Meet KU basketball’s recruiting class, with signing period starting Wednesday
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- KU set to sign four 2026 recruits plus possible reclassified Javon Bardwell.
- Rankings show Kinney and Adkins as top prospects; others add depth.
- KU will clear multiple scholarships for 2026-27 after departures, potential draft exits.
Kansas basketball coach Bill Self is expected to sign four high school basketball players in the recruiting class of 2026 to national letters-of-intent during the weeklong early signing period, which starts Wednesday.
They are:
- Davion Adkins, a 6-foot-9, 205-pound senior power forward from Prolific Prep in Fort Lauderdale, Florida (originally from Dallas)
- Taylen Kinney, a 6-3, 185-pound senior point guard from the Overtime Elite program in Atlanta (originally from Newport, Kentucky)
- Trent Perry, a 6-5, 190-pound senior shooting guard/small forward from Link Academy in Branson, Missouri (originally from Frisco, Texas)
- Luke Barnett, a 6-3, 170-pound senior shooting guard from Mater Dei High in Santa Ana, California
If he decides to reclassify from 2027 to 2026, KU also figures to land a signed letter-of-intent from Javon Bardwell, a 6-6, 175-pound junior forward from Overtime Elite (originally from Scottsdale, Arizona).
Adkins is ranked No. 27 in the recruiting class of 2026 by Rivals, No. 33 by 247Sports and No. 46 by ESPN. Kinney is ranked No. 13 by 247Sports, No. 17 by ESPN and No. 25 by Rivals. Perry is ranked No. 77 by ESPN, No. 119 by 247Sports and No. 140 by Rivals. Barnett is ranked No. 113 by Rivals and No. 143 by 247Sports. He is not ranked by ESPN at this time.
Bardwell is ranked No. 13 in the recruiting class of 2027 by 247Sports, No. 24 by Rivals and No. 40 by ESPN.
Who is Taylen Kinney?
• Kinney, who is considered a lock to receive an invitation to the McDonald’s All-America game, visited KU in August and committed to Self’s KU program on Sept 28. He chose KU over Indiana, Kentucky, Arkansas, Louisville and Oregon.
Kinney averaged 20.1 points, 5.0 assists and 4.0 rebounds per game for RWE in the Overtime Elite League during the 2024-25 season. He finished as the second runner-up for OTE’s most valuable player award.
“Bill Self is a great coach, he’s got a great coaching staff — Jacque Vaughn (KU assistant) played in the league,” Kinney told The Star when asked why he picked KU. “The skill development at guard would be top-level. I mean, it’s Kansas — a legendary program.”
Kinney said a meeting he had with Self at Overtime Elite’s gym in Atlanta “was the best thing. He basically ran down everything from year one. He ran down his resume. Tell me how many wins (he has) and the players he’s coached. His background speaks for itself. He told me that once DP (Darryn Peterson) leaves that he wants me to step in and take that role. Like, he wanted it to be my team.”
Kinney compared his play style to current Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey.
Current KU players Samis Calderon, Kohl Rosario and Bryson Tiller are all graduates of the OE program.
Recruiting analyst Jamie Shaw of On3, who scouted Kinney at the NBPA Top 100 camp in June, wrote: “He was able to consistently get into the paint and collapse a defense. He showed an array of counter dribbles and step back footwork to find open space to get clean looks. And the shooting was consistent.”
Recruiting analyst Eric Bossi of 247Sports wrote Kinney “plays much bigger than his size” because of a 6-6 wingspan.
“He has great instincts on defense. He looks to be what any program would want in a college point guard,” Bossi added.
Who is Davion Adkins?
• Adkins committed to KU on Oct. 6, choosing the Jayhawks over Houston and Rutgers. He made the announcement just a day after undergoing hernia surgery in Las Vegas, where his Prolific Prep team had a game against St. John Bosco of California.
Adkins at one point considered Auburn, Indiana, UCLA, Texas, Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, Kentucky and others.
“Going on my visit compared to other visits ... I saw it’s family oriented,” Adkins said of Self’s KU program in Lawrence. He was speaking on ESPN the day he committed.
Adkins told 247Sports: “I love the culture they have. It’s a really heavy winning culture, My coach also had a great relationship with Bill Self, so it already felt like a family. (Self) is not a yes man. He tells you the truth. He told me to my face what I need to work on, and I told him, ‘I got you. I’m going to do everything to get me on the floor.’
“You’re going to see me flying around getting blocks, getting rebounds, making winning plays. (Self) sees me playing the 3, 4 or 5 in college. I’d rather play the 5 in college because I can kill any 5 I want to in college.”
Adkins averaged 11.0 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.3 blocked shots per game while shooting 54.8% from the field at the NBPA Top 100 camp this past summer.
Adkins was the top-rated player in Texas prior to announcing plans to leave Dallas’ Faith Family Academy for Prolific Prep for his final year of high school basketball.
“I like the way they (KU coaches) develop and send bigs, wings and guards to the league. I know they could develop me really well based on their history,” Adkins told On3.
Shaw watched Adkins compete at an AAU event in July.
