Kansas Hosting 5-Star Gabe Nesmith on Visit in Regular Season Finale

Bill Self is looking to make the most of his team's final home game of the season on the recruiting trail. The Jayhawks will host one of the top prospects in the Class of 2027 on campus for Saturday's matchup against Kansas State in the second rendition of the Sunflower Showdown.

5-star phenom Gabe Nesmith will be making his way to Lawrence on Friday, according to On3 insider Joe Tipton. He will likely be the final visitor of the season for the Jayhawks, barring any new names that emerge in the coming days.

2027 Top-20 overall recruit Gabe Nesmith is visiting Kansas this weekend, he told @Rivals.

The 6-5 small forward will attend the Jayhawks’ matchup against Kansas State on Saturday. https://t.co/orne8JGKGv pic.twitter.com/DOP1nHTDP2
— Joe Tipton (@JoeTipton) March 5, 2026

The No. 14 player and No. 5-ranked small forward in 247 Sports' class of 2027 rankings, Nesmith is widely regarded as one of the most talented wings in his class. Most outlets list him as a 5-star prospect, though he is viewed as a highly rated 4-star on some sites.

A 6-foot-6, 185-pound guard from West Palm Beach, Florida, Nesmith competes for the City Reapers on the Overtime Elite circuit. He would join several Kansas players, such as Bryson Tiller and current signee Taylen Kinney, as OTE products.

In the 2025-26 campaign, Nesmith averaged just 7.5 points and 4.0 assists in two games, as he was sidelined nearly the entire year due to injury. However, he showed flashes in limited action and had a nine-point outing in the playoffs versus FaZe.

Although there is limited film from his OTE stint, Nesmith shares a connection with a current Jayhawk. He began his high school career at Montverde Academy in Florida and played his sophomore season with star guard Darryn Peterson at Prolific Prep.

Nesmith was offered by Kansas in July 2025, and Self and Co. now appear to be ramping up their pursuit. He also holds offers from USC, Vanderbilt, and others.

Since October, he has taken unofficial visits to Georgia, Louisville, Tennessee, and Auburn, but this trip will mark his first official visit. Nonetheless, it is clear that his recruitment remains wide open at this stage.

Kansas Getting an Early Start on Its 2027 Recruiting Class

Kansas already holds one pledge in its 2027 class from fellow Overtime Elite standout Javon Bardwell. There have been murmurs about him potentially reclassifying to 2026 if the Jayhawks cannot secure a commitment from Tyran Stokes, but the consensus is that KU is currently in the driver's seat for the top-ranked 2026 prospect.

Regardless, Nesmith would be a fantastic addition to the 2027 class with or without Bardwell in the mix. He is a polished shooter and could develop into one of the premier scoring prospects in the class.

Despite his lingering injury issues this year, KU clearly likes what it sees from Nesmith. Once he gains more experience this summer and as an upperclassman, he could rise up the recruiting rankings to become a consensus 5-star and potentially a top-10 talent.

"They build pros," Nesmith once said in an interview about Kansas. "And coach Bill Self is really, really, really locked into his players. And I like the way he coaches. You know, he coaches with fire and all that stuff."