota debut against Colorado… Rushed for 139 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries against Maryland… Recorded his second-straight 100-yard game at Northwestern, carrying 21 times for 106 yards… Rushed a career-high 29 times at Iowa, going for 126 yards… Recorded his fourth 100+ yard game against Indiana, where he carried 26 times for 105 yards and two touchdowns… Played his high school ball for the Topeka Trojans, where he carried for 7,703 career rushing yards and 95 rushing touchdowns, which ranks No. 2 and No. 7, respectively, in Kansas history… Was the 2019 Gatorade Athlete of the Year in Kansas… Ranked as a four-star recruit by 247Sports, who also ranked him as the No. 25 running back in the nation and No. 3 overall recruit in Kansas.
Craig Young
Linebacker
6’3” / 223 lbs. / Redshirt Junior / Fort Wayne, Ind. / Wayne HS/Ohio State
Prior to Kansas: Played in 26 career games for the Buckeyes over three seasons…Played in all 12 regular season games in 2021 with 15 total tackles and nine solo stops…Notched an interception against Maryland and returned it 70 yards for a touchdown…Had a career-high five tackles versus Rutgers…Played in the first four games of 2020 and had five tackles…Appeared in 10 games as a true freshman in 2019, playing mostly on special teams…Ranked as a three-star prospect by Rivals.com and 247 Sports…Ranked as the No. 9 player in the state of Indiana…Three-sport high school athlete, who also played basketball and track…Sectional champion in the 100 and 200 meters.
Max Dowling
Tight end
6’6” / 225 lbs. / Freshman / Buffalo, N.Y. / Palmetto Prep (S.C.)
Prior to Kansas: Spent the 2021 season at Palmetto Preparatory Academy in Columbia, South Carolina…Prepped at Canisius High School in Buffalo, New York prior to attending Palmetto Preparatory…Totaled 25 catches for 256 yards and two touchdowns at Canisius.
