By SAM LANCE
Kansas head coach Bill Self first hinted at the news on Tuesday in an interview with Andy Katz, and now per multiple reports, Florida transfer guard Riley Kugel will not play at Kansas.
Matt Norlander of CBS was first to report.
“We also have a commitment from a young man from Florida, Riley Kugel, that it’s up in the air whether or not Riley will come,” Self said to Katz on Tuesday.
Kugel never signed a National Letter of Intent to Kansas, and since his name was in the portal before it closed on May 1, he will still be eligible to transfer elsewhere and play.
Gary Bedore of the Kansas City Star also confirmed Norlander’s report.
Even with Kugel’s decommitment, the Jayhawks still have a case for the preseason No. 1 team. The roster currently consists of two players from the 2022 national title squad in Dajuan Harris and KJ Adams, an All-American center in Hunter Dickinson and three major portal splashes in AJ Storr, Rylan Griffen and Zeke Mayo. That top six has combined for 7,042 career points at the collegiate level in 618 games.
On top of that, Kansas is one of five schools to retain all of its players. No Jayhawks from last season’s roster entered the portal. Guards Elmarko Jackson and Jamari McDowell will be back for their sophomore years, and Zach Clemence will provide depth for Dickinson. Two freshman are coming in as well, including five-star big man Flory Bidunga and four-star wing Rakease Passmore.
With Johnny Furphy likely staying in the NBA draft, Kansas will have one or two scholarships to play with. Due to self-imposed penalties, Kansas has a reduction of one scholarship to use either this season or in 2025-26.
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