KU Roster for 25-26
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I love the focus on cultivating relationships rather than strictly service transactions @drgnslayr.
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@approxinfinity said in KU Roster for 25-26:
I will die on this hill railing against absolutism and forced dichotomies.
I absolutely love your being absolutely against absolutism. But I am absolutely opposed to you dying on this or any other hill involving semantics!
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@dylans said in KU Roster for 25-26:
@SlimShaddy54 Sounds academically ineligible -
Yeah rumor is he will have to do JUCO
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Yep… My wording was a little strong on the use of “stupid”… I apologize. And even under the heat I didn’t mean that directed personally… but to an idea. Again, sorry to everyone in here.
I’m not an expert in this area but I haven’t forgotten how this all went down originally and harnessing every aspect of NIL will be unlikely because it starts infringing on rights then ends up back in court.
I know I keep mentioning Duke… I have Duke grads close by and they let me know how Duke is on a real mission to dominate and are doing it by getting out ahead of the changing landscape. Of course, that leads me into hypertension!
So the good news is we managed to divert our thoughts away (a little bit) from recruiting. And on that, some of the people in my circle dropped a heavy on me by stating the recent KU recruiting failures weren’t based on KU coming up short on NIL funds. Then my blood pressure shot up again! Lol
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Hey, all. I updated the original post, adding some House v NCAA chaos. There’s still lots to sort as far as who counts on the roster, etc. crazy!
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@rockchalkjayhawk said in KU Roster for 25-26:
****** With the recent House v NCAA settlement, things are complicated with roster size. It’s hard to say if KU has four more spots to fill, or less. Also, apparently there’s a new fule for “designated student athletes.” These are players who would have been removed given the new roster rules, but now may stick around until they run out of eligibility, but may not count against roster size. This could easily be ALL the KU walkons. ******
May as well look ahead to see what’s in store for next season.
I’ll try to keep track of the offseason drama here. I’ll keep this mostly official, so no portal projections here.
But the portal window is: March 24 to April 22
Roster size: 14 (includes ALL but DSA players. Normally it’s 15, but we lost one to NCAA sanctions)
Roster size at the moment: 10 (a bit sketchy given the DSA rules)
RETURNEES (4)
G Elmarko Jackson
G/F Jamari McDowell
PF Bryson Tiller
C Flory Bidunga
RETURNING WALK ONS? (4 – and potential “designated student athletes”) ’ G Noah Shelby
G Wilder Evers
G Will Thengvall
F Justin Cross
IMCOMING FRESHMEN (3)
G Darryn Peterson
F Samis Calderon
G Corbin Allen – Oak Park High School
PORTAL ADDITIONS (3)
G Jayden Dawson via Loyola Chicago. One year of eligibility left.
G/F Tre White via Illinois – previous stops at Louisville, USC. One year of eligibility left.
G Melvin Council Jr. via St. Bonaventure – previous stop at Wagner. One year of eligibility left.
BIG QUESTION MARK (1)
SF Jaden Nickens – A football player who may play hoops. May have to count against the roster before the season begins.
HAVE ENTERED PORTAL (6 initially – Bidunga entered, but will return)
G/F AJ Storr – signed with Ole Miss
G/F Rylan Griffen — signed with Texas AM
G/F Rakease Passmore — signed with Maryland
PF/C Zach Clemence – signed with Texas A&M
G David Coit – signed with Maryland
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****** Update: With the recent House v NCAA settlement, things are complicated with roster size. It’s hard to say if KU has three more spots to fill, or less. Also, apparently there’s a new fule for “designated student athletes.” These are players who would have been removed given the new roster rules, but now may stick around until they run out of eligibility, but may not count against roster size. This could easily be ALL the KU walkons. ******
May as well look ahead to see what’s in store for next season.
I’ll try to keep track of the offseason drama here. I’ll keep this mostly official, so no portal projections here.
But the portal window is: March 24 to April 22
Roster size: 14 (includes ALL but DSA players. Normally it’s 15, but we lost one to NCAA sanctions)
Roster size at the moment: 11 (a bit sketchy given the DSA rules)
RETURNEES (4)
G Elmarko Jackson
G/F Jamari McDowell
PF Bryson Tiller
C Flory Bidunga
RETURNING WALK ONS? (4 – and potential “designated student athletes”)
G Noah Shelby
G Wilder Evers
G Will Thengvall
F Justin Cross
IMCOMING FRESHMEN (4)
G Darryn Peterson
F Samis Calderon
G Corbin Allen – Oak Park High School
SG Kohl Rosario
PORTAL ADDITIONS (3)
G Jayden Dawson via Loyola Chicago. One year of eligibility left.
