Landing Javon Bardwell Could Signal Kansas Is Out on Tyran Stokes

Kansas basketball landed a massive commitment on Friday night by reeling in 2027 forward Javon Bardwell.

The top-15 prospect became the first pledge of KU's 2027 class, and there have already been rumors of him potentially reclassifying up one year to 2026 so he could suit up for the Jayhawks next season.

If that were to happen, it could trigger a major domino effect for Bill Self and his coaching staff in the coming weeks.

Was Javon Bardwell the Alternative to Tyran Stokes?

We're not calling Bardwell a "Plan B" option so to speak, but it is very possible that the coaching staff realized it wasn't going to land Tyran Stokes and instead ramped up its pursuit of Bardwell.

KU has been involved with Stokes for months, hosting him on an official visit in April and recently resurfacing in his recruitment. Kentucky and Oregon have long been considered the frontrunners, but there had been some renewed buzz around Kansas lately.

However, most of that went away yesterday when Bardwell committed and Stokes signed a NIL deal with Nike, the partner company to both UK and Oregon.

The Arizona Republic, which initially broke the news of Bardwell's commitment, revealed in the article (subscription required) that he was openly attempting to reclassify up to 2026.

"He has a lot of work to do to get there [to reclassify]," said John Ortega, his high school coach at PHH Prep. "He's excited if he goes as a 2027, but he'll try to get to 2026 if he can get everything square away."

There are a lot of things that go into the reclassification process. Bardwell would need to get caught up academically with all the credits needed to make the jump to college to ensure he is NCAA eligible.

Regardless, it doesn't feel like a coincidence that a rising junior made his college decision just days after the program added 5-star point guard Taylen Kinney and Link Academy wing Trent Perry to jumpstart the 2026 class.

MORE: What Kansas Basketball's 2026 Recruiting Class Looks Like With Trent Perry

At 6-foot-7, 175 pounds, Bardwell will hypothetically play a similar position in college and certainly wasn't an easy recruit to snag. Stokes will be the No. 1 guy wherever he goes, but KU wouldn't feel the need to add a 2027 prospect right now if it didn't feel it was urgent.

The Jayhawks landing Bardwell shows that Self is planning ahead by locking in a top talent early while shifting focus after likely missing on Stokes.