He came to Kansas Jayhawks aiming to play both football & hoops. Now, he’s leaving
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Jaden Nickens announced he is parting ways with Kansas to focus on basketball.
- Nickens did not play for KU football or basketball during 2025-26 after battling injuries.
- He stated he has been released and is open to contact from other college coaches.
Former four-star football recruit and two-sport athlete Jaden Nickens announced on social media Thursday night that he is leaving the Kansas Jayhawks to focus solely on basketball
Nickens never played in a game for KU’s men’s basketball or football teams during the 2025-26 school year. He was dealing with an injury for much of the year.
“Despite battling through injuries and hard times, I was not able to participate in the 25-26 season for either sport,” Nickens said on social media. “After much reflection and prayer, I have decided that I will be putting the football down and parting ways with the University of Kansas. I am ready to focus solely on my basketball dreams and aspirations.
“I have been released and am open for contact with coaches so that I can pursue these dreams at another university.”
As a four-star wide receiver from Sierra Canyon High School in Southern California, Nickens picked Kansas over Georgia, Texas A&M, Oklahoma State and Cal. He was initially committed to Oklahoma, but that changed last March.
In his OU de-commitment statement, he stated his intent to play both sports in college.
“I want to be a dual-sport Student Athlete!” he said back then. “I have faith in myself and God that this is part of his will.”
The expectation in Lawrence was that Nickens would prioritize football over basketball. He missed preseason football camp due to what KU coach Lance Leipold called a “non-football-related incident injury.”
Nickens would not play at all last fall. After the Jayhawks’ football season ended in December, KU men’s basketball coach Bill Self said Nickens was unlikely to join the hoops team.
This story was originally published April 23, 2026 at 8:55 PM.
