Kansas will reportedly host 2027 small forward recruit Malachi Jordan soon

Small forward Malachi Jordan is reportedly will visit Kansas in September. The Kansas basketball recruiting class for 2027 is still empty after Javon Bardwell reclassified into the 2026 class and decommitted.

Sam Kayser of League Ready posted on X that Jordan is visiting USC, Vanderbilt, Tennessee, and UConn, along with his trip to Kansas. Jordon is also considering three other schools at this time as well.

Jordan would be a terrific addition if head coach Bill Self could nail him down. With Bardwell now off the recruiting books, Self is looking for someone to replace top prospect Tyran Stokes, who is likely to leave Kansas after this season for the NBA.

How would Malachi Jordan be a fit with Kansas basketball?

Jordan is ranked as the 23rd-best prospect for 2027, according to 247Sports. He's considered the seventh-best small forward in his class.

At six-foot-seven, 225 lbs, he already shows some physical maturity at 17 years old. Adam Finkelstein of 247Sports had this to say about the youngster:

"Jordan is one of the most physically gifted prospects in the class. He has good positional size, a powerful frame, long arms (6-foot-11-plus wingspan), and explosive vertical athleticism...When he’s not trying to do too much, he has enough touch to make open rhythm shots, be a straight-line downhill driver, and even underrated passer. He’s also a violent finisher and lob threat whenever he can get to two feet...he’s not as athletic with his first-step as he is vertically. He’s not ideally suited to be a primary creator, and even defensively, he sometimes needs to use his hands to compensate for his lateral quickness. He’s still potentially versatile on that end, and very dangerous when recovering from behind the ball..."

Finkelstein also mentioned that Jordan often tries to do too much, and that can lead to ineffectual play. His lack of lateral quickness may hurt him in being creative on offense and being able to play defense as well as Self demands.

Those things can both improve with maturity and coaching. The ability to finish at the rim and to be a good passer will excite Self. If Jordan is as good at finishing off lobs as the report says, that indicates there could be a place for him at Kansas.

The Jayhawks hosted another small forward last week, German Fabian Kayser. Kansas has a young roster, and depending on how some NCAA chaos plays out and if Self can retain a good portion of his roster, small forward seems to be one sure position in which he will need to fill.

Self and his staff are very busy right now as they are looking toward needs in 2027 but still have two empty spots left on this year's roster. As the NCAA eligibility rules' drama continues to play out in court, the KU staff needs to stay focused on recruiting the best players available for this season and next.

Jordan seems like he could be a good fit for Kansas, even if his game has room for improvement. As of now, there could be a direct path to minutes next year. It is always fun to watch things play out in this new era of recruiting.

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