“There might not have been a bigger presence at the front of the rim than Davion Adkins. The post player (with a 7-2 wingspan) is a supreme rim protector, not only showing a quick, explosive burst, but also excellent timing,” Shaw wrote. “Adkins is a high-flyer, and while needing others to set up his opportunities, he takes a consolidated approach to creating his advantages. ... The presence he brings on defense erases a lot of mistakes.”
Who is Trent Perry?
• Perry, who played AAU basketball for Mokan Elite, committed to KU on Oct. 1, choosing the Jayhawks over TCU and Maryland. He received his scholarship offer from KU in late August, then visited campus with his parents in mid-September.
Why did he choose KU?
“Coach (Bill) Self and his great resume of all the players that came through that he got to the NBA, and his winning record,” Perry said.
“There’s a few players personally that I’ve talked to that I feel like were in my situation as kind of low-rated guys that will do anything it takes to win. I feel like that development at that school can help me get to the next level, which is the NBA, which is what I’m hoping to get to,” Perry added.
Of his own game, Perry said: “I like to get to the rim and have my defense translate into offense, do whatever my team needs for me to win that game. Practicing against the best players in the country at Link and then playing this national schedule, my whole game has improved.”
Analyst Shaw wrote: “Trent Perry plays with a nonstop motor. He is consistently diving on the floor or doing his best to create extra possessions for his team. Most of his offense is through lobs or in transition. He is going to need to develop the creation and jump shot, but he has a clear effect on the games he plays.”
CBS Sports analyst Adam Finkelstein said of Perry and his 7-foot-2 wingspan: “He is a mature player who understands there are more ways to help you win games than just scoring points.
“You see 6-5, 190 pounds, but what you don’t see is the incredible length. This is a player who understands how to impact winning without needing to be an offensive focal point. That’s something that most high school stars really struggle to adapt to when they get to college, but Trent is mature beyond his years.”
Who is Luke Barnett?
• Barnett, who is known for his outside shooting, committed to KU on Oct 24. He chose Kansas over Miami and UNLV. At one time he also considered TCU, Villanova, DePaul, Arizona State, Washington, Stanford, Purdue, Nevada, Boise State and others.
Barnett attended KU’s Late Night in the Phog on Oct. 17.
“Just going on the visit, talking to their coaches, seeing the culture at Kansas, the basketball history, I just feel like it’s a great spot I can go in to get better and really improve,” Barnett said. “It’s a great culture for me to be in order to get where I want to be eventually.
“They (KU’s coaches) talked about how they’d help me develop, what they see for me improving on, what they think I’m already good at, what I can get better at, and also the fit they talked about, how they think I can come and help the team improve. It was definitely both, how they see me helping them, how they can help me,” Barnett added.
Barnett set school records by scoring 55 points and sinking 12 3s in December 2024 in a game against Hoover High. He averaged 21.0 points, 3.7 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.4 steals, and 0.8 blocks per contest last year at Mater Dei.
Shaw wrote: “He found his way with the Arizona Unity (AAU) program during the summer by making some big shots. ... He has good footwork and a quiet base, along with a lot of confidence and consistent release, no matter stepping into it or shooting off movement. He shot on volume and was a consistent scorer this summer. He is really a top-quality shooter.”
Joe Tipton of On3 said Barnett “is an elite shooter. He caught fire (at a summertime EYBL event), knocking down at least five 3s. His outside shot is deadly. He doesn’t necessarily have the burst or athleticism, but shooting is something that always translates.”
Who is Javon Bardwell?
• Bardwell, who is reportedly considering reclassifying to the class of 2026 instead of his current 2027, visited KU in September, then committed to KU on Oct. 3. Originally from Harlem, New York, Bardwell chose KU over Louisville, Texas and USC.
Bardwell plays for PHHoenix Prep, which in the OTE League goes by the name Diamond Doves. He averaged 17.7 points and 5.4 rebounds per game last season.
“Vonyy’s (Javon’s nickname) ultimate goal is he doesn’t want praise for what he does right, as much as he wants us to coach him and tell him what he does wrong, which is definitely something different for this day and age of player,” Diamond Doves coach John Ortega told The Star.
Ortega has coached other Jayhawks through the years, including Mitch Lightfoot and James Sosinski.
“I think those were two guys that were definitely unfinished products when they got to Kansas,” Ortega said. “Something I’ve always said about Bill whenever he’s recruited our players — and honestly was probably one of the most important things in recruiting Vonyy — was that he comes in and tells you what’s wrong.”
Bardwell told The Star he can improve on “playing both sides of the floor just 100% and not taking possessions off.”
“Kansas fans should be excited about Vonyy —he’s legitimately one play away from blowing the roof off of any arena that he plays in,” Ortega said. “He’s a very coachable young man. The fans are going to love him because he’s very personable. He will be a guy that will sign autographs and he will get a dunk and next thing you know, he’ll be jumping in the crowd and pounding his chest. You see it in almost every play he has with us.”
KU, which can have 15 players on the roster, will have several scholarships available for the 2026-27 season.
KU will lose scholarship seniors Tre White, Melvin Council Jr., Jayden Dawson and Gee Ngala. Also, Darryn Peterson is considered a top-3 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. It’s possible other players could consider the transfer portal.
