KANSAS

Kansas Listed Among College Basketball Offseason's Biggest Losers

While the offseason isn't quite finished, one college basketball analyst listed Kansas as one of the biggest 'losers' of the spring.

Joshua Schulman

Oct 18, 2024; Lawrence, KS, USA; Kansas Jayhawks head coach Bill Self speaks to the crowd during Late Night in the Phog at Allen Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images
Oct 18, 2024; Lawrence, KS, USA; Kansas Jayhawks head coach Bill Self speaks to the crowd during Late Night in the Phog at Allen Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images / Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images
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The Kansas Jayhawks have swung and missed on several transfer portal targets this offseason.

Even after Bill Self added Tre White, Jayden Dawson, and Melvin Council Jr. to the squad, KU's roster still has several gaps that have not been addressed.

Several analysts are skeptical of the Jayhawks heading into the 2025-26 season, including Field of 68 founder Rob Dauster. Kansas landed No. 2 overall in his new list of "offseason losers."

It is the first year of the transfer portal era that Self and Co. failed to make a splash in the open market.

Missing on Italian recruit Dame Sarr and Texas Tech transfer Darrion Williams certainly left Jayhawk fans frustrated with this offseason.

White, Dawson, and Council are solid rotational pieces paired alongside incoming freshman Darryn Peterson, but the KU faithful is yearning for more.

With 11 out of 14 possible scholarships filled — four taken up by players without any collegiate experience — Kansas still lacks big man depth and a true power forward to start next to Flory Bidunga.

Coach Self completely revamped the roster following the end of last season, watching five players transfer away and three starters graduate. However, KU failed to hit the portal early on, and limited options remain as a result.

After Penny Hardaway and Memphis, the Jayhawks were the second-biggest "loser" on Dauster's list. Other Big 12 programs, such as Arizona and Baylor, finished in fourth and fifth place, respectively.

Following two consecutive down years in Lawrence, the upcoming campaign will reveal if Self is capable of adjusting to the new landscape of NCAA basketball.

While the team has holes to fill, Kansas can still salvage its offseason with a few more late transfer acquisitions.

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Joshua Schulman
JOSHUA SCHULMAN

A longtime Kansas basketball and football fan, Josh is at The College of New Jersey majoring in Communications and minoring in Journalism. Josh has over 1,000 published articles on KU athletics on FanSided's Through the Phog, with additional work at Pro Football Network and Last Word on Sports. In his free time, Josh often broadcasts TCNJ football games on WTSR 91.3FM.

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