Kansas HC Bill Self Has Blunt Take On Freshman Kohl Rosario

After entering his freshman season with high expectations, Kansas guard Kohl Rosario has hit the dreaded freshman wall. The 6-foot-5 wing from Miami, Florida, has gone from being a starter on opening night to completely out of the rotation by midseason.

His struggles have been extremely evident, as he is averaging 4.2 points and 1.6 rebounds on 40.9% shooting. More importantly, he is knocking down just 25.5% of his shots from three despite being touted as an excellent shooter out of high school.

Rosario's shooting woes have raised major concern with head coach Bill Self, so much so that he was a coach's decision DNP for the first time vs. Iowa State last week and played just two garbage time minutes on Friday against Baylor. The Jayhawks have now cut their rotation down to seven or eight players, with the only contributors off the bench being Elmarko Jackson, Jamari McDowell, and often Jayden Dawson, all of whom have jumped Rosario on the depth chart.

Following the victory on Friday, Self was asked what Rosario needs to do to get back into the rotation. He offered about as blunt of a response as he could regarding the athletic guard.

"The way that I see it right now, we're playing better playing less guys," Self explained. "Not being negative, but if our rotation is seven, if Elmarko and Jamari are playing well... I want everybody to play, but the bottom line is we got to win games. The nonconference is opportunities for guys to have a chance to kind of earn their way, and Kohl's got the best attitude and everything. By no means are we giving up on him, or is he not part of our future. None of that stuff. But right now, our team's performing better, I think, with the shorter rotation."

Nov 26, 2025; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Kansas Jayhawks guard Kohl Rosario (7) shoots in the second half against the Tennessee Volunteers in the 2025 Players Era Festival third place game at MGM Grand Garden Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

It was an extremely discouraging response to that question. Self made it sound as though Rosario had his opportunity to prove himself in nonconference play, and his poor production have left him with little room to re-enter the rotation.

Once viewed as a potential one-and-done NBA Draft prospect, Rosario is now effectively in the doghouse in Lawrence. Many players have entered this proverbial state in the past, and not all of them have managed to work their way out.

McDowell's surge as a shooter has played a major role in Rosario's downfall. The redshirt sophomore is shooting 44.2% from beyond the arc, nearly 20 percentage points higher than Rosario.

While Rosario still offers positive attributes such as his hustle, athleticism, and exciting dunks, he has also been overly trigger-happy from 3-point range. Kansas cannot afford wasted possessions now that Darryn Peterson is healthy and the offense is beginning to find its rhythm.

Even Dawson, who has endured struggles of his own, entered the game before Rosario against Baylor and played the final few minutes of the first half. During that stretch, he hit a 3-pointer to give KU the lead, a shot Self later called the biggest of the game. All of these factors leave very little margin for Rosario to earn more opportunities during his freshman campaign.

Ultimately, Rosario was given a fairly long leash before being dropped from the lineup, and the reality is that he did not make the most of it. His chances of becoming a significant contributor moving forward are slim, though they are not entirely gone.