Kansas has now gotten to see Tyran Stokes in a Jayhawks uniform in two exhibition matchups, and the jury is still out on the former No. 1overall recruit in the Class of 2026.
Stokes was the one player Kansas really went all-in on during the 2026 recruiting cycle. Bill Self and his squad pulled out all the stops for months while Stokes took his sweet time making his decision. In the end, he obviously chose the Jayhawks, but now he has to put his money where his mouth is.
In Kansas' first exhibition game, Stokes only saw 17 minutes of action against Pittsburgh State, in which he scored 14 points, nearly half of them coming from the free-throw line. It felt a bit like a disappointing performance, given the opponent, but ultimately a solid first outing.
The real eyebrow-raising performance, and not necessarily in a good way, was the one he had against Louisville in Allen Fieldhouse. This was a highly-anticipated matchup, even as an exhibition game, with the return of Flory Bidunga to Lawrence. Stokes scored 15 points in 31 minutes, with over half of his points this time coming from the free-throw line, and now, in two competitions, he has yet to knock down a 3-point shot.
Projected No. 1 pick Tyran Stokes in an exhibition loss to No. 11 Louisville:
— B/R Hoops (@brhoops) October 22, 2026
15 PTS | 3-13 FG | 0-3 3PT | 9-14 FT | 9 REB | 4 AST pic.twitter.com/O7uCHaolmB
It makes sense that Stokes is still getting used to the level of college basketball, but isn't this kid supposed to be the next great savior for Kansas basketball? That is certainly how it felt when recruiting him, and while it's early to truly say this, he is giving off some Darryn Peterson vibes.
Tyran Stokes needs to step up his game to avoid Darryn Peterson comparisons
In some ways, it may be great to be compared to Peterson. The guy ended up as the No. 2 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, is making crazy amounts of money with the Utah Jazz, and could be a great NBA star. However, his college days are ones Jayhawks fans probably want to forget.
Peterson could never be fully relied on for Kansas, especially health wise. After his time on campus came to an end, it was revealed that Peterson dealt with severe cramping due to high levels of creatine he was taking. While he was a phenomenal player on the court, he had to be out there in order to help the Jayhawks.
Stokes isn't necessarily dealing with an injury issue, but more so, the potential of not living up to the hype problem that ultimately had fans ready to see Peterson leave Lawrence. His two performances in the exhibition games haven't screamed "superstar" yet, and sure, Self doesn't want to give away the playbook, but Stokes is really only scoring from the free-throw line.
In two games, Stokes is just 7-for-22, shooting a lowly 31.8% from the floor, and, as I mentioned earlier, he hasn't knocked down a 3-pointer, going 0-for-5. While Stokes is getting to the basket and creating contact for a foul call, he isn't finishing at the rim.
From the free-throw line, Stokes is 15-for-23, so that's 15 of his 29 points he has scored so far in exhibitions. While free throws can win games, Stokes isn't looking like the star shooter Kansas was hoping to see.
Stokes still has a lot of time to prove he isn't another Darryn Peterson for the Jayhawks, but he better start showing up soon, or fans could get restless with Self's recruiting choices.
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