The Wildcats welcome eight offense transfers and seven defense transfers to their 2025 football roster. This season, Chris Klieman exceeded the previous record for most transfers, going from 11 to 15 transfers. Ten of the transfers came from Power 5 institutions, and nine athletes have various years of eligibility remaining.
WR Jerand Bradley (Texas Tech/Boston College)
Already spending time playing Division I football, Bradley is an athlete who knows the game and does his job well. The 6-foot-5 senior played at Texas Tech University for three years before transferring to Boston College for the 2024 season. During his time at BC, Bradley saw action in nine games with two starts and collected six catches for 94 yards and two touchdowns.
OL Terrence Enos Jr. (Pittsburgh)
Enos Jr., a 6-foot-5, 310-pound senior, brings versatility to the offensive line. After redshirting in 2021 at the University of Pittsburgh, Enos Jr. continued playing there for the last three years. During the 2024 season, he played in all 13 games, starting in four with the Panthers. Enos Jr. saw playing time on 383 total offensive snaps in addition to 73 plays on field goal/extra point protection. He started at left tackle against Syracuse and SMU before moving to left guard against Virginia and then right tackle against Toledo.
OL George Fitzpatrick (Ohio State)
Fitzpatrick, a 6-foot-6, 309-pound junior, is one of two Buckeyes who transferred to K-State. Playing in all 16 games, he was both a reserve offensive lineman and on field goal/extra point protection. Last season, Fitzpatrick was involved in 84 offensive snaps, including a career high 22 plays against Western Michigan.
CB Amarion Fortenberry (South Alabama)
Fortenberry, a 5-foot-10 sophomore, picked up quite the stats despite being an underclassman. During his true freshman season, he totaled 45 tackles, 2.0 tackles for loss, two interceptions, nine total passes defended and a forced fumble. Fortenberry had two season highs, including 12 tackles at Louisiana State University and a season high with two passes defended. During high school, On3 rated Fortenberry as a safety, which placed him No. 42 in the Class of 2024.
S Gunner Maldonado (Northwestern/Arizona)
Maldonado is a 5-foot-11 senior and a Big 12 veteran. Before coming to K-State, Maldonado played for four years at the University of Arizona after spending a year at Northwestern University. Maldonado started four games at the start of the season but was out for the remainder of it due to injury. Throughout the 2024 season, he recorded 11 tackles, one tackle for loss and one interception.
RB Antonio Martin Jr. (Southeastern Louisiana)
Martin Jr. witnessed the shift in competition throughout his football career. After making his debut at Georgia Tech, the 5-foot-9 junior redshirted and spent a year at Blinn College before moving to Southern Louisiana University in 2024. During his time at SLU, he played in 12 games with nine starts, totaling 1,228 yards and 11 touchdowns on 230 attempts. He also delivered 20 receptions for 74 yards. Martin Jr. was selected to the All-Southland First Team in 2024 and was a finalist for the Walter Payton Award, which honors the top offensive player in the Football Championship Subdivision.
WR Caleb Medford (TCU/New Mexico)
Medford, a 6-foot, 211-pound senior, played at TCU for three years but did not record any statistics. In 2024, Medford played at UNM, where he started in six of 11 games played, totaling 336 receiving yards and three touchdowns on 18 catches. He recorded a season-high 91 receiving yards, including a season-long catch of 47 yards at New Mexico State. Medford found himself on two watch lists in 2024: the Wuerffel Trophy and the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award.
S Qua Moss (West Georgia)
The 5-foot-10 junior started his career at Dodge City Community College before transferring to the University of West Georgia in 2024. Moss started all 11 games for West Georgia, produced 56 tackles, 9.6 tackles for loss, 5.0 sacks, four pass breakups and a forced fumble. He collected multiple tackles in each game, including a career-high eight against North Alabama. Moss also collected six tackles each against Utah Tech, Samford, Austin Peay and Southern Utah.
OL JB Nelson (Penn State)
Nelson, a 6-foot-5, 325-pound senior, has a strong foundation in his skills and versatility. In 2021, he started his athletic career at Lackawanna Community College before transferring to Penn State, where he played for three years. Nelson played in all 16 games as a regular member of the rotation for Penn State. Last season alone, he saw action on 228 offensive snaps with 204 coming at left guard, 17 at left tackle and 11 at right tackle. Nelson helped the Nittany Lions to a 13-3 record. He was part of the offensive line unit that helped Penn State rank 17th nationally in rushing offense (202.3), 23rd in sacks allowed per game (1.25) and ninth in tackles for loss allowed per game (3.81).
LB Ralph Ortiz (West Florida)
The 6-foot-1 junior from Jacksonville, Florida, has spent his time at West Florida before coming to Manhattan. After redshirting his 2022 season, Ortiz played two more years and put up the stats at West Florida. Starting all 10 games, he totaled 33 tackles, 9.0 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, an interception, a pass breakup and a forced fumble on the season. Ortiz was named 2024 First Team All-Gulf South Conference, along with tying for ninth in the Gulf South Conference in sacks.
LB Gabe Powers (Ohio State)
An Ohio native and the second Buckeye to transfer to K-State, Powers is a 6-foot-3, 237-pound junior. Powers stayed in their program for two more years after playing in two games and redshirting in 2022. Last season, he played in 12 games as a reserve linebacker and on special teams, along with five tackles.
DE Jayhawn Ross (Alabama)
Standing at 6-foot-3, Ross is a redshirt freshman from Kansas City, Mo. He started his athletic career at Alabama, where he saw his first collegiate snaps against Mercer while retaining his redshirt. Due to an injury, Ross missed playing time early in the season. In high school, he was listed as the 13th best weakside defensive end in the nation by Rivals, the 15th best edge defender by On3 and the 16th best outside linebacker by ESPN.
CB Jayden Rowe (Oklahoma)
The 6-foot-1 junior was with Oklahoma for three years before becoming a Wildcat. Rowe played in three games during the 2022 season, but retained his redshirt. In 2023, he saw action on nine defensive snaps before sustaining a season-ending injury. Last season, Rowe saw time in five games, playing primarily on the kickoff return and kickoff coverage.
OL Amos Talalele (USC)
Talalele, a 6-foot-4, 375-pound sophomore, retained his redshirt in 2023 while seeing action on field goal/ extra point protection in the Holiday Bowl against Louisville. Last season, Talalele started against Wisconsin and played in seven games. He saw time on 92 offensive snaps, with 82 of those coming at right guard.
WR Jaron Tibbs (Purdue)
The 6-foot-2 junior previously played at Purdue for two years, finding his consistency on the field. Last season, Tibbs played in all 12 games with 10 starts, totaling 305 receiving yards and two touchdowns on 25 catches. He had a career-high 73 receiving yards along with a career-long reception of 38 yards.