Kansas basketball is going to have an entirely new look compared to the 2025-2026 season. The entire starting lineup from last season will either be in a different college uniform or moved on to the NBA and beyond, so Bill Self will have his work cut out for him with a very young team next season.
As media outlets continue to observe the basketball offseason, seeing transfers come back from the NBA Draft and the 2026 recruiting class set more in stone, early rankings are being released. FanSided's Busting Brackets already gave their snippet on where they believe Kansas basketball will land next season.
Now, ESPN is releasing its latest offseason rankings, and it just feels like more bulletin board material for Self and his team.
Kansas comes in at just No. 22 in ESPN's latest Way-Too-Early Top 25 basketball rankings
Kansas basketball is a blue blood, one of the bluest of bloods, but in recent years, the Jayhawks have struggled, especially since winning it all in 2022. Self, at times, has struggled to work with the transfer portal, focusing a lot on the young freshman talent.
The Jayhawks thought they had it made last season with Darryn Peterson, but cramps and injuries never allowed the team to fully gel with him on the court. Now, Self will see two more five-star recruits join the Jayhawks, one being Tyran Stokes, the No. 1 overall recruit in the Class of 2026. Taylen Kinney also joins Self in Lawrence, giving him a one-two punch that could knock a lot of teams out.
Even with that, and some quality moves in the transfer portal, ESPN still believes Kansas is a lower-ranked Top 25 team next season. Kansas was ranked No. 22 in ESPN's latest offseason basketball rankings, which is actually an upgrade from their last rankings, where the Jayhawks were absent.
Should Kansas fans celebrate being back in these rankings? Sure, but No. 22 feels a bit like a slap in the face of Self and what he can do with young talent. Kansas has been a school notorious for one-and-done seasons, bringing in young talent that was simply destined for the NBA as soon as possible, from Joel Embiid and Andrew Higgins to Josh Jackson.
Self is a master at developing young talent in one season and sending them on, so with a young team, how is Self not being given a better ranking? Landing Stokes is what got Kansas back into these rankings, according to ESPN, but it is the rest of the roster that has the nationwide sports outlet worried.
Did Bill Self build and underwhelming roster at Kansas?
Some would look at the Kansas roster for the 2026-2027 season and wonder what Bill Self was doing the entire time the transfer portal was open. Kansas wasn't a big spender in the transfer portal, but some would possibly attribute that to saving money for the Tyran Stokes deal.
So, Self found smaller names in the portal, but that doesn't mean those players can't make a big splash this season. Look at Melvin Council Jr., who transferred from St. Bonaventure before becoming a breakout star for Kansas.
Players like Keanu Dawes, Leroy Blyden Jr., and Dennis Parker Jr. may not come from the big-name schools, but they come with stellar stats. Parker scored 53 points in a game with Radford, and sure, looking at the opponent is important, but scoring that many points against anyone is impressive and something Self will be able to use.
Sure, at first glance, this team may not look terrifying to opponents, but with seven young guys coming into the Class of 2026, and these young guys in the portal that Self found, Kansas isn't building just for this season, but for ones to come.
This isn't the first time Kansas has been doubted to be a true contendign team, and that just might be what Self needs to get his team back to its winning ways in the NCAA Tournament next season.
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