The top-ranked player in the Class of 2026, Tyran Stokes, has not yet chosen a school. Three colleges remain for the Nike signature athlete as of November 1st, 2025: Kansas, Kentucky, and Oregon.
Stokes’ commitment date may not be far off because the high school season is almost over.
The Louisville native still has a strong preference for one team, the Jayhawks, led by Bill Self. Stokes was spotted in the stands with Self-signed athletes Tay Kinney and Javon Bardell during the Jayhawks’ heavyweight matchup versus BYU at Allen Fieldhouse.
According to On3’s Joe Tipton, the Jayhawks are still the clear favorite for the top-ranked recruit, despite Kentucky’s continued efforts to get the small forward who attends Rainier Beach High School.
According to Tipton, Stokes has been telling everyone around him that the Jayhawks are still in the lead despite the fact that NIL talks are still going on between the two teams.
Fans may feel a bit better about the miss when they realize how much it may cost to sign Stokes, even though it appears unlikely that Kentucky will acquire him.
According to Tipton, Stokes’ estimated NIL value is between $4 and $6 million. It’s definitely not cheap, and that amount of money might be used to sign several veteran starters for the upcoming campaign.
It will still hurt BBN a little to see a Kentucky native go for another blue blood, no matter how much it costs to sign Stokes. However, considering the high cost of signing him, the Wildcats could be better suited investing that kind of money to acquire a number of veterans to surround themselves with hopeful returnees Collin Chandler, Kam Williams, and Malachi Moreno.
The 2026 class’s first recruit is still pending for the Wildcats. Mark Pope and his team are a little behind in that area, so it will be interesting to watch what they accomplish.
