Earlier this week, ESPN put out their rankings of the top 100 players in men’s college basketball entering the 2026-27 season. The rankings were compiled by ESPN college basketball analysts Jeff Borzello and Myron Medcalf.

Kansas basketball is well represented in the list with four Jayhawks making the cut. It’s a good sign for KU chances this season to have four of their five likely starters considered to be among the best in college basketball.

Kansas small forward Tre White was the lowest ranked of the bunch at No. 90. He averaged a career high in points (13.5), rebounds (6.7) and assists (1.8) last season for the Jayhawks. He’ll be counted on heavily by KU this year (should he remain eligible for the entire season), especially from 3-point range as he averaged 40.3% shooting from behind the arc last season.

Fellow returning senior Melvin Council Jr. came in at No. 86. He averaged 12.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 5.1 assists per game last year for the Jayhawks. He’s expected to start in the backcourt alongside talented freshman Taylen Kinney. Like White, his eligibility for the entire season remains in question pending a legal battle with the NCAA.

Purdue transfer Trey Kaufman-Renn is listed at No. 36 in ESPN’s top 100. We’ve yet to see him in a Jayhawk uniform officially as the Jayhawks played their three-game preseason slate without him.

Here’s what Borzello had to say about Kaufman-Renn:

“Kaufman-Renn, who signed with Kansas exactly two weeks before the Jayhawks' first game of the season, will change the outlook of Bill Self's team if he remains eligible to play this season. He looked like a dominant All-American back in 2024-25, averaging 20.1 points and 6.5 rebounds, then posted averages of 14.2 points and 8.3 rebounds last season, and should be one of the best big men in the Big 12 this season. With Kaufman, Melvin Council Jr. and Tre White all fighting for an extra year, Self will hope court decisions go Kansas' way.”

If he remains eligible, he will no doubt be a difference-maker for KU this season.

Speaking of difference-makers, there may be none bigger for KU this year than freshman Tyran Stokes. ESPN listed him at No. 4 in their player rankings, easily the highest ranked freshman of the group.

“The first thing you notice about Stokes, the potential No. 1 draft pick, is his strength,” said Medcalf. “Everything he does on the court unfolds with power and force. But the 6-8 talent is also smooth with elite passing ability and leadership skills on the floor. In the fourth quarter of the McDonald's All-American Game, he dominated his peers to lead his team to a win, which is what Bill Self expects him to do in Lawrence.”

Stokes has had a lot of lofty expectations heaved upon this preseason, including being named a Preseason First Team All-American and Preseason Freshman of the Year. But if he plays like the No. 4 ranked player in the country, he could very well take this Kansas team back to the Final Four for the first time since 2022.