Why One Analyst Considers Kansas Basketball an ‘Offseason Loser’

Jan 31, 2026; Lawrence, Kansas, USA; Kansas Jayhawks head coach Bill Self reacts during the first half against the BYU Cougars at Mizzou Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

Why One Analyst Considers Kansas Basketball an ‘Offseason Loser’

Originally posted on Kansas Jayhawks on SI
By Joshua Schulman | Last updated May 5, 2026 11:26 AM ET

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The first month of the Kansas basketball offseason has been controversial among the fanbase. While Bill Self added several mid-tier transfers and top-ranked 2026 prospect Tyran Stokes, KU lost starters Flory Bidunga and Bryson Tiller in the frontcourt, along with the rest of the starting five.

Given how other schools around the country are spending their NIL money, some of KU's moves (or lack thereof) feel like a letdown. Even with a promising starting group, the Jayhawks have practically no bench to work with and are relying on some questionable pieces to lead the big man rotation.

As of May, is Kansas an offseason winner or loser so far? This is what the Field of 68 podcast group had to say about that.

Kansas Tabbed as One of the Biggest ‘Offseason Losers'

The entire blue blood group of Kentucky, Kansas, and North Carolina was labeled the No. 1 offseason loser. This includes all three schools, which have had a relatively underwhelming transfer portal haul.

"Kansas got Stokes, but if you look at what they got out of the portal and their haul this spring, it is not what you would expect a Kansas roster to be," co-host Rob Dauster said.

KU’s three-man transfer class of Leroy Blyden Jr., Keanu Dawes, and Christian Reeves are all under-the-radar names that didn't garner much attention before the offseason. Although they could be sneaky-good additions, it's surprising that Kansas is not competing for the big fish now that the transfer portal is so prominent, especially since it has done so in the past by adding top names like Hunter Dickinson.

That is why fellow host Jeff Goodman had a spicy take about why KU's roster construction has been iffy. He says that Kansas simply isn't in the upper echelon of high-spending NIL teams, and even fellow Adidas schools like Louisville are outspending the Jayhawks basketball department.

"Kansas obviously got the prize of the freshman class, but besides that — and I like [Leroy] Blyden — I think they're good, but we hear Sean Miller talking about teams having $20+ million. Kansas is not that, and that's the crazy part for me," Goodman said.

"Kansas and Louisville are both Adidas schools, Louisville is getting a good chunk of money from Adidas this year, and is Kansas getting the same amount of money?" he continued. "They're in different stratospheres in terms of their payrolls, in terms of their budgets this year. And who would've that that would be the case, especially in what could be Bill Self's final season as the head coach of Kansas."

Goodman is one of the more well-connected names in college basketball, so if he's saying this, there has to be some reality to it. It is true that the Jayhawks have often opted for cheaper additions in the portal rather than high-major transfers.

Ultimately, the Jayhawks' roster still has several glaring holes to fill, but it feels like the coaching staff is only going to make one or two more significant acquisitions. We'll see in the long run if that pays off for a KU program that has not made it out of the first weekend of March Madness since 2022.

This article first appeared on Kansas Jayhawks on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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