Kansas roster turnover leaves Jayhawks relying on one familiar face

After a week of constant announcements of Kansas players leaving the Jayhawks for the transfer portal, Bill Self finally got the news of someone staying. After many wondered if he would stay or go, Kansas guard Kohl Rosario, really the only other bench player with any sort of significant minutes, has made his decision.

It is expected that Rosario will make his return to Kansas for his sophomore season, as reported by Jeff Goodman with the Field of 68, and could truly be the centerpiece that Self builds the rest of his 2026-2027 roster around. While Self has four, maybe five freshmen depending on Tyran Stokes, he needs experience for the roster next season, and Rosario will not only bring that, but experience in the Jayhawks program.

Kohl Rosario's return will hopefully start domino effect for Bill Self in the transfer portal

Self has yet to have any luck in the transfer portal this offseason, both losing players to the portal and trying to bring them in. With Rosario making the choice to stay, there is hope that he can certainly step up in his sophomore season, especially when it comes to his shooting.

In the 2025-2026 season, Rosario only averaged 3.4 points per game in an average of 11.6 minutes per game. He shot just 28.6% from beyond the three-point line when he was expected to be a sharpshooter for the Jayhawks in his freshman year.

With the Rosario news, hopefully, that means Self can start bringing in players from the portal to build a strong roster for next season. Self needs some more experience on the court with all the freshmen coming in, and unfortunately, Rosario only brings a little bit of that.

Self is hosting some players for visits out of the portal, but a lot of the bigger names seem to be looking elsewhere.