Kansas basketball’s wing rotation is the one real puzzle on a roster that otherwise looks fairly easy to map out.
Bill Self still has time before the 2026-27 season to sort through the details, but the Jayhawks’ collection of hybrid guards and forwards already gives him plenty to think about. KU brought in multiple wings during the offseason and also kept sophomore Kohl Rosario, leaving the program with a crowded group fighting for second-unit minutes.
At the moment, the roster appears set unless another transfer arrives in the next month. Even so, the wing spots remain very much up for grabs. The group in the mix includes Rosario, Radford transfer Dennis Parker Jr., and freshmen Luke Barnett and Trent Perry, all of whom are expected to come off the bench.
Parker brings the most college experience by a wide margin. He started at NC State before moving to the Big South in 2025-26, and he already has a headline-grabbing scoring performance on his résumé. Against Coppin State this past season, he poured in a Division I-best 53 points on 19-for-24 shooting.
Rosario offers a different kind of case. He has already spent time under Self, flashed real promise as a freshman, and opened last season in the starting lineup before the adjustment to college basketball became clear.
Even so, his athleticism and defensive intensity make him a strong candidate to stay in the mix. There’s also a path for him to push into the starting five later in the year if Self decides to go with one point guard instead of starting Leroy Blyden Jr. and Taylen Kinney together.
In that scenario, Rosario would be the obvious next option.
The freshmen should not be overlooked either. Barnett and Perry are unlikely to leapfrog Parker or Rosario anytime soon, but both could still earn meaningful roles.
Barnett has been labeled a breakout candidate and may be the best pure shooter on the roster. Perry, meanwhile, brings a little bit of everything, plays bigger than his size, and could even back up Keanu Dawes at power forward.
Tyran Stokes is expected to log more than 30 minutes per night once Big 12 play begins, so the Jayhawks will need their wings to absorb the rest of the workload and keep the rotation steady. That leaves Self with four players who all have a real chance to matter, and the only question now is how he chooses to split the time once the season starts.
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