With Darryn Peterson officially entering the NBA on Tuesday night, as the No. 2 pick of the Utah Jazz in the 2026 draft, the DP chapter at KU officially closed.
With that, we now can open two more chapters of majorly hyped KU freshmen in No. 1 overall prospect Tyran Stokes and McDonald’s All-American Taylen Kinney.
Both figure to have major roles on the 2026-27 squad and both come to KU with huge goals and dreams, as well as having their sights set on joining Peterson in the NBA sooner rather than later.
When DP arrived at KU last summer, he seemed like the surest bet we had ever seen, in part because of his game and in part because of how much — and how often — Kansas coach Bill Self gushed about him before he arrived.
Because of a string of bad injury luck and a season-long series of oddities regarding his availability, Peterson’s lone season as a Jayhawk did not go quite like anyone expected it would, and he left Lawrence as one of the most intriguing KU hoops players of all-time.
Yes, he was a second-team, 20-points-per-game guy, but he also never really got going and struggled through uncertainty and constant criticism while KU finished 24-11, tied for 3rd in the Big 12 and bowed out in Round 2 of the NCAA Tournament.
Did he live up to the hype? Was he a bust? Is the answer somewhere in between?
That depends on who you’re asking. But KU’s recent past, especially under head coach Bill Self, is full of Kansas players who arrived with big time hype and did not walk the line between beast or bust. Most of them either were or weren’t one or the other.
Time will tell where Stokes and Kinney land in terms of their legacies at KU, however short-lived their time in Lawrence may be.
But while we’re talking about it, let’s look back at the most-hyped freshmen in the Self era and refresh our memories about two groups of distinctly different players and careers – those who lived up to the hype and those who didn’t.
Because these lists were formed on the curve of how much buzz and excitement each player brought with him upon arriving in Lawrence, we’re using former Jayhawks who had 5-star designations from one of the major recruiting sites.
Those who panned out…
Cole Aldrich 2007-08 - One of Self’s first massive big man recruits, Aldrich committed to KU early, arrived with huge expectations and then backed up the hype by becoming one of the best big men in KU history, especially on the defensive end. Never was that more evident than during his freshman season, when he came in off the bench in the Final Four and dominated North Carolina’s Tyler Hansbrough for an important stretch in the Jayhawks’ rout of Roy Williams and the Tar Heels en route to the 2008 national title.
Darrell Arthur 06-07 - A 5-star prospect who became a huge part of Kansas winning the 2008 national title, Arthur made an immediate impact as a 10-points-per-game scorer as a true freshman after picking KU over Baylor at the last minute during his recruitment. He earned Big 12 all-freshman honors in Year 1 and was a first team all-Big 12 selection in Year 2, starting 39 of 40 games for the national champion Jayhawks that season while being regarded by all kinds of people as the best all-around player on that roster.
Udoka Azubuike 2018-19 - He played through injuries and was a bit slow to start his career, but there was never any denying how dominant Dok was when he was on. No one punished rims the way he did, and he developed his feet, speed and defensive feel throughout his career, which earned him a spot in the first round of the 2020 NBA draft.
Mario Chalmers, Brandon Rush & Julian Wright 2005-06 – We’ll lump these three in the same entry because they went on to do a lot of the same things. They played huge roles right away, became the face of the program and, ultimately, helped KU knock down the door for Self’s first national title in 2008. It wasn’t all roses for these guys right away, but they were all big time gets and they all more than delivered.
Sherron Collins 06-07 - A Chicago legend, who grew up going toe-to-toe with Derrick Rose in the Windy City, Collins coming to KU was a huge deal. And he’s still regarded as one of the best KU guards of all-time and one of the best players Self has ever recruited to the program. His four-year career stands second to almost none, but he showed right away that he was capable of playing with anybody on that level, averaging 9.3 points per game in 38 appearances — with 3 starts — as a true freshman before becoming a key cog in the Jayhawks’ title run his sophomore season.
Gradey Dick 2022-23 - Here’s another Kansas kid who had dreamed about going to KU his entire life and been great at every level he played from like 6th grade on. And then got to KU and proved that those lofty rankings and national praise were totally valid. An all-energy player if ever there were one, the Wichita kid was lights out during his one season as a Jayhawk, averaging 14 points per game and shooting 40% from 3-point range in 32.7 minutes for a No. 1 seeded KU team.
