Earlier this week, Kansas basketball received a commitment from Kohl Rosario, a lanky shooting guard who is reclassifying to play for KU this season. Head coach Bill Self is still working on rounding out the roster for this year’s team, but he and his staff are not letting up in recruiting for 2026.
This week, Kansas hosted center Ethan Taylor. The seven-footer is ranked 75th overall in the 2026 class and the ninth-best center in the ESPN Hot 100 rankings. On3 likes him quite a bit more. They have him ranked as the top center in the class and the 25th overall prospect.
Adding another big man for the future is a Kansas basketball priority
Kansas basketball has had some trouble adding a true center to back up Flory Bidunga this recruiting season. Self’s well-known tendency to play his starters 30-plus minutes might have something to do with his success rate in adding a big man spell Bidunga. On Wednesday, the Jayhawks fixed that problem by adding Paul Mbiya, a six-foot-11 center.
KU does have two other incoming freshmen big men already on the roster, but Bryson Teller and Samis Calderon aren’t true centers. They will be able to bring different skills to the table.
If Bidunga realizes his full potential this season, he might be eying the NBA next season. He certainly showed he could handle a bigger workload, even as a freshman. When KJ Adams missed some time last year due to injury, Bidunga averaged 11.3 points per game, 9.3 rebounds, 2.5 blocks, and 28.8 minutes in that four-game stretch.
With Mbiya in the fold, Self could still add Taylor and not have to worry about his center position in 2026. KU would already have Taylor and Mbiya. Of course, the opposite could be true. If Taylor thinks Bidunga will still be around in 2026, and now with Mbiya on the roster, he may not like his odds of playing time as a freshman.
Taylor would be a nice piece if Self can impress him early. Even if he doesn’t commit early, there is a chance he could still be a Jayhawk. You get the feeling that Self doesn’t want to be waiting until NEXT June to add interior depth like he did this June.