After two years on the fringe of Kansas State’s rotation, Macaleab Rich is betting on a bigger role at UTSA, committing to the Roadrunners via the transfer portal.
The 6-foot-7, 240-pound wing from East St. Louis saw limited action for the Wildcats, appearing in 13 games last season and averaging 5.9 points and 2.2 rebounds in 12.4 minutes. He shot 64.4% from the field.
let’s work! pic.twitter.com/B3CxYof97b
— macaleab (@macaleab) June 18, 2025
Rich played in just five Big 12 games, posting eight points in 11 minutes in a loss to TCU.
His best outing came against Wichita State, where he dropped 20 points with two steals and two boards in 19 minutes. Despite his athletic upside and amazing dunking ability, he struggled to carve out a consistent role in Jerome Tang’s rotation.
A top-110 prospect in the 2023 class per 247Sports, Rich was ranked No. 4 in Illinois. He signed with a highly touted group that included Dai Dai Ames and RJ Jones—all of whom have since left the program.
Rich entered the portal in early April and becomes the latest K-State departure to land elsewhere.
Other former Wildcats finding new homes include Brendan Hausen (Iowa), Dug McDaniel (Memphis), Ugonna Onyenso (Virginia), Baye Fall (Rutgers), and Achor Achor (Mississippi State).
After back-to-back seasons without an NCAA Tournament bid, Tang is reshaping the roster. Just three scholarship players return: point guard David Castillo and forwards Mobi Ikegwuruka and Taj Manning.
K-State’s transfer haul is headlined by MAC Player of the Year Nate Johnson (Akron), Marcus Johnson (Bowling Green, 16.2 PPG), and PJ Haggerty (Memphis, second-team All-American). Other additions include Khamari McGriff (UNC Wilmington), Abdi Bashir (Omaha), international prospects Elias Rapieque and Andrej Kostic, and 6-11 JUCO big Stephen Osei, who is expected to redshirt.
The Wildcats finished 16–17 overall and 9–11 in Big 12 play last season, tying for ninth in the conference.