Not only did the Jayhawks and head coach Bill Self miss out on landing five-star shooting guard Dame Sarr, who committed to the Duke Blue Devils, but now Kansas has missed out on one of the top recruits in the transfer portal.
Darrion Williams, a former star for the Texas Tech Red Raiders, had reportedly narrowed down the search for his next program to the Kansas State Jayhawks and the NC State Wolfpack. Apparently, Self's sales pitch wasn't good enough to bring Williams to Lawrence.
Darrion Williams withdraws from the 2025 NBA Draft
Williams withdrew from the 2025 NBA Draft but kept his name in the NCAA transfer portal. After an impressive two seasons for the Red Raiders, he was one of the most desirable prospects in the portal this spring.
With the lineage that Self and the Jayhawks can boast, many analysts and recruiting experts thought Williams was a sure thing for Kansas. However, just hours after Sarr committed to Duke, Williams committed to NC State, providing yet another heartbreak for the Kansas program.
Williams was the No. 1 shooting guard and the No. 6 overall athlete in the portal. He averaged 15.1 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.3 steals for the Red Raiders last season.
Where does Bill Self's recruiting class stand?
Currently, things aren't looking too hot for Self and the Kansas Jayhawks as they look to bounce back from an abysmal finish to their 2024-25 season.
Self's transfer portal class is ranked No. 62 in the nation, with six blue-chip athletes heading to the portal and the Kansas head coach only recruiting three transfers to his program. Meanwhile, his class of 2025 prospects isn't all that great either.
According to On3, the Jayhawks can only lay claim to the 42nd-best recruiting class of 2025, with one five-star (shooting guard Darryn Peterson) and two three-stars (power forward Samis Calderon and shooting guard Corbin Allen).
Missing out on both Williams and Sarr will sting for a long time as the Jayhawks look toward the rapidly approaching 2025-26 season.