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Transfer Portal 2025 and Spring/Summer recruiting thread

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2 weeks 1 day ago #33892 by NotOstertag
Eligibility? Is that even a thing anymore? Under the new "transfer for money" format, everyone can essentially play the same game that one-and-dones and seniors have played for ever: 1.) enroll in fall classes. 2.) get a bunch of incompletes that don't get sorted out until sometime during the 2nd semester. 3.) "drop out" of school immediately after the season ends.

The pretense of "student" athlete is absoutely dead for the top tier athletes playing basketball and football (aka the kids that are being recruited hardest). Does anyone think a HS GPA or SAT score is going to hold up against a team who is willing to offer a kid a 7 figure deal with no strings attached to it? Hell, half the universities out there are already downplaying test scores for political reassons. I would think that the only barrier to eligibility these days would be if you are currently incarcerated and your sentence interferes with the game schedule.

"When I was a freshman, I remember Coach Naismith telling us how important it was to play good defense." - Mitch Lightfoot
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2 weeks 18 hours ago #33893 by HawkErrant
Yeah, the slippery slope has eroded away and the whole of college athletics is in freefall right now. Who knows when the mass will splash down, and then how deep will it sink, and what will emerge from the depths when it finally does?

I sure don't have a clue.

IN THE MEANTIME...

There's another international big man to add to the list of possibles.

Ege Demir, 6-10/244 center turns 21 in August.
Born in Kaduna, Nigeria
Nationality: Nigeria/Turkey
Plays with Tofas SC (Turkey)

I haven't watched his vids, but those who have say he reminds them of a young Udoka, but with a jump shot.
Wants to dunk every time he has the ball and wants to block every shooter that enters his space.

3 rides (maybe 4 depending on Nickens) to offer, may be just what the team needs for that backup 5 man.

So now the top names being mentioned with KU are

G Camron McDowell.(from DII)
PF Kerem Konan (Turkey)
G Kohl Rosario Rivals #27 in Class of 2026, but is considering reclassifying to 2025
C Ege Demir (Nigeria/Turkey)
C Momo Faye (Senegal)

Seriously wondering if any of them will end up Jayhawks?

"Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime." - Mark Twain "Innocents Abroad"
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1 week 2 days ago - 5 days 16 hours ago #33894 by HawkErrant
Here’s a summary of Rivals/JayhawkSlant “in man” Shay Wildeboor’s weekend update on recruiting for AY2025 (players to bring on board for this fall).

“Weekend recruiting update: Where things stand with several key targets”
Posted 2025-06-21 at 11:09 AM
by Shay (link for subscribers)

KOHL ROSARIO
6-5/180 shooting guard from Moravian Prep in Hickory, N.C.

• Recently completed official visit to Kansas.
• Currently the #27 ranked player in Rivals 2026 class, but looking at reclassifying to 2025.
• Has officially visited Oregon, Florida State, and Kansas, with Miami and Duke next.
• Shay says he’s been told (1) that Duke won’t take Rosario in the 2025 class, and (2) that HCBS has been very involved in his recruitment and made it clear to Rosario that Rosario is a TOP PRIORITY for Self.
• Shay is not predicting this, but it won’t surprise him if Rosario picks KU.

PAUL MBIYA
6-11/260 center from the Democratic Republic of Congo decommitted from NC State this past week.

• Mbiya was previously a top priority for KU. No doubt Mbiya is the big man Self wanted and Self had made that known to Mbiya.
• Like Rosario, not much has been written about Mbiya since he decommitted.
• Friday morning, Mbiya told Shay that Kansas is one of the schools he’s interested in attending.
• Shay notes still a lot of unknowns, but he expects KU to be at the top of Mbiya’s list.

OTHERS
Shay is figuring KU is looking at adding 3 more guys to the roster for this fall.

Top names are the previously mentioned
G Cam McDowell
C Kerem Konan and
C Ege Demir

Shay thinks all three have high interest in Kansas, but KU adding Kerem Konan would make the most sense.
• Shay has seen a lot of film of Konan, says he is “talented for sure. He can score around the basket, in transition, off offensive rebounds (put-backs), and from behind the arc.”
• Thinks Konan would be a nice addition to the roster, but “he could spend much of his first season at Kansas improving all areas of his game and having the opportunity to adjust to the game without necessarily being thrown into the fire as a freshman. This isn't the case for all players, but some are expected to play a role or want to play a role they simply aren't ready for at that particular time.”

=========
Shay did not address Ege Demir or Cam McDowell further in his post, so I’ll add my comments based on what i’ve been reading.

• People who have seen video of Demir describe him as similar to Udoka, wanting to dunk everything on offense and block everyone who tries to score around him. Very athletic and fast big man. Would be fun to watch everywhere but the free throw line (again leading to Dok comparisons).

• Regarding Cam McDowell, whom I would really love to have, this article detailing the NCAA JUCO ruling tells me the odds are not good he will get another year of eligibility approved.

