Tyran Stokes Down to Three Schools: Does Kansas Have a Chance?

The Kansas basketball program is gearing up to tip off the 2025-26 campaign on Monday, but it received some encouraging news on the recruiting trail in the meantime.

Tyran Stokes, the No. 1 overall recruit in the Class of 2026, is down to three schools in his recruitment. He will be choosing between Kansas, Kentucky, and Oregon.

pic.twitter.com/ET1sf0KgAN
— tyran stokes (@tyran_stokes) November 1, 2025

If you’ve been following his recruitment for some time, this comes as no surprise. These three schools have been closely tied to Stokes for quite some time, though Oregon appears to be the odd man out in this equation.

Most analysts believe his decision will come down to KU or Kentucky. However, the Wildcats have firmly been the frontrunners since they hosted him on an official visit in June.

Kansas or Kentucky?

Everything is falling into place for UK as Stokes recently signed an NIL deal with Nike, Kentucky’s official outfitter for the athletic programs, rather than Adidas.

While Bill Self and Co. were once thought of as his top option, that changed once Mark Pope swooped in. Four premier recruiting analysts, including a KU insider, all predicted that Stokes would ultimately commit to Kentucky in an article from earlier this month.

Despite the speculation around Kentucky’s chances, there is no indication that Kansas is out of the race just yet. Those same four analysts who believe Stokes will end up a Wildcat all noted that the biggest threat to Kentucky is none other than KU.

The Jayhawks are clearly still holding out hope that Stokes will change his mind and become the second consecutive top-rated recruit to play in Lawrence, following the footsteps of Darryn Peterson.

Oakland Soldiers’ Tyran Stokes (4) shoots a free throw during a game at Nike EYBL at the Memphis Sports & Events Center on Saturday, May 17, 2025. | Chris Day/The Commercial Appeal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

At 6-foot-7, Stokes brings a wide array of skills to the table as a player. He is an excellent finisher around the rim who can play downhill as well as any prospect in recent memory.

Coach Self has already assembled a historic 2026 class for his program that is headlined by 5-star point guard Taylen Kinney. He and Stokes are thought to be close friends, and Kinney has stated on many occasions that he is doing everything he can to recruit Stokes to KU.

If Kansas were to suddenly jump in the lead for Stokes at some point, we’d likely hear something beforehand about it — or maybe we wouldn’t. The modern recruiting landscape is so volatile that nobody can truly predict the outcome of Stokes’ recruitment until he makes a final decision.