Kansas is making a huge late push for the country’s top-ranked senior, five-star small forward Tyran Stokes, according to recruiting analysts. The 6-foot-7 Stokes, a star at Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks, Calif., is thought to be making his college decision relatively soon. Per analysts, Kentucky still appears to be the leader for Stokes. However, at least two analysts said this week that Kansas is picking up some momentum in his recruitment.
Kansas Making Huge Last Push for 5-Star, Top-Ranked Senior
Stokes has a top five of Kentucky, Louisville, Oregon, Kansas and Southern California. He has officially visited all five schools. Oregon seemed to have some buzz with Stokes, but that has faded, analysts say. At this juncture, things are likely boiling down to Kentucky and Kansas.
Eric Bossi, the national basketball director at 247Sports, says that a commitment announcement from Stokes might not be as imminent as some originally thought. The 247Sports staff has entered an official prediction for Kentucky to land Stokes. However, Bossi notes that Kansas is pushing hard for him. What’s interesting about this development is that, earlier this month, Stokes signed a name, image and likeness deal with Nike. Yet Kansas is an Adidas-sponsored program.
Bossi says that 247Sports remains in favor of the Wildcats prevailing for Stokes, but it also looks like he’s not in a rush to make his college decision known.
Kansas is in Hot Pursuit of No. 1 Senior Tyran Stokes
Joe Tipton, a national reporter at On3/Rivals, echoes some of Bossi’s sentiments. Tipton maintains that Kentucky is the favorite for Stokes, but he adds that Kansas may prove the biggest threat for the Wildcats’ pursuit.
One important nugget to mention here. Taylen Kinney, a 2026 five-star point guard, is actively recruiting Stokes in an attempt to bring him on board with the Jayhawks. The 6-foot-1 Kinney, out of the Atlanta-based professional league Overtime Elite, verbally committed to Kansas in late September. He is the No. 1 point guard in the 2026 cycle, according to 247Sports.
Stokes could certainly find it appealing to suit up alongside Kinney and the rest of the Jayhawks’ 2026 class, a group that is eyeing a potential No. 1 spot nationally. Head coach Bill Self and his assistants are doing a fabulous job with this cycle.
Kansas Boasts a Terrific Senior Class
To date, the Jayhawks have three verbal pledges in a 2026 cycle that ranks No. 2 nationally, according to the industry-generated 247Sports Composite. Besides Kinney, Kansas has secured commitments from four-star center Davion Adkins of Prolific Prep in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and four-star small forward Trent Perry of the Link Academy in Branson, Mo.
Also not too long ago, 2027 five-star small forward Javon Bardwell verbally pledged to the Jayhawks. There is chatter that Bardwell, who attends PHH Prep in Phoenix, could re-classify to 2026, although his decision there could be impacted by whether Stokes ultimately heads to Kansas or Kentucky.
Other 2026 targets for Jayhawks fans to monitor include five-star guard/small forward Alex Constanza, four-star center Josh Irving, five-star small forward Maximo Adams and five-star center Ethan Taylor. Per 247Sports, these four seniors have all officially visited the Kansas program.
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