Kansas enters the 2026 season with a roster that looks very different, and Phil Steele’s Big 12 positional rankings show exactly where the Jayhawks stand after all that offseason churn.
KU went through a major reset for Lance Leipold’s sixth season, with more than 45 new faces on the roster after a large senior class moved on and several players left through the transfer portal. That kind of turnover wasn’t unique to Lawrence, either.
Iowa State and Oklahoma State both brought in new coaches to oversee a roster flip, while K-State, West Virginia and UCF also dealt with plenty of movement. Across the Big 12, the median transfer portal departure was 23, and the median number of incoming transfers was 25.
So where do the Jayhawks fit in the conference picture? Steele’s annual breakdown, which ranks every position group in every Big 12 program, gives KU a mixed but revealing snapshot.
Kansas’ best mark comes on the sideline. The Jayhawks are tied for second in coaching with Texas Tech and BYU.
They also show well at running back, where they’re tied for third with BYU, Houston, Utah and Oklahoma State. The offensive line lands in a tie for sixth with TCU, Baylor, Arizona and UCF, while linebacker is tied for seventh with Utah, K-State, Oklahoma State and UCF.
But there are some softer spots, too. Kansas is tied for 12th at wide receiver with Arizona and BYU, tied for 13th in the defensive backfield with Cincinnati, and tied for 15th in special teams with Colorado and Arizona State. The quarterback room is also near the bottom, tied for 15th with Colorado.
When the position-group rankings are averaged out, Kansas lands 10th in the conference. Texas Tech sits first overall in Steele’s combined rankings, followed by BYU and Houston.
Here’s the full conference picture from Steele’s rankings:
- Texas Tech
- BYU
- Houston
- Utah
- TCU
- Baylor
- Kansas State
- Arizona
- Oklahoma State
- Kansas
- UCF
- Cincinnati
- Arizona State
- Colorado
- West Virginia
- Iowa State
In Other News...
Kansas Frontcourt Search Just Took A Frustrating Turn
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Thiam is staying at Michigan under new coach Mike Boynton, leaving Kansas to pivot again in a center hunt that has not produced a clean solution yet. The Jayhawks are still sorting through other possibilities, and J.P. Estrella is among the names that could remain in play, but there is no sign the roster puzzle in the paint is anywhere close to being solved. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas Staff Is Already Seeing Something Different In Tyran Stokes
With the 2026-27 Kansas basketball roster still taking shape, Tyran Stokes is already the kind of freshman who draws attention before he even steps on the floor. The highly regarded newcomer arrived in Lawrence with the length, athleticism and shot creation that made him one of the top recruits in the country, and he brought the kind of ceiling that has NBA evaluators talking about him as a possible future No. 1 pick.
Jeremy Case added another layer to that buzz during a recent radio appearance, pointing to a part of Stokes game that doesnt always get the first mention when people talk about his talent. Kansas has plenty of reasons to be excited about a player who chose the Jayhawks over other blue-blood programs, but the staff already seems to think there is more to him than the obvious tools, which is often where the most interesting freshman stories begin. [Read more 🡒]