KU Jayhawks’ recruiting ranking could still rise even after missing on TyTy Washington

Kansas’ men’s basketball recruiting Class of 2021, which continues to consist of seven players following TyTy Washington’s decision to choose Kentucky over KU and others, currently ranks as the country’s No. 14 class nationally according to Rivals.com.

Within the past couple weeks, the Jayhawks’ massive class has also been assessed a No. 6 national ranking by both ESPN.com and 247sports.com.

“It’s No. 14 with a chance to move up if they get another guy,” Jayhawkslant.com recruiting writer/analyst Shay Wildeboor said Thursday — the day his website’s parent company, Rivals.com, updated its individual player rankings, but not yet its team rankings.

“KU has signed what, seven guys? That’s a large class. I like the class. It’s a good mix of high school kids, junior college and two transfers who figure to blend in well with what they have coming back,” Wildeboor added.

All four of KU’s high school signees — KJ Adams, Zach Clemence, Kyle Cuffe Jr., and Bobby Pettiford — dropped Thursday in Rivals.com’s final rankings of the top 150 players in the country.

Clemence, a 6-10, 220 pound forward from Sunrise Christian Academy in Bel Aire, Kansas (originally from San Antonio, Texas), was awarded a No. 46 national ranking Thursday, down from his previous slot of No. 35. Clemence, by the way, is currently ranked No. 34 by ESPN.com and No. 67 by 247sports.com.

Adams, a 6-7, 220 pound forward from Westlake High in Austin, Texas, snared a No. 90 ranking by Rivals.com on Thursday. His previous Rivals ranking had been No. 73. Adams is ranked No. 45 nationally by ESPN.com and No. 79 by 247sports.com.

Pettiford, a 6-1, 175-pound point guard from South Granville High School in Durham, North Carolina, checked in at No. 121 in Rivals.com’s Top 150 on Thursday, down six slots from his previous rating of 115. Pettiford is ranked No. 88 by 247sports.com and No. 90 by ESPN.com.

Cuffe, a 6-2, 180-pound combo guard from Blair Academy in New Jersey, recently changed classes. He previously was rated No. 56 in the Class of 2022 by Rivals.com. He now is No. 106 in the Class of 2021. Cuffe is rated No. 102 by 247sports.com and unranked by ESPN.com.

Sydney Curry, a 6-8, 260-pound sophomore forward from John A. Logan College in Carterville, Illinois, is the country’s No. 8-ranked junior college player according to 247sports.com. He was an unranked player his senior year at Northrop High School in Fort Wayne, Indiana. He’s a third-team NJCAA Division I All-American, which would place him as one of the top 15 juco prospects in the country.

KU also has landed a pair of players from the NCAA transfer portal who were unranked in high school.

Cam Martin, a 6-9, 240-pound senior forward from Missouri Southern State University, originally from Yukon, Oklahoma, leaves as the school’s second leading scorer with 2,040 points in three seasons. He played his freshman season at Jacksonville State.

Joseph Yesufu, a 6-0, 180-pound sophomore point guard from Drake, hails from Bolingbrook, Illinois. He has been ranked the No. 47 player in the NCAA transfer portal by CBSsports.com.

The Jayhawks, who currently have one scholarship to give in recruiting in the Class of 2021, more if Ochai Agbaji and/or Jalen Wilson remain in the 2021 NBA Draft, are still recruiting.

Several recruiting analysts believe Kentucky may be the current leader for Sahvir Wheeler, a 5-10 point guard who played the last two seasons at Georgia. He has a final four of KU, Kentucky, LSU and Oklahoma State. As of Thursday night, he’d not yet selected his new school.

KU is expected to be on the list of Remy Martin, a 6-0 senior point guard from Arizona State, who earlier this week entered his name in the 2021 NBA Draft as well as the transfer portal. KU recruited Martin his senior year at Sierra Canyon High School in California. He was ranked No. 128 in the recruiting Class of 2017 by Rivals.com.

KU also is believed to be recruiting Bryce Hamilton, a 6-4 junior combo guard from UNLV. He was ranked No. 73 in the recruiting Class of 2018 by Rivals.com his senior year at Pasadena (California) High School. Like Remy Martin and Wheeler, he has entered his name in the 2021 NBA Draft.

The Jayhawks also are in the running for high school standout point guard Nolan Hickman, who recently decommitted from Kentucky. Hickman, 6-2 from Wasatch Academy in Mount Pleasant, Utah, has a final three of KU, Gonzaga and Auburn, his dad reported to Jon Rothstein of CBSsports.com on Thursday. He is ranked No. 20 in the Class of 2021 by Rivals.com, No. 22 by ESPN.com and No. 42 by 247 Sports.com.

The NBA Draft combine is slated for June 21-27. Players who are not invited to the combine likely will drop out of the draft pool. Players have until July 7 to exit the draft if they wish to remain eligible for college.