Bill Self and the Kansas Jayhawks have been vying for one of the top talents from across the pond as the program looks to bounce back from a disappointing 2024-25 season. Most recently, Self has set his sights on Dame Sarr, an elite prospect out of Italy.
However, a fellow college basketball blue blood has stepped ahead of Self and the Jayhawks in Sarr's recruiting process: the Duke Blue Devils.
Duke and head coach Jon Scheyer, who is headed toward his fourth season as the Blue Devils' head coach, have turned into frontrunners in Sarr's recruitment, receiving three crystal balls from 247Sports recruiting analysts.
The good news for the Jayhawks program is that so far, Sarr has been on just one official visit, and that was with Kansas on May 7. Not to mention, despite the three crystal ball predictions, Sarr is marked as having "warm" interest in Kansas, Duke, and the Oregon Ducks.
Sarr is a five-star prospect who has played for both FC Barcelona and the Italian international team. At just 18 years old, he is already 190 pounds and stands at 6-foot-7, a good build for such a young shooting guard.
Currently, the Jayhawks have a fairly bleak recruiting class of 2025, with just one five-star and one three-star commit. Also notable is that Self has yet to bring in a recruit from the class of 2026, while programs like Ohio State and Marquette have already earned two commitments apiece from the class.
Sarr could be the perfect fit for the Jayhawk squad that is looking to rebuild after some key departures and a disappointing finish to last season.