Kohl Rosario the Only Kansas Player Not to Enter Transfer Portal Yet

The Kansas basketball program was widely expected to lose several players in the transfer portal this offseason, much like most schools across the country. However, it would have been difficult to predict nearly every possible Jayhawk testing the waters on the open market.

With Samis Calderon's entry into the portal yesterday, he became the sixth of seven possible returnees to leave KU. Aside from redshirt freshman Corbin Allen, who didn't play a minute this past season, Kohl Rosario is the last man standing in Lawrence.

There's little reason to believe Rosario won't do the same given that all of his teammates from his first year at Kansas are likely gone. But retaining him would be massive for Bill Self's coaching staff and would make Rosario even more beloved by the Jayhawk faithful.

Retaining Kohl Rosario Should Be a Top Priority

Rosario looked impressive in early practices, leading to Coach Self inserting him into the starting five by the beginning of the season. Yet within less than a month, he lost his starting spot to power forward Bryson Tiller due to shooting struggles and questionable decision-making.

He finished the year with modest stats of 3.4 points, 1.3 rebounds, and 0.4 assists on 42.5% shooting. His 3-point percentage was 28.6%, far below what was expected from the supposed sharpshooter out of Overtime Elite, and that led to him nearly falling out of the rotation by the time the calendar flipped to 2026.

But even with his disappointing production, Rosario showed something late in the season that confirmed his sky-high potential. His second-half minutes against St. John's nearly sparked a comeback in the NCAA Tournament, and he played some exceptional minutes against Houston in an otherwise ugly loss in the Big 12 Tournament.

It may not seem like a big deal for Rosario to return, considering the KU roster is going to start almost completely from scratch anyway. Still, even if he is the only player who returns to this squad, having some level of continuity couldn't hurt.

If Rosario can build off his strong finish to his freshman season, there is a real chance he works his way back into starting lineup conversations, depending on how the offseason goes down. He obviously won't be relied on as a top contributor, but now that he's the last Jayhawk remaining from this past team, the only hope for any remaining stability is for him to come back for another year in Lawrence.