KU facing a complete overhaul?

Unless one of the Jayhawks who recently entered college basketball's transfer portal elects to return to KU — an actual possibility simply because, in the portal world, anything is possible — Bill Self and his coaching staff are looking at the very real idea of having just one player who played meaningful minutes back with the team next season.

And that's if he stays.

And that's using the words "meaningful minutes" somewhat liberally.

After news broke Tuesday morning that reserve guard Jamari McDowell had joined teammates Flory Bidunga, Bryson Tiller, Paul Mbiya and Elmarko Jackson in entering the transfer portal, KU's returning roster included just three scholarship players — Kohl Rosario, who played 331 minutes (11.4 per game) in 29 of KU's 35 games last season; Samis Calderon, who appeared even less, playing just 67 minutes in 16 games; and Corbin Allen, who redshirted from the jump and did not play.

That first group of five listed above is a pretty good team. Probably would finish in the top half of the Big 12 next season. The trio that followed — provided they all decide to stay — desperately needs a team around it.

Redshirt-sophomore Jamari McDowell's portal announcement from his Instagram feed.

Such is life in the modern era of college hoops. At least until things become more regulated and rules are in place that bring order to the transfer portal and extraordinary paydays.

I understand that Kansas fans are frustrated. Some of you might be downright worried even. And there's still another group that's just flat-out over it.

Hard to blame you. But think back, for a second, to when you heard KU was bringing in a guy named Melvin Council Jr. for the 2025-26 season. Who? That's right. Hardly any of you knew him when the Jayhawks signed him and all he did was go on to become one of the most beloved Jayhawks in recent memory.

Not all newcomers will be Melvin. Far from it. But his lone season in Lawrence is proof that some of that connection still can happen. It might be more rare and it might happen only a time or two on every roster. But it also might not be gone forever.

With that in mind, here's the good and the bad of KU's current situation, where Self has several scholarships to offer to fill out the roster for the 2026-27 season.

PROS

• Money to spend - Kansas has been and will continue to be one of the bigger spenders in college basketball. That's not changing anytime soon. You have to spend the money on the right guys, of course, but having big checks to hand out certainly gives you a chance of adding top talent and fielding a tough team. All four Final Four teams displayed that in some way or another this season. And a recent Big Ten coach, quoted anonymously by On3 recruiting guru Joe Tipton, said that unless you're prepared to bring your NIL budget for men's basketball to $12 million or more, you're in trouble. The Jayhawks should be above that number and that, along with the school's tradition and Hall-of-Fame head coach, should attract some real players.

• Freshmen can play - KU won't have to do all of its heavy lifting in the transfer portal because Self and his staff have put together a darn good recruiting class at the high school level. Ranked No. 3 in the nation by 247Sports, the Jayhawks' 2026 class starts with point guard Taylen Kinney, a 5-star McDonald’s All-American. But it’s bigger than that. KU also has been rumored to be the favorite to land No. 1 overall prospect Tyran Stokes, another 5-star recruit. Beyond that, KU's incoming class includes 4-star prospects Luke Barnett (6-3, 170, SG from Mater Dei), Davion Adkins (6-8, 205, PF from Prolific Prep) and Trent Perry (6-4, 175, SF from Link Academy). It's not a stretch to see any of those guys playing an important role right away, with Kinney and Stokes (if he chooses KU) not only slated as impact players but also likely starters and key pieces to build around. That group alone puts KU in better shape than a bunch of high-major programs in the country because it gives KU options and depth pieces in place.

• Have to use everyone now? - I do think the plan was for KU to be a much deeper team than it proved to be during the recently completed season. The injuries and inexperience that slowed guys like Jayden Dawson, Kohl Rosario, Paul Mbiya and others one or two more kept KU from going deep into its bench for most of the Big 12 schedule. While that's certainly nothing new for a Self team, it would not surprise me if the intent this offseason is to earmark some of that money to make sure you have depth. A true second point guard. A couple of reliable and proven bucket-getters. And size up front. All of it will be needed as much on the Jayhawks' bench as in the starting lineup, and I think the construction of the roster will demonstrate that the Jayhawks are aiming and planning to do this.

CONS

• No continuity - In a perfect world, KU would've been able to keep a couple of contributors from this year's team to help them build for next season and to give them a little better understanding of what kind of proven talent they have. It does not appear it'll pan out that way, and that could make it tough to bring this new bunch together as quickly as some might like. Having said that, almost all of them will be starting from the same spot when they arrive on campus in early June, and there's something to be said about building a bond and good team chemistry from the launching pad. Beyond that, new pieces and players who bring different strengths and styles will give the Jayhawks an opportunity to tinker with the way they do things. I wouldn't expect a huge departure from

• Miserable for the fans (at least for now) - It's a tough time for the KU fan base right now and I don't blame you one bit for voicing your frustration. Maybe disappointment's a better word. For years, the biggest thing in town — and in a lot of your sports-fandom lives — was the KU basketball season, which always felt like a 365-days-a-year kind of thing because you knew, from season to season, who would be back and only had to learn the names and faces of a few players. Oftentimes, those newcomers carried a great deal of excitement and had the Kansas fan base anticipating big things. But even during those "down" cycles in recruiting, you at least always knew who you had coming back. You could spend days — weeks even! — debating which guys would make the biggest jumps and explaining your expectations for each player. Now, at least for a while, you don't even know the names of more than half of the roster. That doesn't mean the new guys won't deliver. Heck, they could become some of your all-time favorites. But, for now, they're anonymous and unknown and not a whole lot of fun. I'm sure you'll all still ramp back up when October rolls around. But, today, the time between April and August seems like it's filled with as much grumbling and frustration as excitement for the future.

• Culture hit - When Elmarko Jackson first began getting recruited by the Kansas coaching staff, the Jayhawks' roster consisted of a bunch of guys who went on to bring KU its sixth national championship. When he committed, the Jayhawks were just a few months removed from raising the 2022 national title trophy. And that was a few weeks after fellow Class of 2023 guard Jamari McDowell announced his commitment to the program. To say those guys were around and saw and learned from some of the best Jayhawks in recent memory is putting it mildly. Those were the guys who brought these guys into the KU family, taught them the importance of culture and explained to them why the standard sat where it sat for Bill Self's program. And now, poof!, they're both gone. While guys like Rosario and Allen were at least around those two KU veterans for a year — and a lot of the alums who have been hanging around — that's not the same thing as being those guys. So, you can't help but wonder who the keepers of the culture will be moving forward. Coaches can do it. But the best teams always seem to be player-led in some manner, meaning some of these new guys are going to have to figure out what it means to play at Kansas and for Self in a hurry.