When the Kansas Jayhawks brought in five-star guard Taylen Kinney late last year, Kinney was quoted after his commitment, "Right when I said I was going, I put that call in. I ain’t going to say his name, but he going to announce,” said Kinney of previous commit Davion Adkins, before relaying “And then trying to get Tyran [Stokes]."
After months of what felt like a never-ending recruiting battle, the Jayhawks finally landed Tyran, sparking an exciting new combo for Kansas faithful to latch onto next season.
Stokes and Kinney spotted inside Allen Fieldhouse
Earlier today, Kinney posted a video on his Instagram of him and Stokes at Kansas’ homecourt.
Taylen Kinney and Tyran Stokes are at Allen Fieldhouse, a place they will be quite often in the near future pic.twitter.com/Va6VpsxtIZ
— Henry Greenstein (@HenryGreenstein) April 30, 2026
What will the pair offer on the court?
Both Stokes and Kinney have been labeled as players who can score at will while also being able to assert themselves as playmakers if need be.
Last season, the Jayhawks struggled at both of these facets tremendously, ranking No. 161st in the nation in scoring as they averaged just 75.1 points per game, while also being placed No. 150th in the country at just 13.9 assists per game.
In a conference as competitive as the Big 12, the more the Jayhawks can enlist do-it-all offensive playmakers, the better.
Who is filling out around the duo?
So far, the Jayhawks have reeled in transfers Christian Reeves, a four-star center from the College of Charleston, Leroy Blyden Jr. a dynamic scoring guard who just completed his freshman year at Toledo, and Keanu Dawes, a stubborn power forward who is currently in the NBA Draft process but is expected to withdraw and return to Kansas next season.
That trio combined for an average of 40 points per game last season. Of course, it is worth noting that Blyden and Reeves came from non-power conferences, which means their numbers may slightly tailoff.
Kansas is also retaining the likes of Kohl Rosario and big man Paul Mbiya. Both had games where they starred.
Rosario featured more last year, and while he is still working through shooting struggles, showed enough moments of promise in his first year, and an ability to jump out of the gym.
Bill Self has also enlisted a freshman class comprising four-star center Davion Adkins, four-star wing/guard Trent Perry and four-star shooting guard Luke Barnett. All of which will be fighting for a role with Kansas’ starting five next Fall.
Make sure to bookmark Through the Phog and follow us on X and Facebook with the username @Throughthephog
More Kansas Basketball News
Add us as a preferred source on Google