College basketball rankings: Kansas in way-too-early Top 25 And 1 after landing No. 1 recruit Tyran Stokes

Stokes committed to the Jayhawks over offers from Kentucky, Louisville and USC

Gary Parrish

Apr 29, 2026

2:09 pm ET

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1 min read

Kansas and Kentucky are two of college basketball's biggest brands with two of the sport's largest budgets -- and both still desperately need to add high-end talent in advance of next season to position themselves as legitimate Final Four contenders.

Tyran Stokes benefitted from that reality.

Tyran Stokes commits to Kansas: Jayhawks land No. 1 player in 2026 class over Kentucky

Cameron Salerno

While choosing to take his recruitment deeper into the calendar than most high school prospects tend to do, Stokes, the No. 1 prospect in the Class of 2026, found himself with lucrative offers from each school in recent weeks and was reportedly seriously considering both. Ultimately, though, the 6-foot-7 forward did what he was long expected to do and, on Tuesday, announced a commitment to Kansas, where his addition has pushed the Jayhawks up to No. 25 in Version 13 of the 2026-27 CBS Sports Preseason Top 25 And 1 college basketball rankings.

"Yesterday was a big day for our program -- landing the consensus number one player in the 2026 class," said Kansas coach Bill Self. "Tyran is as versatile a youngster that I've ever recruited. He can score and he's a terrific rebounder. He's powerful and can be a great facilitator, and maybe what he does best is pass the basketball. He's had far more exposure to basketball than most kids his age and will come in here with the ability to live up to the lofty expectations that will be placed on him by others."

It's a huge get for KU.

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Isaac Trotter

Before his announcement, Stokes was considered the best prospect available in a market that's becoming smaller by the day. He averaged 22.4 points, 10.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists on the Nike EYBL circuit last year and has won three gold medals with USA Basketball. He'll now team with fellow five-star recruit Taylen Kinney and give Self a talented core in what will be his 24th season at KU, one in which the Jayhawks will be trying to advance to the Sweet 16 for the first time since they won the 2022 NCAA Tournament.

FYI: Stokes wasn't the only notable player to select his next school Tuesday. Arizona State transfer Massamba Diop also did it and picked Gonzaga over St. John's in a move that pushed the Zags up to No. 8 in the Top 25 And 1. A 7-1 center, Diop just averaged 13.6 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.1 blocks at ASU.

Top 25 And 1 rankings

Biggest Movers

N. Carolina

Nebraska

Teams

Chg

Rcrd

Florida

This ranking is based on the Gators returning six of the top seven scorers -- specifically Thomas Haugh, Alex Condon, Boogie Fland, Reuben Chinyelu, Urban Klavsar and Isaiah Brown -- from a team that finished 27-8 and advanced to the second round of the 2026 NCAA Tournament. That core will be joined by a recruiting class highlighted by Kentucky transfer Denzel Aberdeen and 7-foot center Jones Lay.

27-8

Duke

This ranking is based on the Blue Devils returning four of the top six scorers -- specifically Patrick Ngongba II, Caleb Foster, Cayden Boozer and Dame Sarr -- from a team that finished 35-3 and advanced to the Elite Eight of the 2026 NCAA Tournament. That core will be joined by a recruiting class highlighted by Wisconsin transfer John Blackwell, Belmont transfer Drew Scharnowski and five-star prospects Cameron Williams, Deron Rippey Jr. and Bryson Howard.

35-3

Michigan

This ranking is based on the Wolverines returning two of the top five scorers -- specifically Elliot Cadeau and Trey McKenney -- from a team that finished 37-3 and won the 2026 NCAA Tournament. That core will be joined by a recruiting class highlighted by Tennessee transfer J.P. Estrella, Cincinnati transfer Moustapha Thiam, LSU transfer Jalen Reed, five-star prospect Brandon McCoy Jr., and four-star prospects Lincoln Cosby, Quinn Costello and Joseph Hartman.

37-3

Illinois

This ranking is based on the Illini returning six of the top nine scorers -- specifically Andrej Stojakovic, David Mirkovich, Tomislav Ivisic, Zvonimir Ivisic, Jake Davis and Brandon Lee -- from a team that finished 28-9 and advanced to the 2026 Final Four. That core will be joined by a recruiting class highlighted by Providence transfer Stefan Vaaks, four-star prospects Quintin Coleman and Lucas Morillo and three-star prospects Ethan Brown and Landon Davis.

28-9

UConn

This ranking is based on the Huskies returning three of the top seven scorers -- specifically Braylon Mullins, Silas Demary and Jayden Ross -- from a team that finished 34-6 and advanced to the championship game of the 2026 NCAA Tournament. That core will be joined by a recruiting class highlighted by Duke tr