G/F Tre White via Illinois – previous stops at Louisville, USC. One year of eligibility left.
G Melvin Council Jr. via St. Bonaventure – previous stop at Wagner. One year of eligibility left.
BIG QUESTION MARK (1)
SF Jaden Nickens – A football player who may play hoops. May have to count against the roster before the season begins.
HAVE ENTERED PORTAL (6 initially – Bidunga entered, but will return)
G/F AJ Storr – signed with Ole Miss
G/F Rylan Griffen — signed with Texas AM
G/F Rakease Passmore — signed with Maryland
PF/C Zach Clemence – signed with Texas A&M
G David Coit – signed with Maryland
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@rockchalkjayhawk said in KU Roster for 25-26:
****** With the recent House v NCAA settlement, things are complicated with roster size. It’s hard to say if KU has three more spots to fill, or less. Also, apparently there’s a new fule for “designated student athletes.” These are players who would have been removed given the new roster rules, but now may stick around until they run out of eligibility, but may not count against roster size. This could easily be ALL the KU walkons. ******
May as well look ahead to see what’s in store for next season.
I’ll try to keep track of the offseason drama here. I’ll keep this mostly official, so no portal projections here.
But the portal window is: March 24 to April 22
Roster size: 14 (includes ALL but DSA players. Normally it’s 15, but we lost one to NCAA sanctions)
Roster size at the moment: 11 (a bit sketchy given the DSA rules)
RETURNEES (4)
G Elmarko Jackson
G/F Jamari McDowell
PF Bryson Tiller
C Flory Bidunga
RETURNING WALK ONS? (4 – and potential “designated student athletes”)
G Noah Shelby
G Wilder Evers
G Will Thengvall
F Justin Cross
IMCOMING FRESHMEN (4)
G Darryn Peterson
F Samis Calderon
G Corbin Allen – Oak Park High School
SG Kohl Rosario
PORTAL ADDITIONS (3)
G Jayden Dawson via Loyola Chicago. One year of eligibility left.
G/F Tre White via Illinois – previous stops at Louisville, USC. One year of eligibility left.
G Melvin Council Jr. via St. Bonaventure – previous stop at Wagner. One year of eligibility left.
BIG QUESTION MARK (1)
SF Jaden Nickens – A football player who may play hoops. May have to count against the roster before the season begins.
HAVE ENTERED PORTAL (6 initially – Bidunga entered, but will return)
G/F AJ Storr – signed with Ole Miss
G/F Rylan Griffen — signed with Texas AM
G/F Rakease Passmore — signed with Maryland
PF/C Zach Clemence – signed with Texas A&M
G David Coit – signed with Maryland
Nickens can still basketball play and would count against the 15 player roster limit, but KU would still be in compliance with the scholarship reduction they still owe the NCAA because his scholarship is coming from football and not basketball.
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Bill Self is BACK folks
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****** With the recent House v NCAA settlement, things are complicated with roster size. It’s hard to say if KU has two more spots to fill, or less. Also, apparently there’s a new fule for “designated student athletes.” These are players who would have been removed given the new roster rules, but now may stick around until they run out of eligibility, but may not count against roster size. This could easily be ALL the KU walkons. ******
May as well look ahead to see what’s in store for next season.
I’ll try to keep track of the offseason drama here. I’ll keep this mostly official, so no portal projections here.
But the portal window is: March 24 to April 22
Roster size: 14 (includes ALL but DSA players. Normally it’s 15, but we lost one to NCAA sanctions)
Roster size at the moment: 12 (a bit sketchy given the DSA rules)
RETURNEES (4)
G Elmarko Jackson
G/F Jamari McDowell
PF Bryson Tiller
C Flory Bidunga
RETURNING WALK ONS? (4 – and potential “designated student athletes”)
G Noah Shelby
G Wilder Evers
G Will Thengvall
F Justin Cross
IMCOMING FRESHMEN (5)
G Darryn Peterson
F Samis Calderon
G Corbin Allen – Oak Park High School
SG Kohl Rosario
C Paul Mbiya — not sure what year he is
PORTAL ADDITIONS (3)
G Jayden Dawson via Loyola Chicago. One year of eligibility left.
G/F Tre White via Illinois – previous stops at Louisville, USC. One year of eligibility left.
G Melvin Council Jr. via St. Bonaventure – previous stop at Wagner. One year of eligibility left.
