Kansas rounds out its roster, but can a youth-laden team lead the Jayhawks back to prominence?

Kansas rounded out its 2025-26 roster on Wednesday with the addition of former NC State commitment Paul Mbiya less than 24 hours after adding top-100 wing Kohl Rosario. The two summertime additions further enhance a youthful reorientation at KU that will be spearheaded by No. 1 overall prospect Darryn Peterson as the Jayhawks seek to reclaim their place among college basketball's ruling class.

The moves further cement a de-emphasis on portal talent for 23rd-year coach Bill Self after Kansas failed to escape the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament for a third straight season in 2025.

But will the altered approach be enough to get the Jayhawks back to the top of the Big 12 and back in the national title hunt?

The Big 12 now runs through a Houston program that returns three starting anchors, and Kansas will be seeking to counter that with an overhauled roster featuring just one player — Flory Bidunga — who was part of the rotation in 2024-25.

The young composition to Kansas' roster — there will be six freshmen — marks a clear pivot from Self's approach last offseason. A year ago, the Jayhawks were lauded as big winners in the portal but produced underwhelming results with the nation's No. 3 transfer class.

This year's crop of Kansas transfers is an understated group ranked 43rd that appears designed to compliment a potential star in Peterson.

In fact, everything appears to be built around the versatile combo guard, including the additions of Mbiya and Rosario. Given that Peterson will be an offensive engine and downhill driver who enters with questionable 3-point shooting bona fides, it was important for Kansas to find pieces that complement his style.

Rosario checks the box as an athletic floor-spacer — think a raw version of Christian Braun — who will turn 19 midway through his freshman season. Mbiya, 20, is undeveloped offensively, but the 6-foot-10 center has the makings of an elite rim protector because of his 7-7 wingspan. He could be a lob threat for Peterson as he attacks and draws opposing defenders.

Even with 12 scholarship players now in the fold, Kansas has just one who is truly a proven outside shooter at the college level. That is Loyola Chicago transfer Jayden Dawson, who knocked down 36.3% of his 7.4 3-point attempts per game last season. St. Bonaventure transfer guard Melvin Council Jr. and Illinois transfer wing Tre White — both of whom figure to factor prominently into the rotation — haven't shown the ability to consistently knock down perimeter shots over their careers.

That could open the door for Rosario to claim a role at KU during what was originally supposed to be his senior season of high school basketball. The 6-5 Miami native played at Overtime Elite this past season and was "one of the biggest national stock-risers in the spring of 2025," per 247Sports director of scouting Adam Finkelstein.

"We're very excited to add Kohl to this year's team," Self said. "It's not often there's a player of his potential to become available at this point. We feel that what Kohl brings from a perimeter athletic shooting standpoint is something that we've needed to add to this year's roster. He is one of the hardest working youngsters that we've ever recruited and feel the transition to college ball will be more seamless due to this."

Mbiya will likely slot in behind Bidunga, who is one of the country's rising stars at center. Bidunga flashed as a freshman in just 16.3 minutes per game, showing promise as a rim protector and scorer at the rim.

But even with Bidunga and 6-10 freshman Bryson Tiller in the fold, Kansas still needed to solidify its front line. Mbiya does just that after averaging 15.3 points, 11.7 rebounds and three blocks for a French U21 outfit this season. Unfortunately for Self, playing Bidunga and Mbiya together will likely be a non-starter as both are non-shooting bigs who clog the paint for Peterson.

The additions of Rosario and Mbiya add some depth and dimension to the Jayhawks' roster but also more youth and inexperience that will require Self to show a deft coaching touch. Both are quality late adds but neither dramatically alters the calculus for KU.

Ultimately, Kansas' ceiling will be determined by Peterson, his chemistry with Bidunga and the Jayhawks' ability to space the floor around them.

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