BYU basketball was rumored to have sent in an early application for the number-one recruit in this season's high school class, Tyran Stokes, but the pair's connection was very short-lived, as Kevin Young's program was out of the picture relatively quickly, and the star forward narrowed down his final choices to the Kansas Jayhawks, Kentucky Wildcats, and Oregon Ducks.
Taking to Inside the NBA on ESPN, Stokes publicly announced that he'd be lacing up his shoes in Allen Fieldhouse for the Kansas Jayhawks.
Breaking: Tyran Stokes, the No. 1 recruit in the SC Next 100 Class of 2026, has committed to Kansas, he announced on Inside the NBA. pic.twitter.com/tPjZWdLYPo
— ESPN (@espn) April 28, 2026
"It's been a long journey, I'm grateful," Stokes began, adjusting his sunglasses and slowly unpackaging his reveal. "With that being said, I'm taking my talents to Kansas University. Rock Chalk!"
Even though BYU basketball won't be the one benefiting from Stokes' talents, the Cougars will still be forced to get through him and a historically very strong Kansas program if Bruce Branch and company want to claim a Big 12 Conference title.
To make this story even wilder, a report emerged that Stokes has already signed his non-revenue share paperwork with Bill Self's Kansas program around the same time as his visit to Lexington, where staggering head coach Mark Pope took a home run swing to save the Wildcats' pitiful recruiting season.
It's been whiff after whiff for Mark Pope as he's tried to round out his roster following the transfer portal departure of so many players. As bad as the Rob Wright situation was, Stokes' spur of the Wildcats is damning for a program that has grown accustomed to recruiting the nation's best prospects. Meanwhile, in Fayetteville, Arkansas, John Calipari just secured his fourth 5-star recruit in this recruiting cycle.
Not a good look.
It was always going to be Kansas for Tyran Stokes, despite being a Kentucky lean early in his recruiting process, but I'm sure Big Blue Nation out in Kentucky can't help but wonder if Pope's recruiting pitch was the final nudge to confirm that Stokes did not want to play in Lexington.
Tyran Stokes signed his non-revenue share paperwork with the Kansas Jayhawks around the time of his Kentucky visit earlier this month, sources tell KSR+
— Jack Pilgrim (@JackPilgrimKSR) April 28, 2026
INTEL: https://t.co/g56cegnMJZ
JOIN: https://t.co/yDpOSjrg7C pic.twitter.com/pKjK8k3z2w
Like Darryn Peterson before him, BYU will need to find answers for this McDonald's All-American if they hope to compete with the pile of elite programs controlling the Big 12 Conference. Just another star on the path to the top.
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