Veteran Kansas State Wildcats defender enters transfer portal after Sugar Bowl

Kansas State football coach Chris Klieman predicted the Wildcats would lose a few more players to the NCAA transfer portal after their season came to an end against Alabama at the Sugar Bowl.

He was right.

Cartez Crook-Jones, a 6-foot-4 senior defensive end from Grandview, Missouri, has decided to finish his college career elsewhere. Crook-Jones announced that he was entering the transfer portal on Tuesday in hopes of finding a new team to play for next season. He has one year of eligibility remaining as a graduate transfer.

“I would like to thank the Kansas State University for the opportunity to become a Wildcat and play at this level with my family,” Crook-Jones wrote on social media. “I would also like to thank all the coaches that helped me develop into the man I am today. But with that being said I decided to enter my name in the transfer portal.”

Crook Jones played sparingly for the Wildcats throughout his career in Manhattan, logging four tackles while playing in eight games.

He is the sixth K-State football player to announce transfer plans this season. He joins Witt Mitchum, Krew Jackson, Konner Fox, TJ Smith and Jaren Lewis.

Only Jackson has announced a new football home, at Arizona State.