NCAA Men’s Basketball early signing period begins today, Wednesday, Nov. 12, and Kansas is ranked No. 2 overall in ESPN’s (Jeff Borzello, Paul Biancardi) Boys' high school basketball recruiting class rankings for 2026.
Paul Biancardi (@PaulBiancardi) on X
In the newly expanded top-25 class rankings, Missouri is the only program with multiple five-star commitments. Could that change after the early signing period ?
https://t.co/YhD587ewCS
The Jayhawks’ 2026 class is led by elite point guard Taylen Kinney, a dynamic scorer and playmaker poised to replace Darryn Peterson. Joining him are Davion Adkins, Trent Perry, and Luke Barnett, forming a balanced, talented group. All four commits plan to sign with Kansas today, according to JayhawkSlant.
JayhawkSlant (@JayhawkSlant) on X
I reached out to @Taylen_0, @_showtimedee, and @Lukebarnett_14, and all three plan to sign with #kubball tomorrow. I’m still waiting to hear from Trent Perry.
As the No. 2 2026 class in the nation, the Jayhawks are currently the highest-ranked team in the Big 12 Conference and are only behind rival Missouri for the No. 1 class ranking.
Kansas Jayhawks Will Continue Monitoring Injury Status Of Darryn Peterson
Kansas Jayhawks freshman sensation Darryn Peterson, the No. 1 player in the 2025 class, is dealing with early-season nagging injuries.
It appears Kansas Jayhawks freshman sensation Darryn Peterson already has a lingering injury this early into his career.
Peterson did not play in Tuesday's victory against Texas A & M Corpus Christi. Jayhawks coach Bill Self updated the situation.
"He played the whole game against [North] Carolina," Self said. "And then we were off Saturday, practiced Sunday, practiced Monday and practiced (Tuesday morning) but his hamstring was tight. I'm not going to risk that."
Jamie Shaw (@JamieShaw5) on X
Full post game quote from Bill Self on Kansas freshman Darryn Peterson.
Self said the staff will monitor Peterson throughout the week. The hope is he back at practice Thursday, but they are treating it with caution. Hamstring injuries can grow worse if a player returns too soon.
"Hopefully, it's precautionary on the reason why he didn't play," Self said. "I look forward to seeing him in practice on Thursday, at least we think that's the case."
This is the ideal time for Peterson to rest. The Jayhawks are still in the non-conference schedule. The risk isn't worth it for Peterson, who was considered the No. 1 player in the 2025 recruiting class. Some are already calling him a top five pick in next summer's NBA draft.
That's why Self was so concerned about further damaging the injury. Peterson missed an exhibition game last month against Fort Hays State and was also limited versus Green Bay due to illness in the season opener.
"It was tight after he practiced (Tuesday)," Self said. "We didn't anticipate this but at the end of practice, he said it was tight."
Other than the injuries, Peterson has yet to disappoint the fans. He's averaged 21.5 points thus far. The Jayhawks face Princeton, another game Peterson could sit. An ideal return would be before a stretch of games versus Duke, Notre Dame, Syracuse, UConn and Missouri.
Shandel Richardson is the publisher of JayhawksRoundtable. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com