Kansas Not Rated Highly in FOX's Way-Too-Early CBB Rankings

The national media is still skeptical of the Jayhawks.

Kansas Jayhawks head coach Bill Self yells out during the second half of the game against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders inside Allen Fieldhouse on Nov. 11, 2025. | Evert Nelson/The Capital-Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Although it got off to a slow start, the Kansas basketball offseason has gone better than expected for the program. In the past few weeks, the Jayhawks have landed numerous highly rated transfers and the top-ranked prospect in the class of 2026, Tyran Stokes.

The roster is far from complete, but KU has a foundation that should at least put it in the conversation as one of the top teams in the Big 12 — or so we thought.

FOX Sports unveiled its way-too-early college basketball power rankings for the upcoming season based on each team's activity in the transfer portal, and the Jayhawks were nowhere to be found in the top 25.

A wild portal cycle brought major changes 👀

What’s your biggest takeaway from @cjacobsen23’s latest Top 25? pic.twitter.com/gpWuLhes2x

— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) April 30, 2026

Four teams in the Big 12 were included on the list, with Kansas notably absent. That suggests FOX believes KU will finish as a middle-tier school in the conference this upcoming season.

The concerns about the Jayhawks' supporting cast around Stokes are real, especially considering they return just two players from last season. There are also lingering questions in the frontcourt that haven't been fully answered. However, Toledo transfer Leroy Blyden Jr. and 5-star recruit Taylen Kinney are two players who could easily emerge as X-factors for this squad.

Last year, KU opened as the No. 19 team in the country, the third-lowest Preseason AP Top 25 mark for a Bill Self-led team. Based on these projections, the Jayhawks could fall in a similar range when the initial poll is released, or potentially even lower.

Still, it feels like Kansas is being overlooked here. There is still plenty of time in the offseason for the coaching staff to address the remaining roster needs, and adding one or two more impact transfers could quickly shift the narrative surrounding this team.