KANSAS

Kansas Remains in Hot Pursuit of No. 1 Recruit Tyran Stokes

With a commitment from Tyran Stokes, the Kansas Jayhawks would likely secure the No. 1 recruiting class in college basketball next year.
Dillon Davis|
Chris Day/The Commercial Appeal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Kansas Jayhawks

In just his first week of action at Rainier Beach High School in Seattle, Washington, high school basketball star Tyran Stokes quickly reminded everyone why he is the consensus No. 1 recruit in the country.

In the team’s season opener last week, Stokes put up 31 points, eight rebounds, and six steals to give the Vikings the 81-60 win over Renton High School. He followed that up with a 27-point scoring performance this week to go along with 14 rebounds, eight steals, and seven assists in a win over Bishop Blanchet.

The Vikings are led by former NBA veteran Jamal Crawford, whose son J.J. Crawford also plays on the team as a freshman.

Kansas in town

Kansas basketball assistant coach Kurtis Townsend was in Seattle on Tuesday to see Stokes play, according to Joe Tipton of On3.com.

The Jayhawks are reportedly one of three finalists for Stokes, along with Kentucky and Oregon. Although, Vanderbilt may have recently entered the picture after extending an offer to Stokes on Tuesday.

Stokes, a 6-foot-7 small forward originally from Louisville, Kentucky, is rated at the No. 1 player in the 2026 class according to On3.com, ESPN, and 247Sports – making him the undisputed top recruit in the country.

Kansas was thought to be on the outside looking in a few months ago once it was announced that Stokes had signed a multi-year Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) deal with Nike. But now, it may be safe to assume that KU is the front-runner for his services.

Why the Jayhawks may have the edge

Despite Oregon’s ties to Nike and the appeal that may have to Stokes along with his Nike deal, the Ducks just can’t offer the same type of experience and exposure as Kansas can.

In Lawrence, Stokes would have every opportunity to showcase his talents in front of a national audience on multiple occasions throughout the season, play for one of the best coaches and programs in the country under Bill Self, and likely compete for a national championship with the talent KU has coming in next year.  

Stokes wouldn’t have that same type of exposure playing for a team like Oregon who is rarely ranked in the top 25 and whose games often go unseen when playing on the West Coast.

Meanwhile, Kentucky is a program with a lot of questions marks surrounding their head coach Mark Pope.

The Wildcats are off to a shaky start this year with just six wins against unranked opponents and four losses to each of the ranked teams they’ve faced thus far – including an ugly 94-59 loss to No. 8 Gonzaga in Nashville last week.

Kentucky could almost certainly match or beat KU in terms of NIL compensation, and they would give Stokes the better opportunity to play in front of family in Louisville, but there are too many question marks with that program to consider them the favorite right now over Kansas.

Stokes has spoken about wanting to play at a school that feels like home. And like Dorothy once said about Kansas: “There’s no place like home.”

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Dillon Davis
DILLON DAVIS

Being a Kansas Jayhawks fan was never a choice for me. I grew up in Topeka, Kansas, surrounded by a family full of Jayhawks. I was even born during a Kansas basketball NCAA Tournament game, so I guess you could say it was fate for me to be a Jayhawk too. When it came time for me to go to college, there was only one place I applied and only one place I wanted to go – KU. I've since turned that passion into sports writing. I've written about KU sports for more than seven years and produced hundreds of KU news articles in that time. I love storytelling, I love KU and I love interacting with my fellow Jayhawks. Rock Chalk!

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