The race for Tyan Stokes' commitment between Kansas and Kentucky has been a long and treacherous one. The No. 1 overall recruit in the Class of 2026 has yet to make his commitment, even after being projected to choose Kentucky during the Early Signing Period.
Stokes ended up waiting to make his commitment, which gave Kansas head coach Bill Self time to swoop in and make a run for the top recruit. It seems like the Jayhawks have made an impact on Stokes' commitment as he has yet to officially pick a program, and Kansas seems to be in the lead.
Over the weekend, shortly after Stokes scored a career-high 63 points on his Senior Night, a Kentucky social media page shared a report from Kansas podcaster Mike Vernon, saying that Kentucky had become the official frontrunner for Stokes' commitment over Kansas and Oregon.
Vernon came back and denied every saying that, clarifying that Kansas is still very much leading the close race for Stokes' commitment.
Tyran Stokes, the No. 1 high school basketball recruit for 2026 and a 6-foot-7 standout from Seattle's Rainier Beach High, recently scored a career-high 63 points on senior night. A Kentucky account posted that insider Mike Vernon called UK the new frontrunner over finalists…
— Dick Weiss (@HoopsWeiss) February 17, 2026
Both Kansas and Kentucky sent assistant coaches to Stokes' Senior Night, making sure he knew both were still fighting for his commitment. Kentucky was once the early frontrunner, but Kansas has come roaring into the race, while Oregon stands at a distant third, but is still a finalist.
Stokes would be a huge get for the Jayhawks, especially with the talents of Darryn Peterson heading to the NBA after just one season in Lawrence. It would be yet another five-star recruit to join the ranks of Kansas basketball players, something Self is very used to.
Kansas will have to just block out the noise about speculations of the Stokes commitment and work on trying to get him to Lawrence instead.