BIG QUESTION MARK (1)
SF Jaden Nickens – A football player who may play hoops. May have to count against the roster before the season begins.
HAVE ENTERED PORTAL (6 initially – Bidunga entered, but will return)
G/F AJ Storr – signed with Ole Miss
G/F Rylan Griffen — signed with Texas AM
G/F Rakease Passmore — signed with Maryland
PF/C Zach Clemence – signed with Texas A&M
G David Coit – signed with Maryland
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What a difference a year makes. Would be fine if espn hype train ignores us completely until we make some noise.
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@approxinfinity Yes. It would be nice to earn the big heads! Last years crew seemed to believe the hype a bit too much.
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@approxinfinity said in KU Roster for 25-26:
What a difference a year makes. Would be fine if espn hype train ignores us completely until we make some noise.
I’m perfectly fine with that. KU should have to earn it after the last two years.
I think this is now a top 10 roster. Before the additions I would have said moreso top 20 range. The back-up big was a must. The roster to me makes sense, and feels properly built around Darryn Peterson. I also really love all the length this team has. Positional length across the board. Elmarko at 6’3’’ will be the shortest rotation player. Council and Dawson both appear to have major plus wingspans.
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@BShark our defense and rebounding should improve drastically. The last 3 years have been sub par for a Self coached team.
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Waddya all think? Adding one or two more guys?
The Noah Shelby redshirt/DSA situation still unclear?
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@kjayhawks said in KU Roster for 25-26:
@BShark our defense and rebounding should improve drastically. Ge last 3 years have been sub par for a Self coached team.
Yes. Hunter was a huge liability on that end. All the bigs in the rotation are athletic again.
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@BShark crazy watching the draft to see 2 Rutgers guys get drafted top 5. But yet they couldn’t even go .500.
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@kjayhawks One of them two Rutgers guys gots lots of growing up to do. Not Harper, but the other one. Saw quite a few Rutger games this year. Forgot his name, could care less to look it up.
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@rockchalkjayhawk said in KU Roster for 25-26:
Waddya all think? Adding one or two more guys?
The Noah Shelby redshirt/DSA situation still unclear?
One, Shelby is on scholarship this season.
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@kjayhawks The prima donna of Rutgers cried when Utah drafted him, apparently not tears of joy.
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@wissox there is no singular in “jazz”, bro!
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@wissox I’d hate being forced to work in Utah as well. The draft is kinda bull crap - definitely not how I’d like to be chosen for work. But I don’t know how you’d force parity on the league without salary caps and weighted drafts. You’d end up with a bunch of Duke, Kansas, Alabama, Ohio State, Dodgers, Yankees garbage where the biggest checkbook wins.
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@dylans He’s not being forced to work in Utah. He could use that great Rutgers education I’m sure he got and go get a job he likes. I understand your point though and it’s interesting how we’re part of that elite group of teams/colleges.
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@wissox this isn’t really directed at you just a general pondering. I wonder what it would be like if teachers were drafted out of college and told where they could teach? - or they could pick a different profession of course. I’m sure the underprivileged would be better served if the teachers (or plumbers or carpenters or accountants or doctors or whatever profession) had no choice in where they worked - slippery slope
I don’t like the draft; it’s probably needed to even the playing field, but socialism is un-American at heart. I’d be curious what the league would loom like with no draft and just a salary cap - most NBA teams only keep one rookie if any on the roster. Draft picks are traded away like candy - just do away with the draft and let it be a mad dash of free agency and allow players more agency in their career trajectory- getting ie drafted by the Kings is a career killer.
It is what it is and like amateur sports in college I’m sure it’ll never change.
️ (…well not the way we want 
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@dylans back to how this affects KU with no draftable players - a HS player draft for college ball would ruin the product we love, would it not? Would laws even allow it? Could removing the NBA draft create a more enjoyable product? The player stability of NBA rosters is enviable- everything in college is just one year deals. Both leagues have room for major improvement.
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@dylans said in KU Roster for 25-26:
@wissox I’d hate being forced to work in Utah as well. The draft is kinda bull crap - definitely not how I’d like to be chosen for work. But I don’t know how you’d force parity on the league without salary caps and weighted drafts. You’d end up with a bunch of Duke, Kansas, Alabama, Ohio State, Dodgers, Yankees garbage where the biggest checkbook wins.
I really hate how it works in baseball. Part of it is just the sports involved but I do fully believe that the way the NFL has created major parity is a big part of the success. Obviously having an elite QB solves a lot and can make a team consistently good. But we always see a lot of season to season change in the NFL.
