Kansas basketball head coach Bill Self is recruiting like a guy who is thinking about stepping away. Not only has he corralled his first recruit for next season in Taylen Kinney, but he’s in on several others, including Trent Perry, Davion Adkins, and top prospect Tyran Stokes.
Self and his staff are also busy looking ahead to the 2027-28 season. According to Joe Tipton with On3 Sports, KU is one of four finalists in the recruiting of four-star prospect Javon Bardwell. Texas, USC, and Louisville are the other schools on his list.
2027 Top-20 overall recruit Javon Bardwell is down to four schools, he tells @Rivals:
— Joe Tipton (@TiptonEdits) September 30, 2025
Texas, USC, Kansas, and Louisville https://t.co/f2nkFgu06K pic.twitter.com/crce6ObA1Z
Javon Bardwell could be a part of the Kansas basketball future
ESPN’s Top 60 list for 2027 recruits has Bardwell ranked 40th, but other services like the small forward more. On3 has the 6-foot-six, 175-pound youngster ranked 18th, while 247Sports has him 13th. There is quite a difference between 247 Sports and ESPN.
247Sports has Texas and USC as the favorites, with Bardwell’s interest in Kansas cooling. Rivals has Kansas with a 99 percent chance of gaining his commitment, though that service isn’t updated with his final four schools.
After watching Bardwell play this spring, Eric Bossi from 247Sports made these notes on the Kansas prospect:
"Bardwell impressed with his all-around game. He looks to be pushing 6-foot-7 at this point… can do so many things out there. He was initiating offense off the dribble, delivering crisp passes and then going and getting his offense on slashing drives to the rim pretty much whenever he wanted to. A good athlete, he's starting to develop some confidence with his jumper and as good as he is already, he still has another level that he can get to."
These are skills Self looks for in his forwards - length, ball-handling, and the ability to get to the rim. Bardwell is an excellent fit for the Kansas basketball scheme.
If Self can bring in Bardwell early in the recruiting process, it will allow him to focus more on recruiting for next year, knowing he’s already got a head start on the 2027 class.