Kansas basketball’s preseason buzz keeps getting louder, and Tyran Stokes is sitting right in the middle of it.
The Jayhawks freshman picked up another major honor on Thursday, landing Big 12 Preseason Freshman of the Year from the league’s coaches. He also made the 2026-27 Monster Energy All-Big 12 Preseason Team, one of 10 players selected and the only Jayhawk on the list.
Kansas, meanwhile, was slotted third in the 2026-27 Monster Energy Big 12 Men’s Basketball Preseason Coaches’ Poll, which was also released Thursday.
Stokes’ national profile is rising just as fast. CBS Sports named him its Preseason Freshman of the Year and placed him on its Preseason All-Freshman First-Team, a five-player group selected by college basketball reporters at CBS Sports, 247Sports and analysts and on-air talent from CBS and CBS Sports Network.
That recognition came on top of an even bigger nod from CBS Sports: Stokes was also named a Preseason First-Team All-American, making him the only freshman included among CBS Sports’ Preseason First Team, Second Team and Third Team selections.
CBS Sports voters explained the Freshman of the Year pick this way:
“For the second consecutive year, a player not only lands on our preseason All-American team but is also the CBS Sports' preseason Freshman of the Year. Last season, Darryn Peterson - the No. 2 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft by the Utah Jazz - earned the honor.
This season, it's Stokes, who finished as the top-ranked player in the 2026 recruiting cycle by 247Sports. Part of the reason why Stokes is the favorite to go No. 1 in the 2027 NBA Draft is his blend of power and the ability to get downhill and to the rim, which sets him apart as an offensive player.”
Peterson’s preseason acclaim didn’t translate once injuries got involved, and the same warning label hangs over every freshman season. If Stokes stays healthy and avoids the maturity issues that followed him in high school, Kansas appears to have a player with the ceiling to help chase a national championship.
The Jayhawks will get their first look at him in game action Friday night, when they face Pitt State in an exhibition at Allen Fieldhouse. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. CT, and the game will air live on ESPN+.
In Other News...
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The defeat stretched Kansas losing streak to 18 games and added another frustrating chapter for Lance Leipold against the programs biggest in-state rival. Since arriving in 2021, Leipold has now gone 6 straight against Kansas State, and with the losses piling up the scrutiny around his job security is only growing louder. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas Just Faced A Run Defense Reality Check Against K-State
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Those are the kinds of issues that tend to linger unless they get cleaned up quickly, and Kansas does not have much time to let this one sit. Defensive coordinator D.K. McDonald is expected to tackle the breakdowns as the Jayhawks turn their attention to the next stretch of games, where opponents will surely notice what the Wildcats were able to do. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas Let The Sunflower Showdown Slip Away Again
Kansas had chances to make the Sunflower Showdown feel different, and for stretches it looked as if the Jayhawks might finally tilt the rivalry back in their direction. Isaiah Marshall gave them a spark with his arm and legs, the defense delivered a few timely stops, and Bryson Hayes provided a special teams jolt with a kickoff return touchdown that briefly energized the home side.
But the bigger picture was the same one Kansas keeps trying to escape. Kansas State answered with Avery Johnson controlling the game, and the Wildcats pulled away for a 35-24 win that stretched Kansas losing streak in the rivalry to 18 straight. For a program trying to turn narrow moments into statement wins, this one was another reminder that the Sunflower Showdown still has a long way to go before the balance shifts. [Read more 🡒]