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@dylans TBH no different than anyone going in to the military and even specialized job fields. You often have only one option for the job you are trained on and sometimes have to move to a location that isn’t ideal for it.
The NBA at least has a union and every team is in at least a decent sized city
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@BShark The NBA has had 7 different champs in the 7 seasons. They’ve done a better job at creating parity than the NFL has.
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@MR11 If you’re going into a field so specialized there are only a few openings, you know where they are located, it’s no surprise. Your other option is to be so good you can do it from wherever you want. If there were 30 locations to work at you would get to choose one. It’s not like if one of them offers you a job you can’t be employed by the others since they own your rights to work in that field.
The military has multiple branches that you can choose from that have bases located in multiple locations. Generally speaking you get to choose from multiple locations when they move you and unlike being traded in sports they pack you up and move you. In addition you can choose how you enter the military as enlisted or an officer to take further control of your destiny.
I think the draft in sports is quite unique and flies in the face of capitalism - while still making a boat load of money. I also don’t know what would help floundering teams bounce back, but that doesn’t seem to be an issue in college sports. Maybe the entire philosophy of the draft is antiquated.
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While we should have a very competitive roster, the question is whether it is one that can compete for the B12 title, let along a NC? Championship teams have multiple NBA-level players. Based on ESPN’s (way too early) mock draft, we have only 2 on the board for 2026 - DP at 1 and Flory at 56 (30+ spots below Ejiofor)…Duke has two in the top 10 (including Sarr) and four in the top 16 (of course, they did this year, as well).
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@DCHawker KU has more than two potential NBA players in 2026. Tre White and Bryson Tiller have also shown up in different mocks and Elmarko Jackson was thought of as a OAD when he committed so he could play his way into that realm as well.
KU has the talent, the last two signings have been the needed depth for next season.
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@DCHawker said in KU Roster for 25-26:
While we should have a very competitive roster, the question is whether it is one that can compete for the B12 title, let along a NC? Championship teams have multiple NBA-level players. Based on ESPN’s (way too early) mock draft, we have only 2 on the board for 2026 - DP at 1 and Flory at 56 (30+ spots below Ejiofor)…Duke has two in the top 10 (including Sarr) and four in the top 16 (of course, they did this year, as well).
Lots of us have been KU basketball fans for many decades. Until recently, it was pretty easy in the preseason to gauge how good or not so good we’d be. We’d have returning four year players, with a few exciting recruits to mix in. So, we’d be dealing in known quantities. Ha, times have changed!
Anyway, most of these players I at least have no clue about. I can’t say I’ve ever watched St. Bonaventure intentionally.
Add to that the two guys coming off injury who we hope are big contributors, and even more question marks.
My big concerns on paper are rebounding and 3 pt shooting.
So we seem to have some experienced guys, but I’ll reserve judgment til the fall when we see em on the court.
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@dylans “If you’re going into a field so specialized there are only a few openings, you know where they are located, it’s no surprise.” 100% agreed and this very statement is what I am getting at, the NBA is such a field.
I would place a lot of money on betting you can find more military people that are stationed where they don’t want to be compared to NBA players in the world. The players also don’t even have to live in that city for probably 30-50% of the year between road games and offseason, unlike most other jobs. They could also be deployed at any time and you are going to a much shittier place than Utah and can’t take your family with you. Just saying being in this situation isn’t as unique as it appears.
I can empathize that yes it would suck to be drafted to a team you don’t want to be on or to get traded, but NBA players are paid a premium to give up that flexibility and have union representation to support them. Players could also individually negotiate a no trade clause in their contracts, but no one does that because they don’t value it over leaving money on the table. Everyone in the NBA benefits from the draft system as league parity makes the whole league more profitable. I just don’t think any of us need to feel sorry for NBA players and imagine most of the players would even agree that getting rid of the draft is bad for both the league and players.
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@rockchalkjayhawk I think those concerns are valid, but for 3 point shooting we know we are already getting an upgrade on 3 pt shooters at the 1 and 4 so at least can’t be as bad as last season right?
With how this team is build, it seems like the key won’t be to lead the nation in 3pt%. Just shoot enough at a respectable % so that defenders can’t pack the paint and block driving/cutting lanes.
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@DCHawker ya , now this Group of Duke recruits ha to prove themselves.---- --There is NO COOPER Flagg or knippel l on the roster…—have seen many 5 star players come up short. Just because there 5 stars doesn’t mean opponents are just gonna step aside and tell Duke to name the score and go from there…- Look how poorly Kentucky has been lately with all the so called stars haven’t came through , came up short
