Kansas will enter the 2026-27 season just inside the national rankings, according to ESPN’s latest preseason outlook.
In ESPN’s July edition of its Way-Too-Early Top 25, college basketball analyst Jeff Borzello ranked the Jayhawks No. 23 nationally, placing Bill Self’s program among the country’s projected top 25 teams despite an offseason filled with roster turnover.
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Kansas is coming off a 24-11 season that ended with the program’s fourth consecutive NCAA Tournament exit during the opening weekend. The Jayhawks lost all five starters from that team, including freshman standout Darryn Peterson, who was selected No. 2 overall in the 2026 NBA Draft.
Much of ESPN’s optimism centers on incoming freshman Tyran Stokes.
Borzello identified the nation’s No. 1 recruit as the player expected to have the biggest immediate impact in college basketball, pointing to his versatility, physicality and ability to create offense as reasons he could quickly become the focal point of Kansas’ attack.
ESPN projects Kansas’ starting lineup to feature guards Leroy Blyden Jr. and Taylen Kinney alongside Stokes, Utah transfer Keanu Dawes and former Charleston center Christian Reeves. Kohl Rosario and Dennis Parker Jr. were listed among the team’s top bench options.
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The rankings were released before Kansas added Serbian center Mihailo Mušikić, whose eligibility for the upcoming season remains pending. If cleared by the NCAA, Mušikić could provide additional experience and depth in the frontcourt.
Kansas is one of four Big 12 programs included in Borzello’s preseason rankings. The Jayhawks are slotted behind the conference’s top projected teams but ahead of Iowa State, reflecting uncertainty surrounding a roster that features several newcomers expected to play major roles immediately.
While preseason rankings offer an early snapshot of expectations, much of Kansas’ ceiling will depend on how quickly its rebuilt roster develops chemistry around Stokes during the opening months of the season.
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