With the news of Kohl Rosario's return to the Jayhawks, there is hope that Kansas fans will start receiving more good news on the Kansas recruiting front out of the transfer portal. The portal has been open for a week already, and head coach Bill Self has yet to gain a recruit, even though his roster has been decimated by it.
Kansas lost a lot of size in the paint to the portal with Flory Bidunga heading to Louisville, and Bryson Tiller and Paul Mbiya also hitting the portal. Self needs to find a big man out of the portal, and there is a familiar face that is showing interest in the Jayhawks.
Cincinnati transfer Moustapha Thiam reportedly showing interest in Kansas
Former Cincinnati and UCF center Moustapha Thiam is back in the portal and looking for his third school in three seasons. Kansas is very familiar with Thiam, having played against him multiple times with both the Bearcats and the Knights.
There are many schools interested in the talented big man, including St. John's, which is a notorious opponent for Kansas, Duke, Michigan State, UConn, Gonzaga, Arkansas, Texas A&M, Tennessee, and, surprisingly, UCF.
In addition to St. John's, Cincinnati transfer Moustapha Thiam is also considering the following, per source:
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) April 13, 2026
UConn
Gonzaga
Arkansas
Duke
Kansas
Michigan State
Texas A&M
Tennessee
UCF https://t.co/miMHbO4fD6
It seems Thiam could be considering reuniting with his old team down in Orlando, but Self can't allow that to happen. Self has to pull out all the stops to try and get Thiam's commitment to Kansas as the Jayhawks desperately need players on the roster at the bare minimum, but also experienced size in the paint.
Thiam was quite the showstopper in his freshman season at UCF, being the focal point for the Knights' offense at times. The Senegal native averaged 10.4 points per game, 6.4 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks in Orlando before making the jump to Cincinnati.
In his second college season, Thiam did improve some of those stats, averaging 12.4 points per game, 7.1 rebounds, but only 1.6 blocks. Self knows how to develop big men in the paint, and Thiam could certainly be a great presence for the Jayhawks, as well as bring experience that Kansas just doesn't have a lot of right now.
While no visit has been scheduled, Self has to work his recruiting magic to get Thiam in the building and show him what he can achieve at Kansas.
Add us as a preferred source on Google