KU's 2021 recruiting class has Jayhawks primed for title run

As one of college basketball’s bluebloods, KU consistently has one of the best teams in the country. Coach Bill Self‘s recruiting staff plays a significant role in his success at KU with 10 of the Jayhawks’ classes ranked in the consensus top 20 and the incoming 2021 class finished No. 11 overall. This season, the Jayhawks welcome eight newcomers to the roster, with four transfers and four first-year students bolstering the team’s squad. This recruiting class gives the Jayhawks the best chances to win a national championship in quite some time.

KU newcomers set for stardom

Joseph Yesufu
Joseph Yesufu is a 6-foot-0 point guard transfer from Drake. Yesufu averaged 12.8 points, 1.8 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.5 3-pointers, posting a 3-point percentage of 51.7%. Those stats earned him the Missouri Valley Conference sixth man of the year award. For KU, he will be a consistent knockdown 3-point shooter. Yesufu will have defenses in a frenzy chasing him around the court.

Jalen Coleman-Lands
Jalen Coleman-Lands is a 6-4, 190-pound senior guard. Lands makes his fourth stop in his career at KU after Illinois, DePaul and Iowa. Lands will be most effective for Kansas on the defensive end. His scrappy, versatile defense style is effective at guarding positions one through four. Coleman-Lands is also a 3-point sharpshooter who amassed 14.3 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.2 assists last season.

Remy Martin
Remy Martin is a 6-0 guard who transferred from ASU after withdrawing from the NBA draft. Martin averaged 19.1 points to lead the Pac-12 conference and is one of the best guards in the country. He also had a career-best of 3.7 assists and 1.2 steals last season. Martin managed to score 30 points or more on four occasions last season. Martin will be the head of the snake for the Jayhawks.

He will compliment lead shooting guard Ochai Agbaji, who averaged 14.1 points last year. Agbaji is a prolific scorer that specializes in 3-point shooting, and Martin should complement his game well. The Jayhawks will go as far as these two players take them

Zachary Clemence
Zachary Clemence is a 6-10 freshman forward who has a talent for shooting the ball. Averaging 10.5 points for Sunrise Academy as a senior in high school, he finished as a runner-up in the 2021 GEICO High School national championship. As a top high-quality top-40 recruit for KU, he will most likely come off the bench but will be expected to play big minutes. His new teammate, Christian Braun, came off the bench early in his career and became a spark plug for the Jayhawks. The Jayhawks hope that Clemence will have that same effect.

Cam Martin
Cam Martin is a 6-9 senior forward who is a transfer from Missouri Southern. Martin is a two-time NCAA Division II All-American and will end his college career at KU. Martin will bolster the Jayhawks’ front-court, adding versatility to the roster for the coming season. Last year he averaged 25 points and 9 rebounds while shooting 58% from the field. Both Martin and senior center David McCormack will be the main frontcourt for KU. Both big men will be vital with experience as well as veteran leadership.

KJ Adams
KJ Adams is a 6-7 freshman forward who ended up as a consensus top-85 player in the 2021 recruiting class. Averaging 25 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.1 assists, Adams ended his high school career with 6A all-state honors for Westlake High School in Georgia. Adams will be a matchup nightmare for defensive players in the Big 12 this year because he has a great shooting ability as well as a strong build and speed to blow by defenders. Adams and key returner Jalen Wilson, who averaged 7.9 rebounds last year, will control the boards for KU.