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Which Kansas transfer will play the biggest role next season

The Kansas Jayhawks are set to field a nearly brand new team next season
ByConnor Mardian|
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Mar 10, 2026; Kansas City, MO, USA; Utah Utes forward Keanu Dawes (8) rebounds during the first half against the Cincinnati Bearcats at T-Mobile Center. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-Imagn Images
Mar 10, 2026; Kansas City, MO, USA; Utah Utes forward Keanu Dawes (8) rebounds during the first half against the Cincinnati Bearcats at T-Mobile Center. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-Imagn Images | William Purnell-Imagn Images

The Kansas Jayhawks are hardly a day behind one of their biggest commitments in recent history, as they landed consensus No. 1 player in the nation, 6-foot-7 small forward Tyran Stokes. 

Stokes’ acquisition means the Jayhawks already have their centerpiece for next season, as the Rainier Beach alum is a do-it-all player whose playmaking ability will create matchup problems across the country. 

Now, while Stokes may singlehandedly be able to level up the Jayhawks on his own next season to some extent, Bill Self needs to employ the right pieces around the freshman to further the team’s chances at a successful season. 

Kansas’ transfer class so far

So far, Self has been able to add four-star 90-overall center Christian Reeves, a 7-foot-2 center from the College of Charleston with one year of eligibility remaining, Leroy Blyden Jr. a 92-overall point guard with a whopping three years of playing eligibility left from Toledo and 93-overall power forward Keanu Dawes from Utah, who has one year remaining. 

Reeves adds newly created center rotation as either he or Paul Mbiya will be next season’s No. 5, creating a tight competition for the spot. For the Cougars last season, Reeves averaged 11.1 points per game, along with 7.8 rebounds on a 65.4% field goal split.

The 6-foot-1 Blyden creates an interesting quandary as he likely falls into the shooting guard role, with incoming five-star point guard Taylen Kinney more often than not being the primary guard. Blyden’s 16.4 points on a stubborn 46.1% field goal rate show a creative scoring outlet. 

Lastly lies the former Ute Dawes. Dawes averaged 12.5 points, 8.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists on a 54.6% mark from the field last season. Immediately becoming an upgrade on the now-Missouri Tiger Bryson Tiller, who notched 7.1 points and 6.1 rebounds last season on a 44.9% mark from the field. The biggest problem with Dawes is that he is currently engaged in the NBA Draft process. 

The former Rice transfer is likely testing the waters to find out his draft grade before joining the Jayhawks. 

Final verdict

Despite each player providing their own strengths, Dawes’ experience playing in the Big 12, combined with his ability to create second-chance points, could prove to be vital. 

According to John Hollinger’s game score metric, Dawes averaged an 11.3 score, which ranks above what Hollinger describes as average at 10. 

Blyden’s game score measured a 13.6 and Reeves a 10.9 last season; both Blyden and Reeves are coming from non-power conferences.

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