After failing to make it past the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament for the third consecutive season, head coach Bill Self and the Kansas Jayhawks are looking for a big response this offseason.
If Kansas is going to get back on track, it will have to do so with a completely different roster. Seniors Hunter Dickinson, Zeke Mayo, KJ Adams Jr. and Dajuan Harris Jr. — the team's top four scorers from last season — all exhausted their eligibility, leading to a new-look roster composed of transfers, incoming freshmen and few returners. Mayo is trying to earn one more year of eligibility by entering the portal late in the cycle, but the odds are stacked against him.
ESPN's Jeff Borzello has the Jayhawks ranked 18th in his early Top 25 for next season, a downgrade from the past two seasons in which Kansas began as the No. 1 team in the nation. After failing to win the Big 12 for the second year in a row to Houston and dropping out of the AP poll entirely from its preseason No. 1 perch, the addition of one key player to the roster could have the Jayhawks positioned for a rebound.
Not only is Darryn Peterson the No. 1 ranked recruit in the 2025 class, per 247Sports, he is in the running with Cameron Boozer of Duke and BYU's AJ Dybantsa to be the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. He is considered one of the best guard prospects in the modern recruiting era, and one of the top recruits in the history of the blue-blood program.
Projected Kansas starting lineup after landing Darryn Peterson
Player | Position |
|---|---|
Darryn Peterson | Point guard |
Melvin Council Jr. | Guard |
Jayden Dawson | Guard |
Tre White | Guard/Forward |
Flory Bidunga | Forward/Center |
There is certainly no guarantee that will be the Jayhawks' starting lineup when the 2025-26 season rolls around, especially considering what may happen with the remaining transfers around the country. Still, it is a starting point when it comes to getting an idea of what next season may look like.
Bidunga initially entered the transfer portal, but confirmed that he is returning to the program, which gives the Jayhawks some experience inside and the tallest player of the projected starting five at 6-foot-9. The star factor from Peterson should give Kansas a go-to scoring option. The backcourt is going to look much different, with the potential of transfer additions Council, Dawson and White to vie for starting roles; Council averaged 14.6 PPG at St. Bonaventure, Dawson put up 13.9 PPG at Loyola-Chicago and White averaged 10.5 PPG at Illinois.
Kansas looks to fill the void of departing players
With its top four scorers gone, as well as key players like AJ Storr (6.1 PPG) and Rylan Griffen (6.3 PPG) transferring, Kansas will have to make up for some lost production. The potential starting five, plus other returning players Shakeel Moore, Elmarko Jackson and Bryson Tiller, give the Jayhawks some more depth. Moore averaged 3.6 PPG in 20 games last season and backed out of the transfer portal hours after entering his name. Jackson missed all of last season with a torn patellar tendon in his left knee and Tiller — the No. 42 ranked player in the 2025 class — enrolled early in December. Samis Calderon, the No. 73 overall player in the 2025 class, can provide more depth at the forward position for Kansas, giving the Jayhawks another talented freshman.
There is clearly a lot of pressure on Kansas to respond to the recent adversity it has faced. Since it last won the national title in 2022, Kansas only has two NCAA Tournament wins to its credit, a far cry from what is expected in Lawrence. With a lot of new faces on the 2025-26 roster and the potential for some more additions, will this be the roster that helps Kansas get back on top in the Big 12 and go on a deep run in March like it is accustomed to? Only time will tell, but the pieces are certainly in place as of now.