Kansas basketball: Marcus Adams Jr. shockingly requests release from NLI

Incoming Kansas basketball freshman Marcus Adams Jr. has been practicing with the team, but he requested a release from his letter of intent.

In yet another Kansas Jayhawks offseason stunner, signee Marcus Adams Jr. requested to be released from his National Letter of Intent, according to his Twitter page. He will no longer attend KU this fall.

Adams, the No. 104 player in the 247 Sports Composite rankings, committed to Bill Self and the Jayhawks on Mar. 7. After initially being part of the Class of 2024, he reclassified a year ahead to join the team in the 2023-24 season.

The Narbonne High School graduate and California native had been practicing with the team for over a month now. He did not even make it to boot camp with Kansas.

Adams is not the only supposed Kansas freshman to change his mind about the university. Chris Johnson, a 4-star guard from Montverde Academy, requested a release just before KU’s move-in day and recently committed to Big 12 rival Texas.

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This move rises questions regarding whether Cal State Northridge transfer Chris Carter will stay with the team. He is a close friend of Adams, and the two played AAU basketball together. Carter is currently listed as a walk-on for the time being.

A player who’s received high praise for his size and outside shooting ability, Adams could have been a valuable asset to the Kansas basketball second unit. However, there had been murmurs from analyst Michael Swain that he had vastly struggled in his first few weeks of practice, so this move was not as surprising to those with insider intel.

When KU grants his release, he will be able to re-open his recruitment. He was interested in UCLA prior to his commitment to Kansas.

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