Earlier today, the No. 25 Kansas Jayhawks' recruiting class lost out on a massive class of 2026 talent, 7-foot center Ethan Taylor.
The consensus No. 23 player in the nation, Taylor had pinned down his final few schools to the Jayhawks, Michigan State, Kentucky, Oregon, and Indiana.
The Branson, Missouri, product is currently ranked as the nation’s 27th-ranked commit. Taylor currently plays for the prestigious Link Academy.
Link has produced 17 players rated by On3 who are four or five stars. The most notable names are Tre Johnson, Ja’Kobe Walter, Julian Phillips, Chris Cenac, and Elliot Cadeau. All of which are five stars.
On3’s Joe Tipton spilled interesting insight on Taylor’s commitment.
The hometown Kansas program was the early favorite for elite center Ethan Taylor, but Michigan State stayed patient, made him a priority, and ultimately won out.
— Joe Tipton (@JoeTipton) November 14, 2025
A look behind the scenes of his recruitment 👇🏼 https://t.co/SreeOaASmR pic.twitter.com/hOKKjiDvP7
Below is a short excerpt from the Director of Scouting at 247Sports, Adam Finkelstein.
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“Taylor is a rapidly improving big man with elite physical tools. Measuring at 7-feet with a 7-foot-3 wingspan and a solid frame that is only just beginning to fill-out, he has massive size. But he’s also a good athlete for his size who runs fluidly, gets off his feet powerfully, and even has some agility. He can spin-off contact in the post, rise-up for emphatic power dunks, and be a consistent lob threat.”
In Kansas’ 2026 recruiting class, there have been a number of talented additions already made. According to 247Sports, Bill Self has already enlisted the likes of No. 13 guard Taylen Kinney, No. 33 center Davion Adkins, No. 119 small forward Trent Perry, and No. 143 guard Luke Barnett.
As it stands, Kansas holds what is rated as the nation’s 2nd overall class, not a bad return at all for Self, even after a slight downward turn in recent results over the past two seasons, which have both seen early exits from the NCAA Tournament.
If Taylor had joined the Jayhawks, he would have already jumped to the tallest player on the team, being tied with freshman center Paul Mbiya.
So far this season, the Jayhawks have been mired by injury headlines on former No. 1 recruit Darryn Peterson, so getting some good news from Taylor would have been a boon to the young season.
The next chance to see the Jayhawks play is Saturday at 1 p.m. CT with streaming available on ESPN+.
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