Kansas basketball head coach Bill Self and his staff gained commitments from three well-regarded recruits for next season and one for 2027. KU is still looking for at least one more prospect for next year, and they are still in the running for center Ethan Taylor.
Kansas has four seniors on its current roster whose eligibility will expire after this season. It is a foregone conclusion that freshman Darryn Peterson will leave for the NBA as well. That leaves five scholarships open, as of now.
The Jayhawks have commitments from point guard Taylen Kinney, center Davion Adkins, and small forward Trent Perry. Small forward Javon Bardwell could reclassify into the 2026 class and play for KU next season. If that were to happen, Self has one more certain spot to fill.
Recruit Ethan Taylor is still considering Kansas basketball
Ethan Taylor could be the next player to pick Kansas at his collegiate home. According to 247Sports, he is being heavily recruited by Kansas, Michigan State, Indiana, Oklahoma, and Oregon.
If geography comes into consideration, Taylor played at Shawnee Mission Northwest before moving to Link Academy in Branson, Missouri. Having his family nearby to watch him play could play to KU’s advantage.
With Adkins already on board as a center, it is interesting that Kansas remains an option for Taylor. Sophomore Flory Bidinga will be the starting big man this season, and if he progresses with his development, he may choose to leave for the NBA with Peterson.
That would leave Paul Mbiya and Adkins next season. KU also has Samis Calderon and Bryson Tiller to play at the big forward spot. As Self has found out, you can’t have enough big men, so if Bidunga is eying the NBA, there will be minutes available for a player of Taylor’s talents.
247Sports ranks Taylor as the 24th-best prospect overall and the second-best center. Adkins is ranked as the third-best center. It would be a big feather in Self’s cap if he’s able to add Taylor.
Adam Finkelstein of 247Sports had these notes on Taylor.
"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...Taylor also has pretty good hands and feet, but the most underrated part of his game is his passing. He can hit cutters from the post and is even starting to show some early flashes of being able to play out of short-rolls...He has some big blocks, but could polish his timing and rotations in order to be a more dominant rim protector. Similarly, he’s a good area rebounder (7.4 per game), with the potential to be dominant..."
Adding Taylor would give the Jayhawks appealing depth at center for the future. It is possible that Adkins and Taylor could be on the court at the same time, giving KU an old-school twin towers-type of frontline. They are both athletic enough to provide matchup nightmares for opponents. It’s fun to think about!
It is hard to discern which direction Taylor is leaning, but Kansas is still in the mix. Self is building a strong recruiting class for next year, and Taylor would be a fantastic addition.
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