Top Ranked Recruit Tyran Stokes Commits to Kansas over Kentucky

The best high school player in the country is headed for Lawerence, Kansas

Mar 31, 2026; Glendale, AZ, USA; Tyran Stokes (4) during the McDonalds All American Boys Game at Desert Diamond Arena. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The Kansas basketball program has hit the jackpot with another top ranked high school recruit after Tyran Stokes announced his commitment to the Jayhawks on Tuesday night during an episode of Inside the NBA.

Stokes is the consensus No. 1 player in the Class of 2026, listed as a 6-foot-7 forward, and picked Kansas over Kentucky in a recruitment that came down to the final days before making a decision.

It marks the second straight season in which Bill Self was able to nab one of the best high school players in the country after landing Darryn Peterson during the last recruiting cycle.

After two consecutive years with highly publicized recruitments like Cooper Flagg, Cameron Boozer, AJ Dybantsa, Peterson, and more, Stokes had the most public and scrutinized recruitment of any player in the class.

There was trepidation, however, that Kansas wouldn’t be able to land Stokes as he signed an NIL deal with Nike and the Jayhawks are a school represented by Adidas, but it was able to be worked out, which was extremely important since Kentucky is a Nike program.

Tyran Stokes had a unique high school experience under the bright lights, attending three different schools until landing at Rainier Beach (Wash.) for this season. He also played at Prolific Prep, alongside Dybantsa, and Notre Dame High School.

Stokes will be joined by a large freshmen class that includes 5-star guard Taylen Kinney as well as 4-star recruits Davion Adkins, Trent Pretty, and Luke Barnett. Kansas has also added Charleton center Christian Reeves, Toledo guard Leroy Blyden Jr., and Utah forward Keanu Dawes in the transfer portal.

Kansas now has the top ranked high school recruiting class, according to several outlets, after the commitment.

 The Jayhawks have not been to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament since winning the National Championship in 2022 and the addition of Tyran Stokes to the team will certainly help in reaching that goal.