The Kansas Jayhawks can finally call Tyran Stokes, the nation’s No. 1 player in the class of 2026, one of their own, after Stokes committed to Bill Self and KU live on ESPN’s “NBA Tip-Off” show Tuesday evening.
A narrow race
There were conflicting reports from both aisles on where Stokes would eventually land. While On3 had flipped their predictions to KU earlier Tuesday, sources on both sides felt confident in landing the 6-foot-7 small forward.
"Coach Bill Self - a great coach," Stokes said live on ESPN. "A great person. You know, he's been there from the beginning. He's always fed into me and given me great advice through the entire process. I just want to say thank you to the university, and to Rock Chalk Nation for just giving me the opportunity to go to Allen Fieldhouse and leave my mark. I'm ready to go put on a show."
Kansas set to take on Kentucky in State Farm Champions Classic
While Kansas officially joined the CBS Sports Classic, there is a point where the two mesh, meaning next season, Kansas will take on both North Carolina (CBS Sports) and Kentucky (State Farm Champions).
The matchup against the Wildcats is set to take place inside the historic United Center in Chicago on November 10th later this year.
The Jayhawks haven’t played Kentucky since the 2023-24 campaign and are currently on the losing end of the series with 12 wins to 24 losses, however Self and Co. have been able to turn the tide recently, taking five of the last seven matchups between the two blue bloods, including 89-84 win when the sides last met inside the United Center.
What Stokes will bring to the Jayhawks
Tuesday’s addition is a massive get for a Kansas team that was looking for its centerpiece ahead of Self’s 24th season at the helm. Stokes joins a freshman class of five-star guard Taylen Kinney, four-star center Davion Adkins, four-star wing Trent Perry and four-star shooting guard Luke Barnett.
KU has also reeled in power forward Keanu Dawes (assuming Dawes withdraws from the NBA Draft process), guard Leroy Blyden Jr., and center Christian Reeves.
All of the aforementioned players have their strong suits, but Stokes can be the immediate X-factor on a team that hasn’t gotten past the first weekend in March since lifting the national title in 2022.
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