Javon Bardwell Is a Monumental Addition to Kansas’ Recruiting Class

On Friday night, one of the most eventful weeks in recent Kansas basketball recruiting history got even better.

Class of 2027 superstar Javon Bardwell announced his commitment to the Jayhawks, choosing KU over Louisville, USC, and Texas. His pledge gives Kansas its first commitment of the 2027 cycle.

NEWS: 2027 Top-20 overall recruit Javon Bardwell has committed to Kansas, he tells @Rivals.

The 6-6 junior is one of the top small forwards in the class. https://t.co/0FKLND9EH5 pic.twitter.com/oz0OHF0vo9
— Joe Tipton (@TiptonEdits) October 4, 2025

Bardwell, who plays at PHH Prep in Phoenix, Arizona, after previous stops at Desert Mountain High School and Hillcrest Prep, is the No. 13 ranked player in 247 Sports' Class of 2027 rankings.

He has been raising his stock on the AAU circuit with the BTI Basketball Club in the Puma PRO16 League.

A smooth and fluid offensive scorer, he gets to his spots with ease and can score at all three levels, using his length to finish creatively around the rim.

The program offered him in August, and Bardwell made a surprise visit to Lawrence last month. His recruitment was heavily spearheaded by new assistant coach Tony Bland, whose West Coast ties have already paid dividends with the Jayhawks landing a rising star from the area.

"Javon Bardwell has a great frame with length and projectability," On3 scouting director Jamie Shaw wrote about him this summer. "He scored the ball well today, either shooting off the catch or finishing at the basket. He will need to continue adding strength and consolidating his game, but he is a high scoring wing around 6-foot-6 as things stand."

Will Javon Bardwell Reclassify to 2026?

Bardwell is technically entering his third year of high school ball, but there is a real possibility he reclassifies up a year to join the 2026 class. He has continued to draw heavy praise from scouts and already looks prepared to make the jump.

If he does, Bardwell might be viewed as the secondary option to top-ranked 2026 recruit Tyran Stokes, who is considering Kansas alongside Kentucky and Oregon.

The news likely wouldn't come for a while, but the implications would be massive. Reclassifying would slot Bardwell into a 2026 Kansas class that already features No. 1 point guard Taylen Kinney and 4-star wing Trent Perry, a group that is currently ranked inside the top 10 nationally.

Like Kinney, Bardwell also competes in the Overtime Elite League with the Diamond Doves, where he averaged 17.7 points and 5.4 rebounds during the 2024–25 season.

According to OTE's website, he is already 18 years old, meaning he'd be 19 as a freshman if he reclassified. That makes the move less drastic age-wise, and he would almost certainly maintain near 5-star status.

Nothing is confirmed yet, but Bardwell's potential reclass is a storyline worth monitoring closely now that his recruitment has wrapped up.