ASU lands Kansas safety Lyrik Rawls, its 2nd Big 12 starter in transfer portal haul so far

Arizona State netted Kansas transfer safety Lyrik Rawls on Thursday, its most notable defensive addition in the first week of the open portal.

Rawls was the second Big 12 starter the Sun Devils have taken from a Big 12 foe after Colorado’s Omarion Miller, the No. 2-ranked wideout in the portal, committed on Monday.

The 6-foot-1, 205-pound safety started all 12 games for the Jayhawks this season, totaling 73 tackles (second on team), seven passes defensed, one interception and one tackle for loss.

Prior to his year with Kansas, he spent four years at Oklahoma State (2021-24), where he played in 29 games and had two interceptions and 67 tackles.

Rawls was the third defensive transfer addition so far for ASU, joining fellow defensive backs Ashton Stamps (LSU) and Caleb Chester (Texas).

The three back-end players will be among the Sun Devils tasked with rejuvenating a secondary that lost all five starters: Keith Abney, Xavion Alford, Myles “Ghost” Rowser and Kyndrich Breedlove to the NFL Draft along with transfer Javan Robinson (Wisconsin).

Safeties Boogie Wilson and Montana Warren along with cornerbacks Rodney Bimage Jr. and Joseph Smith are among the returning players with the most playing time, though the portal remains open to them until after Jan. 16.

Related

Arizona State football transfer tracker: Sun Devils land 2 DB commitsDillingham wants ASU’s starting QB named by 9-10 days ahead of opener at the latestCan Kenny Dillingham overcome challenges to keep momentum going at Arizona State?LSU cancels home-and-home series with ASUCam Skattebo can’t quite stick landing on backflip during Fanatics FestASU-Arizona Territorial Cup among top 5 rivalries in nation, study says