Devon Dotson 2018-19 - The lightning-fast and electric 5-star point guard from North Carolina started all 66 games he played in as a Jayhawk and was great right out of the gate. While his freshman year was solid, with him carrying the load as the team’s primary PG, it was his sophomore season, when he and Azubuike were a dominant 1-2 punch, that really stood out. That was the team that had a potential national title run stolen from it by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Perry Ellis 2012-13 - One of the top players to ever come out of the state of Kansas, Ellis, a Wichita native, was great right out of the gate and went on to have an all-timer KU career, even if opposing fans did get tired of seeing him in the Jayhawks’ lineup for so many seasons.
Joel Embiid 2013-14 - He was in a class with top prospect Andrew Wiggins and he was viewed as still a little bit raw when he arrived on KU’s campus. But it didn’t take long for the future No. 3 overall draft pick to shed that label and improved rapidly over his lone year at Kansas, making his decision to leave school after just one season a no-brainer even if he wanted to stay. Embiid in college was not the Embiid we’ve seen with the 76ers. But he was smooth, skilled, spectacular defensively and viewed as an emerging menace throughout college basketball.
Xavier Henry 2009-10 - Xavier came to KU and fit perfectly into a loaded lineup and went on to play an important role on one of the best KU teams of the Self era. It worked with him because he didn’t have to be the man, but he also probably would’ve been just fine being the man on any other team.
Josh Jackson 2016-17 - The future No. 4 pick in the NBA draft was an absolute beast at KU. On offense, he could get the rim whenever he wanted and played perfectly off of Frank Mason III and Devonte’ Graham. On defense, he guarded 7 footers and point guards alike and held his own with anyone. Jackson’s career stalled when he reached the NBA, but his prep run and lone season at Kansas had him positioned as one of the most hyped and sought-after players of all-time.
Thomas Robinson 2009-10 - It took him three years to really break out, but you could see it coming from Day 1. One of the biggest reasons for his wait was the loaded lineup in front of him, you know, back when guys had to wait their turn and develop along the way. T-Rob played sparingly during his first two years and then dominated college basketball his junior year, en route to All-American honors and a spot in the NBA draft’s Top 5.
Wayne Selden 2013-14 - His KU career lasted longer than I think anyone, including him, thought it was going to. But it was also rock solid from start to finish. Not bad for a 5-star guy who came in with Andrew Wiggins and Joel Embiid and had to find a way to make a name for himself. Selden started 108 of the 109 games he played over his three years at KU and left with a double-digit scoring average and all-around game good enough to get some run in the NBA.
Andrew Wiggins 2013-14 - All Big-12, Freshman of the Year and the team’s leading scorer on his way to becoming the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft. He didn’t wow everyone the way some wanted to be wowed, but he was damn good during his days as a Jayhawk and went on to have a long and profitable NBA career, as well. Although he was comfortable under the bright lights, Wiggins was a mostly quiet type of person — a lot like Peterson — even while putting up monster numbers and earning big time honors.
Those who didn’t…
Cliff Alexander 2013-14 - The big fella from Chicago who dominated the prep scene and was named the Naismith National Prep Player of the Year was next in line after Joel Embiid left town, but he never found his footing and wound up leaving the program before the end of his only season at Kansas. While he showed flashes at times, Alexander’s high school dominance did not fully translate to the college level, despite many around the program and in the Big 12 Conference expecting it to do just that. He appeared in 28 games for the Jayhawks, with 6 starts, and averaged decent numbers of 7.1 points and 5.3 rebounds in 17.6 minutes per game. But those numbers and the early departure were not anywhere close to what KU fans expected when he signed.
Flory Bidunga 2024-25 - Sure, Flory was a monster last season when it came to his numbers and production on the floor. And, yeah, he was the most sought-after player in the transfer portal this offseason, which led him to Louisville for a big time pay day, one year after he almost left KU for Auburn. His game has a couple of holes, but Bidunga was on his way to a great Kansas career. In the old days, he probably would’ve become one of those great KU big men. But leaving without winning much doesn’t allow you to land on the list of players who panned out, even if he ends up killing it at Louisville.
