Kansas basketball has always lived somewhere between loyalty and reinvention. Some players settle in and become fixtures in Lawrence for four or five years, like Ochai Agbaji, David McCormack, Dajuan Harris Jr., and KJ Adams. Others are gone after a single season, with Darryn Peterson, Gradey Dick and Johnny Furphy among the names that have taken the one-and-done path.
Then there’s the new reality around college hoops: the transfer portal, NIL and the constant churn that has made staying put feel less and less automatic. Even elite prospects with real roles under Bill Self have now tested the market, with Flory Bidunga and Bryson Tiller leaving for Louisville and Missouri, respectively.
So what would Kansas look like if nobody ever left? If Jayhawks stayed through all four years and nobody chased the portal? Through the Phog took that idea and built a “Jayhawk Dream” 8-man rotation, and the result is absurdly loaded.
The group includes current Jayhawks and former Kansas players who would still have eligibility this season if they had remained in college and/or stayed in Lawrence. The roster is so deep that several notable names were left just short of the cut, including Gradey Dick (2022-2023), Zuby Ejiofor (2022-2023), Ernest Udeh (2022-2023), Rylan Griffen (2024-2025), AJ Storr (2024-2025), Melvin Council (2025-2026), and Tre White (2025-2026).
The “Jayhawk Dream” 8-man rotation looks like this:
PG: Taylen Kinney (FR) / Leroy Blyden Jr. (SO)
SG: Darryn Peterson (SO) / Leroy Blyden Jr. (SO)
SF: Johnny Furphy (SR) / Tyran Stokes (FR)
PF: Tyran Stokes (FR) / Bryson Tiller (SO)
C: Flory Bidunga (JR) / Keanu Dawes (SR)
That’s the kind of lineup that would make Kansas the clear favorite to win the NCAA title. The bigger question is how it would all fit together.
The current Jayhawks in this exercise give the team its shape. Taylen Kinney would handle point guard duties as more of a facilitator, while Tyran Stokes shifts to power forward for what the piece describes as an important reason. Leroy Blyden Jr. and Keanu Dawes would slide into valuable bench roles instead of starting.
The star power only gets louder when the former Jayhawks are added in. Darryn Peterson, who was drafted 2nd overall in the NBA draft, returns after already putting up more than 20 points per game last season. Johnny Furphy, a one-and-done three years ago, would be back as a senior and asked to share the offense with Stokes and Peterson.
That combination could be nasty. Peterson would get to work alongside more scoring around him, which would make his life easier than it was a season ago. Furphy, meanwhile, is imagined as a more versatile version of Svi Mykhailiuk, who averaged 14.6 PPG on 44.4% 3FGs in 2017-2018.
The frontcourt pieces add another layer. Flory Bidunga, despite leaving, is still described as an elite defensive center and a dangerous lob threat. Bryson Tiller would back up Stokes at power forward and give Kansas real depth there.
Stokes’ ability to move between small forward and power forward gives the whole roster flexibility, letting it go big or small depending on the matchup. In the end, this fantasy Kansas team is so loaded that it might even flirt with a perfect season in this imaginary version of college basketball. Rock Chalk!
In Other News...
Two Key Jayhawks From The Title Team Suddenly Face Uncertain Futures
Two familiar names from Kansas 2022 title run are suddenly in a different kind of spotlight. Ochai Agbaji and Jalen Wilson, both former Jayhawks who have carved out NBA paths since leaving Lawrence, reached the offseason with their futures tied to Brooklyns roster decisions after each spent time with the Nets last season.
Agbaji, a 26-year-old guard-forward, was acquired from Toronto and appeared in 20 games for Brooklyn, while Wilson, a 25-year-old small forward, was a more regular presence over 54 games. Now both are on the open market, and for Kansas fans who watched them grow into championship pieces, the next stop for each player is suddenly one of the more interesting subplots to track. [Read more 🡒]
KJ Adams Is Finally Getting The Chance Kansas Fans Hoped For
KJ Adams spent the past year around Kansas in a different role than the one fans were used to seeing, helping out as an assistant video coordinator while he worked his way back from the torn Achilles that ended his college career. The rehab kept him close to the program, and it also gave Jayhawks followers a reminder of how much he still meant to the roster and the culture even after his last game had already been played.
Now Adams is set to get back on the floor in a meaningful way, with Summer League offering the first real look at where his game stands after the long recovery. He is also part of a broader Kansas presence in this years event, with several former Jayhawks taking part, and his return adds another layer of interest for a fan base that has been waiting to see him compete again. [Read more 🡒]
Lance Leipold Is Giving Kansas Fans A Recruiting Sign They Rarely See
Kansas footballs 2027 recruiting class is starting to look like something Lance Leipold can point to as proof the programs trajectory is changing. The group already has more than 10 commitments and includes a four-star tight end, with the rest of the class made up mostly of three-star prospects. For a fan base used to seeing Kansas near the bottom of the Big 12 recruiting picture, that alone is enough to feel like a meaningful step forward.
The bigger sign is where the Jayhawks sit now compared with where they have been. Kansas is in the middle of the conference recruiting standings, a notable jump from the cellar-dwelling days of not long ago, and the class is being viewed as a foundation rather than a finished product. With the 2026 season still ahead, Leipold is giving Kansas followers a reason to think the roster pipeline may finally be trending in the right direction. [Read more 🡒]