Kansas Could Benefit From Tyran Stokes Withdrawing From Notre Dame HS

Will Tyran Stokes' decision to withdraw from his high school affect which college he chooses in his recruitment?

Jan 4, 2025; Gilbert, AZ, USA; Notre Dame High School (CA) forward Tyran Stokes (4) against Sandra Day O'Connor (AZ) during the Hoophall West High School Invitational at Highland High School. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

In a surprising report on Wednesday, the top-ranked high school basketball player in the Class of 2026 withdrew from his school and will play elsewhere as a senior.

Kansas recruiting target Tyran Stokes reportedly dropped out of Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks, California, and will now be searching for both his next grassroots basketball program and future college.

No. 1 player in the country, Tyran Stokes has withdrawn from Notre Dame High School to "explore new opportunities," the school confirms. pic.twitter.com/SeCYHhWzN5

— B/R Hoops (@brhoops) November 5, 2025

Stokes, who is down to three schools (Kansas, Kentucky, and Oregon), has long been considered a favorite to go to UK. He took an official visit to Lexington in June and has been linked to Mark Pope's Wildcats for quite some time.

Kansas has been a steady second in his recruitment for the most part, with most recruiting analysts predicting that he will eventually end up committing to the Wildcats. Stokes heading elsewhere on the high school trail could actually benefit the Jayhawks in the long run.

How Tyran Stokes Leaving Notre Dame Could Help Kansas

It isn't unusual for players to transfer out of schools during summer break at the high school level, but this appears to be a different situation. While the specifics of the report haven't been confirmed yet, Stokes seemingly had some problems, whether behavioral, personal, or academic, that forced him to make this decision.

He could now pursue another college prep program or even the Overtime Elite level. If he does go the latter route, he might opt to play with his close friend Taylen Kinney, who competes with Rod Wave Elite in OTE.

But even if that isn't the case, there are a lot of high school programs around the country that have ties to Adidas and could push him closer to KU.

Stokes is already signed to an NIL deal with Nike and is linked to two Nike schools in Kentucky and Oregon, so this could be Adidas' chance to steer him toward a program that would help Kansas' chances (such as Prolific Prep, where Darryn Peterson finished his high school career).

This might be a long shot for the Jayhawks, but it is still something worth monitoring. It is also possible that this situation changes how some people around the program view him if his reasoning for withdrawing does turn out to be a character issue.

Nonetheless, time will tell what Stokes decides, and his decision should come sooner rather than later now that he recently trimmed his final list of schools.