We are just two months away from the start of the 2025-26 NCAA Men's Basketball season! That means we are also nearing the early signing period for upcoming D1 athletes. This period takes place from November 12th to 19th, and allows high-school recruits to start signing with the colleges of their choice. This is made official by signing a legally binding athletic aid agreement to receive an athletic scholarship from a school (this replaced the National Letter of Intent system in 2024).
Many of the top names in the 2026 class will likely elect to announce their commitments during this time. They can also wait and weigh their decisions until the regular period, which begins after the conclusion of the 2026 Men's NCAA Tournament on April 15, 2026. To be clear, all recruits are allowed to verbally commit to a school at any time they choose, but they cannot physically sign any official papers until the aforementioned dates (varies between sports).
Even though it seems that the coaching staff is just getting started on the class of 2026, they’ve been working on these guys for quite some time. These names may be unfamiliar to Jayhawk nation at the time, but with Bill Self operating behind the scenes, you can’t help but assume that at least one of these "studs" will be repping the crimson and blue next season.
Let’s start with the bona fide number one overall recruit that Bill Self will really try to make a push for in the coming weeks, Tyran Stokes. Stokes is the top prospect in the country for the 2026 class, according to every major high-school rankings platform.
The 6’7 small forward from Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks, California, has the athleticism and frame of an NBA player, but is in the body of a 17-year-old. Kansas is obviously making a big push for him just like every other top school should. He has already taken an official visit to KU back in April, but that one seemed to be primarily aimed at getting Stokes to reclassify this season. The initial goal of the coaching staff was to have him enroll one year early so that he could play alongside 2025 top recruit and Jayhawk, Darryn Peterson.
Once chatter about Stokes' potential reclassification died down, much of the recruitment buzz did too. Not to worry, things will only pick back up as we close in on the early signing period, and the battle to land Stokes will be more alive than ever. Along with KU, Arkansas, Kentucky, and Louisville seem to be the other frontrunners for Stokes at the moment. Though, as we’ve seen many times in the past, anything can happen as his commitment nears.
The next five-star guy that KU will hope to see in Lawrence next fall is Taylen Kinney. He is ranked as the top true point guard in the 2026 class, and the number thirteen overall recruit. Kinney currently plays in the Overtime Elite league in Atlanta, Georgia, and is one of its bright young stars.
The 6’1 guard already took an official visit to KU recently, which came in late August. He is reportedly focusing on making a college decision between KU, and these seven other schools: Arkansas, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisville, Miami, Oregon, and Texas.
Things have been heating up as of late, though. Kinney just recently announced that he is canceling his scheduled visits to Miami and Texas. This comes right after Kinney concluded his visit with Dana Altman at Oregon, alongside his recent visits at Indiana and Kansas. Kinney said that he still plans to visit John Calipari and Arkansas at the end of the month, but there is speculation that he may move that visit up to a sooner date with a potential commitment looming.
With Kinney more than likely being the primary focus at the point guard position for Bill Self and the Jayhawks in 2026, it will be very hard to top the figures that KU might shoot at Kinney. Though, if we’ve seen anything change in the landscape of college basketball recently, it’s that more schools are starting to have money to spend. Nothing should surprise you anymore when it comes to spending top dollar for a blue-chip prospect.
One more five-star guy that KU is gaining buzz and traction around is Tajh Ariza, son of former NBA player, Trevor Ariza. Another top recruit in the class of 2026 that KU is in the running for. The 6’9 small forward from St. John Bosco High School in Bellflower, California, is the other five-star forward that KU is making a big push for outside of Tyran Stokes. He is the number fourteen overall 2026 recruit, and has the potential to be better than his dad someday.
Outside of a few of the blue blood programs, Ariza has mostly been linked to programs on the west coast (where he grew up), but Bill Self knows he can get this deal done if he really pursues it. Ariza has an official visit to Kansas scheduled for the end of September, and has only shown signs of genuine and legit interest in the program.
There isn’t much time for the coaching staff to decide whether they want to go all out and battle everybody for Tyran Stokes, or if they want to pivot and make a big push for the more financially viable option, Tajh Ariza. There truly isn’t a bad option here, Bill Self just wants to ensure that he doesn’t put all of his eggs into one basket and miss on out both. If he plays his cards right, then KU ends up with a five-star forward either way.
If KU misses out on any of these top guys, there are still many four-star names linked to the Jayhawks in the 2026 recruiting class. These are just some of the heavy hitters that could make a splash during the early signing period that is shortly approaching.