Kansas has missed out on one the most sought-after recruits in the 2026 class.
Five-Star point guard Deron Rippey Jr. announced on Thursday he's cutting the Jayhawks as a potential landing spot. He is now down to 10 schools including Louisville, North Carolina, Miami, Syracuse, Alabama, Kentucky, Tennesse, Duke, North Carolina State, and Texas.
The junior is the No. 1 point guard and No 13-prospect overall in the 2026 class. Rippey was named the 2025 Gatorade New Jersey Boys Basketball Player of the Year after averaging 16.2 points, 5.3 assists, 4.9 rebounds, and 2.2 steals leading Blair Academy to the Prep Open State Tournament championship.
Some believe Rippey canceled his visit to Kansas due to fellow five-star point guard Taylen Kinney being rumored as the co-favorite to land in Lawrence after his recent visit to KU in August. This past season, Kinney averaged 20.1 points, 5.0 assists, 4.0 rebounds, and 2.3 steals with Overtime Elite. Kentucky also conducted an in-home visit to Rippey's house on Wednesday. He announced cutting the Jayhawks following the visit.
Kansas has yet to land a commitment in its 2026 recruiting class. All eyes now turn to Kinney to see if he’ll be the first to get the ball rolling for the Jayhawks.
KU's Lance Leipold Provides Major Injury Updates Ahead Of Mizzou Matchup
As Kansas heads to Mizzou for its heated rivalry, coach Lance Leipold provided some injury updates to a few key players. Bangally Kamara is the biggest name of the group, as the star linebacker has racked up four tackles, one forced fumble, and one sack this season.
P FINN LAPPIN
“Finn was just held. He had a tweak of something, and he was limited today. So we’ll see how that goes for the week,” Leipold said.
LB BANGALLY KAMARA
“He did not practice today, that’s my update,” Leipold said.
OL JACK TANNER
“Jack Tanner did not practice today as well,” Leipold said. “[He and Bangally] are not on the depth chart, so you can probably figure where that’s trending for both.”