Colorado linebacker Khairi Manns enters NCAA transfer portal

Colorado linebacker Khairi Manns has entered the NCAA transfer portal, On3 has learned.

Manns enters the transfer portal following just one season with the Buffaloes, spending the first four years of his college career at Maine.

After redshirting in his first season with the Black Bears, Manns appeared in 26 games for Maine where he recorded 108 total tackles, 15.5 tackles a loss, 8.5 sacks, one pass deflection, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery. Tied for the team lead in sacks for the 2021 season and earning Colonial Athletic Association Co-Defensive Player of the Week honors in Week 6 after a monster game against Monmouth. Terrorizing the Hawks with a career-high 11 tackles, two tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, and a forced fumble.

Manns transferred to Colorado ahead of the 2023, appearing in 11 games and starting in the Buffaloes’ season opener against TCU. Last year he recorded just nine tackles and a sack on the season, and will look for a third program to call home as becomes the 23rd Colorado player to enter the transfer portal so far this offseason.

Manns played high school football New Rochelle in New York, where he was unranked, unrated prospect for the 2019 recruiting cycle according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. But according to On3’s Transfer Portal Industry Ranking, he’s a three-star prospect ranked the No. 65 EDGE available in the transfer portal.

To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3’s Transfer Portal wire. 

The On3 Transfer Portal Instagram account and Twitter account are excellent resources to stay up to date with the latest moves.

Colorado and the Transfer Portal

Since Deion Sanders has taken over as the head coach at Colorado, the Buffaloes have been one of the most active teams in the portal including both players leaving the program and players coming into the program. Among the big names to transfer to Colorado are his quarterback and son Shedeur Sanders and two-way player Travis Hunter.

To this point in the 2024 cycle, Colorado has the No. 2 ranked transfer class, according to the On3 College Football Team Transfer Portal Rankings. Within that, there are 29 players who have transferred out and 25 who have transferred into the Colorado program since the end of last season.

One thing that head coach Deion Sanders will need to navigate is getting the Colorado roster to 85 scholarship players. Between incoming transfers and freshmen, teams often need to see players transfer to not end up above that number.

The Spring Transfer Portal Window will be open for a total of 15 days.

On3’s Justin Rudolph contributed to this report