Bill Self's red-hot recruiting week

It’s been a wild ride through the transfer portal for Kansas basketball coach Bill Self during the past few years, with a couple of huge hits, some equally big misses and a few moves that didn’t really move the needle either way.

During that stretch, as Self searched to reinvent the way he builds a roster and recruits, he made it clear that the portal would be a big part of the plan moving forward.

He also made it clear that he would not abandon high school recruits altogether. Instead, his preferred approach moving forward would be to would look to add depth and pieces of need through the portal, where college experience lives, while focusing his efforts in the high school ranks on the top players in each class.

Nothing like watching a plan come together flawlessly.

Not only does the 2025-26 Kansas basketball roster feature exactly that — impact-freshmen Darryn Peterson and Kohl Rosario from the prep ranks and a collection of Division I transfers — but it also appears as if that’s how the next couple of rosters will be built, as well.

That’s thanks to a red-hot recruiting week turned in by Self and his staff, which resulted in the Jayhawks landing commitments from a trio of highly-touted 2026 prospects and another in the class of 2027, all in the span of seven days.

Those players alone will not be enough to carry a top-five roster. But they also won’t have to be.

It’s customary now for coaches at all schools to look to the transfer portal to fill out their rosters, and Self will absolutely continue to do that. The fact that he’ll be building around these elite prep prospects can only help entice the top players in the portal to consider Kansas, much in the way that having Peterson in the fold this year appealed to players like Tre White, Melvin Council Jr. and Jayden Dawson.

It remains to be seen how this approach works and at least some of it remains tied to players panning out — the prep stars being ready to make the jump and the portal guys being more Zeke Mayo and less AJ Storr. But it certainly appears to be a nice blend of all the best things that Self has done as a coach, recruiter and developer of talent throughout his career.

The portal has delivered a mixed bags of results for fans of college athletics. But given the way Self and his staff have chosen to attack it, there appears to be room for year-round excitement, both in the form of chasing targets and also anticipating their arrival and what they can do as Kansas basketball pursues its next banner.

Here’s a quick look at the four players Self got commitments from in the past week, starting with 5-star point guard Taylen Kinney, moving on to small forward Trent Perry, pushing into the 2027 ranks for Javon Bardwell, and then back to 2026 for 4-star center Davion Adkins on Sunday night.

PG Taylen Kinney – 6-foot-3, 188 pounds from Newport, Ky.

The player who started it all — and then said he was already busy getting others to join him at Kansas — comes to KU from the Overtime Elite pipeline, where he was a star during the season, and he really stood out at various elite camps with his ballhandling, ability to get to the paint, footwork and quickness. He chose the Jayhawks over finalists Arkansas, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisville and Oregon.

SF Trent Perry – 6-foot-5, 190 pounds from Link Academy

The 4-star forward who is originally from Frisco, Texas, has a great frame, with wide shoulders, a 7-1 wingspan and notable toughness and physicality. He has been called “electric” and ranks No. 105 in the 247 Sports composite rankings for the 2026 recruiting class. Perry chose KU over finalists TCU and Maryland.

SF Javon Bardwell – 6-foot-6, 175 pounds from Phoenix Prep

The 5-star wing from Harlem, New York, is the latest Overtime Elite prospect to join the Jayhawks. He’s long, physical, athletic and still has plenty of room to grow, both physically and as a player. The No. 26 prospect in the 2027 composite rankings at 247 Sports chose KU over finalists Louisville, Texas and USC.

C Davion Adkins – 6-foot-9, 205 pounds from Prolific Prep

The 4-star lefty is long and athletic, with a 7-2 wingspan. He is the consensus No. 3 center in the 2026 class and ranks No. 30 overall, per the 247 Sports composite rankings. The Dallas native picked KU over fellow-finalists Houston and Rutgers.

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