The Kansas Jayhawks have had their fair share of hits and misses in the portal. The portal is one of the very few things that has eluded head coach Bill Self throughout his legendary tenure.Â
A lot of times, we can focus on those who either did or didn’t hit the mark at KU. Today’s ranking highlights five portal departures Kansas may regret.
No. 5 Bryson Tiller, Power Forward, 2026
Tiller never became a certified star during his freshman season, as his overall game required development. However, his 7.9 points and 6.1 rebounds don’t fully represent the potential that made him a 5-star recruit in the first place. While of course no one knows the player Tiller will develop into, it would have been nice to have seen it done in a KU uniform.Â
No. 4 Rylan Griffen, Guard, 2025
You could probably swap the next two names on this list and find little disagreement. Griffen came to KU after a stellar sophomore season at Alabama where he notched 11.2 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.9 assists. However, his sole season with the Jayhawks did not live up to the hype from the year prior; Griffen’s field goal rate dropped from 45.4% to 37.2% and his points by about five per game.Â
Griffen left KU for Texas A&M and picked up where he left off with the Crimson Tide, going for 11.2 points, 2.5 assists, 2.7 rebounds, adding a strong 1.6 steals as well. Though Griffen's role with KU would have remained uncertain heading into this season, the Jayhawks missed out on vital production for a paltry scoring offense.
No. 3 AJ Storr, Guard, 2025
You could copy and paste everything we said about Griffen for Storr. Storr enjoyed an elite sophomore year at Wisconsin, averaging nearly 17 points per game on a 43.4% field goal rate alongside 3.9 rebounds. Then he came to KU, where his points dropped by over 10, his field goal rate by 5%, just to pick it back up at Ole Miss this past season, where he finished with 15.5 points, 3.1 rebounds and about two assists per game.Â
No. 2 Flory Bidunga, Center, 2026
Bidunga recently was included on our ranking of Kansas’ best 5-stars since 2020, and if he fulfills his potential with the Louisville Cardinals, there is no reason why he can’t be updated to first on this list. Bidunga’s ability to stifle any offensive possession is immeasurable and the fact that he was ranked as one of only five, 5-stars in the 2026 NCAA Transfer Portal proves his worth as one of the nation’s best players.Â
No. 1 Zuby Ejiofor, Power Forward, 2023
When St. John’s and Kansas met in the round of 32 of the 2026 NCAA Tournament, the sentiment from KU was very much that no one really wanted Ejiofor to leave, but it would have been hard to carve out a role for Ejiofor over the next couple of seasons especially with the incoming Hunter Dickinson joining the squad, so Ejiofor made the jump to Rick Pitino, where it is safe to say he flourished.
Ejiofor was recently selected 23rd overall by the Atlanta Hawks in this year’s NBA Draft, and he finished his last season in the Big East averaging 16.3 points per game, 2.1 blocks, 3.5 assists, 1.2 steals and 7.3 rebounds on an elite 53.6% field goal rate.
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