The Kansas basketball has one of its best recruiting classes in recent history coming in next year. Headlined by ballyhooed prospect Darryn Peterson — potentially a future No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft — KU's freshman class is expected to make waves in Lawrence.
While the Jayhawks have wrapped up their 2025 class, they do not currently have any commits in 2026. Bill Self and his coaching staff have stayed in close contact with multiple recruits, one of them being 4-star center Sam Funches. According to On3.com's Joe Tipton, Funches will visit the university's campus this weekend for the upcoming matchup against Arizona.
4⭐️ Sam Funches, a 6-foot-10 center in the 2026 class, will take an official visit to Kansas this weekend, he tells @On3Recruits.https://t.co/n86HruoGFW pic.twitter.com/rq0e8RBpxJ
— Joe Tipton (@TiptonEdits) March 6, 2025
Sam Funches will take official visit with Kansas Jayhawks
A 6-foot-10, 205-pound center attending Germantown High School in Mississippi, Funches' best quality is his ridiculously long wingspan (7-foot-5). The southpaw is a solid scorer inside the arc, grabs rebounds efficiently, and has tremendous potential as a shot-blocker. 247 Sports ranks him as the 53rd-best player and fifth-best center in the Class of 2026.
Kansas has shown interest in wings like Jalen Montonati and Tajh Ariza over time. However, Funches is one of the first big men the Jayhawks have offered. Considering Hunter Dickinson graduates after this season and Flory Bidunga could be off to the NBA by the time his sophomore year ends, it is not surprising that KU desires a player with size.
Funches is unsurprisingly intrigued by local schools, such as Ole Miss and Mississippi State. He has visited Oxford twice in the past five months, with most recruiting sites predicting him to become a Rebel when it is all said and done. However, his visit to Allen Fieldhouse on Saturday may sway his mind.
Players with Funches' physical traits are difficult to come by, and most scouts view him as a potential pro one day. While there is no telling what the Kansas roster may look like a couple of seasons from now, Funches could be a nice addition to the Jayhawks.