KU basketball has the No. 1 recruit. Here’s how rest of Jayhawks’ class ranks
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Kansas freshman class ranked second by 247Sports and third by ESPN/USA Today.
- Missouri freshman class was ranked seventh by ESPN/USA Today and 13th by 247Sports.
- Tyran Stokes is the No. 1 overall recruit and the headliner of Kansas’ class.
Kansas basketball’s incoming freshman class of Tyran Stokes, Taylen Kinney, Davion Adkins, Luke Barnett, Trent Perry and Grant Mordini has been ranked second nationally by 247Sports, third by ESPN and USA Today and fourth by Rivals.
Meanwhile, Missouri’s three-player freshman class of Jason Crowe Jr., Toni Bryant and Aidan Chronister has been rated seventh nationally by ESPN and USA Today, 10th by Rivals and 13th by 247Sports.
Kansas State’s two-player freshman class of Devin Hutcherson and Jaylen Alexander has been accorded a No. 56 ranking by 247Sports and No. 118 ranking by Rivals.
Only Arkansas (No. 1) finished ahead of KU in the 247Sports rankings. USA Today went with Duke (No. 1) and Arkansas (No. 2) ahead of KU, while ESPN had Arkansas (No. 1) and Duke (2) ahead of the Jayhawks’ class of 2026.
Rivals went with a top four of Duke, Arkansas, USC and KU.
“One year after landing potential No. 1 NBA Draft pick Darryn Peterson, Bill Self again has a superstar headed to Lawrence in Tyran Stokes, the best player in the class. He’s too strong for most wings and too skilled for most big men and he’s capable of doing a little bit of everything on the floor,” ESPN’s Paul Biancardi and Jeff Borzello wrote.
“Stokes joins another top-20 recruit in immediate-impact point guard Kinney, who has the size and playmaking ability to cause matchup problems against smaller backcourts, is a terrific scorer with a variety of finishing moves and is developing as a playmaker.
“Self secured a string of pledges in the wake of Kinney’s commitment, starting with Perry three days later, then Adkins a week after that. Adkins’ physical tools portend an incredibly high ceiling. Perry, meanwhile, is long and should give help at both ends of the floor,” ESPN analysts Biancardi and Borzello added.
Calling consensus No. 1 ranked player Stokes, a 6-7 guard from Seattle’s Rainier Beach, KU’s “most important recruit,” Biancardi wrote: “Stokes brings a unique, versatile skill set and an NBA frame to Kansas. He’s a big threat when he collects a defensive rebound and pushes the break because he can be both a playmaker or finisher. But his greatest strengths are his passing vision and a consistency of getting to the free throw line.”
Here are the composite individual rankings (average of major recruiting services) of KU’s incoming freshman:
Stokes is No. 1 overall, while Mordini, a 6-11 center from Avon Old Farms School in Connecticut, is unranked. Kinney, a 6-1 point guard from Overtime Elite in Atlanta, is No. 18; Adkins, a 6-9 forward from Prolific Prep in Dallas No. 59; Perry, a 6-5 guard from Link Academy in Branson, Missouri, No. 97; and Barnett, a 6-4 guard from Mater Dei High in Santa Ana, California, No. 134.
In addition, Rivals on Monday issued its final individual top-150 high school rankings. Stokes was No. 1 overall followed by Kinney (No. 25), Adkins (No. 57), Barnett (No. 117) and Perry (No. 128).
As far as MU’s three incoming freshmen … Crowe Jr., a 6-3 guard from Inglewood (California) High, is No. 9 in composite rankings compiled by 247Sports, while Bryant, a 6-9 forward from Southeastern Prep in Orlando, is No. 23 and Chronister, a 6-7 forward from New School in Fayetteville, Arkansas, is No. 128.
In Rivals’ final top 150 issued Monday, Crowe is No. 7, Bryant No. 22 and Chronister No. 122.
“The Tigers hadn’t landed a five-star prospect since the 2017 class. They have two in this cycle, thanks to the momentum built by Dennis Gates, who led the Tigers to one of the most impressive turnarounds in the country in 2024-25 and continued this past season with an NCAA tournament appearance,” wrote Biancardi and Borzello at ESPN.
“Crowe led the Nike EYBL in scoring last summer and is arguably the most explosive offensive player in the class. He’s a left-handed guard who gets by his defender at will. Fellow five-star Bryant was a priority early in the cycle for Gates — he is tremendously athletic and excels in transition.
“Finally, Chronister is a prolific 3-point shooter who should get open looks courtesy of Crowe’s drive-and-kick ability,” the ESPN analysts added.
Of Crowe, Biancardi wrote: “He is not only the Tigers’ most important recruit of this class, he is the second-highest ranked recruit ever to commit to Missouri, following No. 2 Michael Porter Jr. in 2017. Crowe brings immediate scoring prowess that is needed in tight SEC games. The bigger the stage, the bigger he plays.”
Though the team rankings of incoming freshmen are now complete by the major recruiting services, teams are still pursuing players in the NCAA transfer portal.
KU’s current transfer class of Keanu Dawes (Utah), Leroy Blyden Jr. (Toledo) and Christian Reeves (College of Charleston) is ranked No. 34 overall by 247Sports.
Missouri’s class of Kennard Davis (BYU), Bryson Tiller (KU), Jaylen Carey (Tennessee) and Jamier Jones (Providence) is ranked 11th by 247Sports.
Kansas State’s transfer class of JT Rock (New Mexico), Timo Malovec (Miami), Isaiah Abraham (Georgetown), Jaden Schutt (Virginia Tech), Brandon Rechsteiner (Colorado State), Brock Vice (Murray State), Matt Gilhool (LSU), Dezdrick Lindsay (Oregon) and Montana Wheeler (Bradley) is rated No. 67 nationally by 247Sports, while Wichita State’s transfer class of Cyr Malonga (New Mexico State), Jahari Long (George Mason), Bryce Heard (Dayton) and Jordan Frison (Chattanooga) is ranked No. 80 nationally.
247Sports has rated KU’s Dawes the No. 49 player in the 2026 transfer portal. Blyden is No. 90 and Reeves No. 171. Former KU forward Tiller of MU is the No. 34 rated transfer in the class by 247Sports. ESPN has ranked Tiller No. 38 of all transfer portal players, Blyden No. 46 and Dawes No. 60.
