The Kansas Jayhawks are slowly turning the ship around on what has been an interesting offseason to say the least.
You would think that when your legendary head coach announces his return for a 24th season, things would finally calm down. In the case of the Jayhawks, though, things have completely flipped, and now KU is scrambling to put together a portal that is fit enough to combine with what will be a class laden with freshmen.
So far, Kansas has been able to acquire the likes of Keanu Dawes and Leroy Blyden Jr. to kickstart their class, but with Flory Bidugna off to the ACC and Paul Mbiya between the portal and returning, the Jayhawks are lacking an out-and-out center.
Earlier today, it was confirmed that Self and Co. are set to host 7-foot-5 big man Gabe Dynes.
USC 7-5 big man Gabe Dynes visit schedule, agent Adam Papas told @TheFieldOf68.
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) April 20, 2026
Dynes averaged 2.9 points and 2.3 rebounds in 12 minutes last season.
Xavier tomorrow
UK Wednesday
Louisville Thursday
NC State Friday
Kansas Sunday
Working to schedule with Georgia.
What Dynes brings to Kansas
Without sounding too blunt, Dynes’ best attribute lies in what he can defensively do with his height. In his first two seasons, Dynes played at Youngstown State, where he was twice nominated to the Horizon All-Defense team.
In his sole year in Southern California, Dynes played in 30 games, starting six of them, proving he will likely be a bench piece for the Jayhawks.
According to John Hollinger’s Game Score metric, used to measure the production for any given player, red flags are quickly raised when an average player is suggested to figure around the 10 mark with an unbelievable player sitting much higher.
Dynes’ average game score is just 3.3.
Now this is a metric heavily skewed towards scoring outputs, but if Kansas does bring in Dynes, it is clear he should not be the starter, but rather a bench piece.
Dynes is currently listed as a three-star portal prospect graded to an 86 overall.
It is only upwards from here
No, the Jayhawks have not had an on-fire start to the portal season, and there is no denying that, but with just three non-freshman guaranteed on the roster next season, you have to rely on the portal. And while Dynes will not be a like-for-like replacement for someone like Flory Bidunga, having someone of that stature off the bench could be a needed asset throughout the season, just as Mbiya was during the previous campaign.
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