Carlton Bragg 2015-16 - Interestingly enough, Bragg arrived at KU as a 5-star prospect in the same class as Cheick Diallo and the two were expected to be a nasty duo in the KU frontcourt. While Bragg lasted two years at Kansas, he never quite reached that point and he left amid off-the-court issues before his third year with the program ever got going. In two seasons, which included him playing 69 games with 5 starts, the Ohio native averaged just 4.4 points per game and often was overmatched inside.
Silvio De Sousa 2017-18 - A mid-season addition and important player on the Jayhawks’ 2018 Final Four team, De Sousa started with a ton of hype and hope and then became more and more of a headache throughout his career. First, for his NCAA issues regarding alleged payments to his guardian and then for legal trouble off campus. All of that led to an explosion of emotion in the infamous brawl with K-State at Allen Fieldhouse. One of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet, De Sousa’s KU career was covered by dark clouds, even though he was exonerated for most of the issues before ultimately leaving KU to finish his career at Chattanooga.
Cheick Diallo 2015-16 - Another KU freshman who battled eligibility issues, Diallo had huge upside — as shown by his 5 years on an NBA roster — but averaged just 7.5 minutes per game in the 27 games he played with the Jayhawks after serving a 5-game suspension to start the season. That early setback kept him from finding his rhythm and he was merely a seldom-used role player during his one year at KU before being drafted early in the 2nd round of the 2016 NBA draft.
Quentin Grimes 2018-19 - Grimes started 36 games for the Jayhawks during his freshman season and averaged a respectable 8.4 points per game in the process. The problem was, it never looked like he quite fit or found his comfort zone at Kansas. That fact led him to leave after one year, not for the NBA but for a couple of years at Houston, where he helped the Cougars reach the Final Four and ultimately became a first-round draft pick in 2021 (No. 25 overall). So, clearly, he did pan out as a player. He just didn’t live up to the hype at Kansas.
Elmarko Jackson 2023-24 - A McDonald’s All-American who found himself in the lottery on NBA mock drafts before he even arrived at KU, Jackson battled injuries and inconsistency throughout his three years with the program and never quite reached the level people expected he would. This offseason, he left KU after the heartbreaking NCAA Tournament loss to St. John’s, and will play the 2026-27 season at Georgetown closer to his New Jersey home.
Billy Preston 2017-18 - It’s impossible not to look back at that 2018 Final Four team and think how much Preston would’ve helped the Jayhawks that season, even if no one was beating that Villanova team. In the end, though, eligibility issues kept Preston from ever playing for the Jayhawks outside of a summer exhibition in Italy and a trio of regular season exhibition games back in the States, against Mizzou, Pitt State and Fort Hays State.
MJ Rice 2022-23 - The buzz was there, and there was even talk about MJ not even making it to KU even after signing because of his pro aspirations. He did make it to campus to he never got comfortable during his lone season at KU and transferred out after one year, which marked the start of a spiral south to a once-promising college career.
Josh Selby 2010-11 - Ranked No. 1 in his class by some outlets, Selby saw the deck stacked against him from the start, as he was suspended for the first nine games of the season by the NCAA, which ruled he had received improper benefits during his recruitment. Selby exploded onto the scene in his first game as a Jayhawk, scoring 21 points in 27 minutes in a home win over USC. But the rest of the season did not go so well. He averaged just 14 minutes per game and was not relied on for a significant role. He declared for the NBA draft after one year at KU and was selected in the 2nd round by Memphis, but his pro career turned out about as well as his run in college.
Bryce Thompson 2020-21 - The connection to Self, who coached Thompson’s dad, Rod, back at Tulsa, added to the hype here. And Self called Bryce “one of our most important signees in recent memory,” when the young man signed with KU. But for all of Thompson’s accolades and style and skills, he just never quite fit at KU and the Tulsa native left the program after playing in 20 games, with 4 starts, during his freshman season in 2020-21, returning home to Oklahoma, where he played out his college career at Oklahoma State.
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