Kansas Denies Contact With Keyshawn Hall; Jayhawks Not Targeting Auburn Forward

Reports linking Keyshawn Hall and Kansas have proven to be false — at least for now.

Mar 11, 2026; Nashville, TN, USA; Auburn Tigers guard Keyshawn Hall (7) drives to the basket past Mississippi State Bulldogs forward Achor Achor (99) during the first half at Bridgestone Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

With the recent NCAA eligibility ruling that effectively created a new five-in-five rule for student-athletes, dozens of players around the country were unexpectedly granted an additional year of eligibility.

Kansas is one of many schools looking to take advantage of the broad injunction. Of the 50+ new players now eligible, the Jayhawks have reportedly begun pursuing former Michigan State big man Jaxon Kohler and will likely continue to be linked to other names.

On Sunday, CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein reported that KU was among the schools interested in landing former Auburn standout Keyshawn Hall. Well, it turns out that isn't the case (yet). A spokesperson for Kansas confirmed to JayhawkSlant that the two sides have not made contact and that the report was inaccurate.

I’ve been told that Kansas has not reached out to Auburn forward Keyshawn Hall. At this point, no contact has been made. #kubball

— JayhawkSlant (@JayhawkSlant) August 2, 2026

Could Kansas eventually reach out to Hall in an attempt to lure him to Lawrence? Absolutely. But it doesn't appear to be imminent, and this unknown source felt it was important enough to clarify that no conversations have taken place.

Hall is a name that should sound familiar to Jayhawk fans despite spending last season in the SEC. During the 2024-25 campaign at UCF, he put together one of the best performances by an opposing player in Allen Fieldhouse, exploding for 34 points on 9-of-19 shooting in a near upset.

He followed that up with arguably the best season of his career at Auburn this past year, averaging 19.3 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 2.6 assists while shooting 45.1% from the field.

Hall has already played at four different schools during his college career, so history suggests he'll likely be on the move again if he returns for another season. Top schools like Kentucky, St. John's, and Gonzaga have also been mentioned as potential suitors.

The Jayhawks already have plenty of talent on the wing, led by top-ranked freshman Tyran Stokes. Dennis Parker Jr., Kohl Rosario, Luke Barnett, and Trent Perry are expected to compete for minutes, while Utah transfer Keanu Dawes is projected to start at power forward.

It's perfectly reasonable for fans to hope Kansas adds one more player because of the NCAA ruling. But expecting someone of Hall's caliber may be unrealistic given his exorbitant NIL cost and the playing-time questions it would create. The more likely scenario is that Bill Self and his staff continue searching for another big man to address the uncertainty in the frontcourt.