The decision Bill Self just made could change everything for several programs.
In case you somehow missed it, the Kansas head coach isn't ready to retire and spend his time on the golf course, as he's going to be back with Kansas next season. On top of this being huge for the program, it could also be massive out on the recruiting trail, as 5-star playmaker Tyran Stokes is inching closer to a decision.
Bill Self clears up retirement rumors by giving Kansas fans the news they wanted
While other teams keep getting involved, the belief for a while has been that Stokes is down to Kentucky and Kansas. Once the Self news dropped, though, a simple emoji from Stokes let everyone know how he felt about things:
😯
— tyran stokes (@tyran_stokes) April 1, 2026
Kansas fans everywhere are hoping Tyran Stokes will commit to Bill Self
That post from Stokes has plenty of people talking and understandably so. The worry among the Kansas faithful was that if Self did end up retiring, it would make the decision easy for Stokes to play in the SEC for Mark Pope and the Wildcats.
However, Self decided to surprise plenty of people by putting off his retirement - he's still got plenty of fire in him and he wants to get this program back to the Final Four. Adding Stokes to the roster sure would help in making that happen. Will that end up being the case?
Originally, there was belief that Stokes would have committed by now, but it's clear he was waiting to see what Self was going to do. It's been reported that Gonzaga and Washington keep pushing for Stokes, but again, we think this is down to UK and KU.
At some point this month, Stokes should finally make his college decision. He'll then make his way to the college game ranked five stars and the No. 1 player overall for the 2026 class according to the 247Sports Composite. He's got NBA superstar written all over him too.
With Darryn Peterson off to the NBA later this year, replacing him is not going to be easy for Self. However, bringing in Stokes sure would help in that department, as the youngster was born to score a lot of points. It's totally up in the air if he'll pick the Jayhawks or not, but his reaction to the Self news sure was telling if you ask us.