Short and not so sweet - Since all four of his years were spent at NCAA schools (two at D I level and two at D II level), he did not meet the "non-NCAA institution" requirement for the blanket waiver to get an additional year. It is possible there may be other circumstances he can use to get that additional year, but the JUCO ruling does not cover his situation given the information I have to date.

I would love to be wrong in this case.
www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/ncaa-issues-cl...guidance-to-5828879/

"Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime." - Mark Twain "Innocents Abroad"
Last Edit: 5 days 16 hours ago by HawkErrant.
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6 days 5 hours ago #33897 by HawkErrant
2025-06-25

As we know now, yesterday Rivals class of 2026 #27 4* SG Kohl Rosario reclassified to 2025 and committed and signed with KANSAS!

247Sports.com: Four-star guard Kohl Rosario commits to Kansas, reclassifies to 2025 class

247Sports.com: Kohl Rosario commits to Kansas: Why it matters and what it means

247Sports.com: Bill Self weighs in on the addition of Kohl Rosario

With the addition of Rosario, KANSAS still has 2 scholarship openings available for AY2025-26.

14 OFFICIAL SCHOLARSHIP=ROSTER SPOTS (Final installment of the NCAA penalty to be taken AY2025-26, when scholarship|roster limits change to 15 players, which will not be impacted by grandfathered prior AY walk-ons)
- 3 returning COUNTERS (returning scholarship players)
= 11 openings
- 9 new COUNTERS on roster (HS recruits, transfers in)
∴ 2 OPENINGS available as of update date.
(I have adopted using the NCAA bylaws term COUNTERS instead of Scholarships from here on out as once our current walk-ons have used up all their eligibility every one on the roster, even if not on scholarship, will count against the program's scholarship|roster limit - HE)

Rosario fills Self's stated need for another outside shooter and scorer.

Of note regarding his readiness and ability to contribute now - Kohl was originally in the 2025 class, but reclassified to 2026 when he went to Moravia Prep. He is returning to the 2025 class. He's not a kid moving up his graduation date and graduating early, so physically and experience wise he is going to be more mature than one might think.

Self has said he still is looking for more, especially a big to play solid minutes at the 5 with Flory.

The talk of the town right now is former NC State and once again KANSAS recruit Paul Mbiya, 6-11/260 international player from the Democratic Republic of Congo. Per Rivals' Shay WIldeboor, Mbiya has conducted a Zoom call with Self & KU staff (and no one else as of yet) and both parties are definitely interested. As previously noted, Mbiya was a top priority for KU before his NC State commitment, and Shay has no doubt that Mbiya was the big man Self wanted, and that Self had made that known to Mbiya.

Here's hoping Self can land this big, big man.

As for that last ride?

Despite my earlier comments, I still like the idea of Camron McDowell being a Jayhawk, and everything I have seen and read is that he wants to be On the Hill next AY.

Hopefully that can be worked out with the NCAA, as that seems to be the *only* stumbling block in the young man playing anywhere in the future.

"Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime." - Mark Twain "Innocents Abroad"
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6 days 3 hours ago #33898 by HawkErrant

"Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime." - Mark Twain "Innocents Abroad"
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4 days 4 hours ago - 4 days 3 hours ago #33901 by HawkErrant
BLUF
KU Men’s hoops has at least 1 scholarship left to offer; TWO if Jaden Nickens does not join the team after football and Noah Shelby remains a walk-on for AY2025-26.

DETAILS
I’m just an old beancounter (former accountant and healthcare finance type), but even with my limited math skills I still get ONE (1) more ride available even after including Jaden Nickens - unless KU has decided to put Shelby on scholarship after all? Last we chatted about it the WOW (Word of Wildeboor) was that Shelby was going to stay a walk-on.

And IMO, with the changes in S|R limits that have been established after the House v NCAA et al. settlement — including the grandfathering of prior walk-ons with remaining eligibility, NOT having them count against the roster limits — I doubt we will see any scholarships given to a returning walk-on with more than 1 year of eligibility left (e.g., Shelby) unless Self intends to keep that person on scholarship in the following years. Seems to me granting a scholarship in such a case would remove the grandfather status forever. In other words, from that point on the player *would* count against the S|R limit.

2025-26 KU Basketball Roster
from earlier in June {Roster Counter}
#1 Jayden Dawson {1}
#2 Corbin Allen {2}
#3 Tre White {3}
#6 Samis Calderon {4}
#7 Noah Shelby (Walk-on) {na}
#11 Jamari McDowell {5}
#12 Wilder Evers (Walk-on) {na}
#13 Elmarko Jackson {6}
#14 Melvin Council, Jr. {7}
#15 Bryson Tiller {8}
#21 Will Thengvall (Walk-on) {na}
#22 Darryn Peterson {9}
#25 Justin Cross (Walk-on) {na}
#40 Flory Bidunga {10}
plus
Kohl Rosario {11}
Paul Mbiya {12}
Jaden Nickens{13}
{14}?

Bottom line, unless I’m missing something Bill’s got at LEAST one more ride to offer, even with including Nickens on the roster.

"Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime." - Mark Twain "Innocents Abroad"
Last Edit: 4 days 3 hours ago by HawkErrant.
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