Kansas Jayhawks basketball scheduled to meet with rim-protecting big man transfer Cliff Omoruyi

The Kansas basketball big man room has the potential to be crowded next season. Consensus All-American Hunter Dickinson is contemplating returning to school or entering the NBA Draft, while 5-star recruit and top-ranked center in the 2024 class Flory Bidunga is set to join the Jayhawks as a freshman.

Depth was a significant issue for KU this year, but Bill Self said he would never go into a season with an extremely thin bench ever again. The Hall of Fame head coach might not have been lying, as he and the rest of his coaching staff will meet with Rutgers transfer Cliff Omoruyi next week via Zoom.

Rutgers transfer Cliff Omoruyi to meet with Kansas basketball coaches next week

It was announced today that Kansas is pursuing one of the most intimidating paint presences in the transfer portal. The Jayhawks are apparently "turning the heat up" on Rutgers graduate transfer Cliff Omoruyi in a race with Kentucky and St. John's.

This past season, Omoruyi appeared in 32 contests and averaged 10.4 points, 8.3 rebounds, and a career-high 2.9 blocks per game on 51.2% field goal shooting. The 6-foot-11 center spent four years with the Scarlet Knights and started in each of their games in the past three years. He has one year of eligibility remaining.

KU's interest in the Nigerian native could raise some questions about the status of Dickinson. Omoruyi would fill the need for rim protection and a dominant inside player if he were to depart for the pros, but Self might be looking to simply add depth alongside his other two stud big men.

Another transfer that Kansas has been closely linked to is former Florida Gators guard Riley Kugel, who included the Jayhawks in his final list earlier this week. He and Omoruyi appear to be the top portal targets early on in the open market for Bill Self.