The Kansas Jayhawks recently got the news every fan wanted to hear. Head coach Bill Self is coming back for another season.
He’s not going anywhere. pic.twitter.com/LDYUAaVlMr
— Kansas Men’s Basketball (@KUHoops) April 1, 2026
A massive sigh of relief
Getting Self back is likely the best thing that could have happened to the Kansas Basketball program. Sure, there were high-level candidates out there like Tommy Lloyd at Arizona or the likes of Ben McCollum, who recently took the Iowa Hawkeyes on a breathtaking run to the Elite Eight, but those are not surefire immediate results; meanwhile, Self remains Kansas’ best chance at success.
How does this influence Kansas’ recruiting momentum?
The Kansas Jayhawks’ class of 2026 is already one of the best in the nation. According to 247Sports, Kansas currently holds the nation’s fifth-best class with five-star guard Taylen Kinney headlining the class.
However, one of the biggest talking points over the past couple of weeks has been the No. 1 player in the nation, Tyran Stokes.
Publicly, Stokes is considering Oregon, Kentucky, and Kansas, with recent reports stating he may also be listening to Washington and Gonzaga.
Retaining Self may prove to be vital in acquiring the likes of Stokes, as it never hurts for any recruit to know who they will be playing for next season.
A historical run continues
Self will be entering his 24th season at KU, and his legendary numbers speak for themselves. Self currently sits as Kansas’ all-time winningest coach with 648 wins under his belt and a record at KU of 648-167 (.795).
Another massive factor in his extraordinary run has been his record at Allen Fieldhouse. Self holds a 344-23 (.937) record at home.
Of course, almost nothing Self does can be topped by his two national titles in both 2008 and 2022, with another appearance in 2012.
In his fifth season at the helm, the Jayhawks took down John Calipari and the Memphis Tigers in a thrilling 75-68 overtime win that pushed Kansas back to the top of college basketball. A place they would go on to remain at.
Self had already compiled an astounding 522 wins by the time the 2021/22 season had come, and thanks to a stellar 26-6 regular season, the Jayhawks had all they needed to kickstart a legendary run to not only a regular season Big 12 title, and a Big 12 Tournament title, but a trip all the way to the national championship against North Carolina, where they pulled a miraculous comeback in beating the Tar Heels in a 72-69 win.
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