Kansas Just Landed MAC Freshman of the Year and Toledo Lost Its Best Floor General

The transfer portal struck again, and this time Kansas nabbed one of the most electric freshman point guards in the MAC. Leroy Blyden Jr. is heading to the Jayhawks after a monster year at Toledo, and the Rockets are feeling the sting.

What Blyden Brings to Lawrence

This isn't some flyer on a bench player. Blyden was MAC Freshman of the Year and made All-MAC Third Team after averaging 16.4 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game. He shot 40.7% from three and added 1.8 steals across 34 games, starting 32 of them. That's a legit floor general who can score, facilitate, and play defense. Kansas is getting a guy who can run the offense and won't need three years to develop.

He Had Other Options and Still Picked Kansas

Blyden visited St. John's before making his decision, which means the Jayhawks had to convince him they were the best fit. He picked Lawrence over a Big East school, which tells you something about how Kansas sold him on their future. And this is just the start for the Jayhawks in the portal. They already landed Utah forward Keanu Dawes, so Bill Self and his staff are building something.

A Reminder of How Good Blyden Really Is

Before his freshman year at Toledo, Blyden was runner-up for Michigan's Mr. Basketball award in 2025, losing out to Michigan freshman Trey McKenney. So he's already proven he can play at the highest level coming out of high school. Now he's got a chance to do it on a Power Four stage with a program that knows how to develop point guards.

Toledo is losing one of its best players right when the portal window is open. Kansas? They just added a scoring, distributing, three-point shooting point guard who won't need a redshirt year to contribute. That's the kind of addition that changes things fast.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.