The Kansas Jayhawks have a new star to work around in the class of 2026’s No. 1 recruit, small forward Tyran Stokes.
After a back-and-forth recruiting battle where the Jayhawks continued to chip away at each benchmark, they ultimately prevailed.
This is Kansas’ second year in a row landing the nation’s No. 1 recruit, and while last year’s journey with Darryn Peterson certainly could have gone better, head coach Bill Self and his staff have put together a squad that is more suited to the likes of Stokes than last year’s was to Peterson.
KU could very easily enlist the likes of a combo guard setup containing both 5-star freshman guard Taylen Kinney and Toledo transfer Leroy Blyden Jr., opening up a situation where the pair and Stokes are each taking the ball up several times per game. Just one way this team is built around Stokes.
The Kansas Jayhawks have a new budding star
It is a risk to invest a lot in what will probably be just one season of a player, but that is the quality Stokes brings to the table. When speaking to Jon Rothstein on “Inside College Basketball Now” earlier this month, head coach Bill Self was asked to compare Stokes to one player he had either coached with or against.
“I think it's kind of a combination. I think kind of a Wiggs [Andrew Wiggins]. But also a Josh Jackson.”
Both Wiggins and Jackson had tremendous careers at KU. Jackson averaged 16.3 points, 7.4 rebounds, 3 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.1 blocks, as the Jayhawks went 31-4 en route to the Elite Eight in the 2016-17 season. Jackson was selected with the fourth overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft.
Wiggins meanwhile notched 17.1 points per game, 5.9 rebounds per game, 1.5 assists and 1.2 steals. Of course, Wiggins went No. 1 overall in the 2014 NBA Draft after a 25-10 season that saw Kansas crash out at the round of 32 in the NCAA Tournament.
“Josh was a dog. And Wiggs was so explosive. Tyran's not as explosive as Wiggins, but Tyran is a tremendous athlete and he's unbelievably skilled. But he's got some dog in him like Josh.”
Below is an excerpt from 247Sports’ Adam Finkelstein on Stokes.
“Stokes is the most talented prospect in the national class and a unique match-up for opposing defenders. At 6-foot-7 and 230 pounds with a 7-foot wingspan, he’s powerful, long, and explosively athletic. But while he’s built like a forward, he can make plays like a guard with an ability to create off the dribble and an innate understanding of how to instinctively find a path to the rim, even when one doesn’t seem to initially present itself.”
According to 247Sports, Stokes ranks as the program’s second-highest ever-rated recruit behind just Wiggins, proving how much of a talent the Jayhawks have at their disposal.
While Kansas’ roster is still under construction, what is known is that Self’s 24th year of action kicks off soon, as the Jayhawks will be taking on Fordham on November 2, but not before three preseason exhibitions against Pittsburg State, Louisville and Duke, which start on October 16.
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