Locked On Jayhawks - Daily Podcast On Kansas Jayhawks Football & Basketball - BRUCE BRANCH RECLASS IS GREAT NEWS for Kansas | Can Bill Self Land Branch III or Tyran Stokes???

Starting point is 00:00:00 Bruce Branch the third, one of the best basketball players in the country, a recruit, has reclassified to 2026. He was going after two elite targets with Tyrant Sokes and Bruce Branch. Could they land one of the two? They land both. Do they have a better shot with Brants and Stokes? We're going to break that all down on this bonus episode of Locked on Jayhawks. You are Locked on Jayhawks, your daily podcast on the Kansas Jayhawks.

Starting point is 00:00:28 part of the locked on podcast network your team every day what's going on Derek johnson here this is locked on j hawks a little bonus episode for you thank you for making the locked on a podcast network the number one sports podcast network and on this bonus episode of the show bruce branch the third who is an unbelievable recruit has reclassified into 2026 there's been some k u scuttlebutt rumors they're interested where are things at and we're going to break down that we're going to break down some time Iron Stokes because there's some updates there. And this becomes another very interesting prospect available in the class with KU,

Starting point is 00:01:05 maybe searching for that one more. Maybe they could lend both, who knows, elite recruit in the class. Let's start right there with the news. That would be Bruce Branch the third. He was the top player in the class of 2027. So the number one player in the class of 2027, he has reclassified into the class of 26, which means he will be joining a college at the end of this. I guess, athletic year, right?

Starting point is 00:01:30 So now he joins this class, and he is rated at the moment as the number eight player in this class, number six on the 247 sports composite. I don't know where he'll end up because obviously they'll be evaluating him probably a little tighter now, knowing that he has this final year. So he can move up, he could move down. Regardless, he is a big time recruit to be number one in the class of 2027, right? and he is somebody he might be wondering who he is right um he is a wing who is like six foot seven he is like a seven foot two wingspan so uh this would certainly be you know somebody that

Starting point is 00:02:06 would add to k you they love getting these guys with like super lengthy wingspans of late um but he is at prolific prep in florida and he uh hasn't taken any recruit visits yet but um the here's an ESPN article it mentions Kentucky Kansas Louisville USC BYU, Arizona, Houston, Miami, kind of all in pursuit here. He says a springtime decision is the expectation. So a bit of time here. Obviously, I'd imagine, you know, they're going to take time with, you know, doing their visits and all those sorts of things. But average 16 points, five rebounds per game on the Adidas circuit, which Adidas circuit, that's good for KU.

Starting point is 00:02:45 39% from three on like five attempts per game with a seven two wingspan. That should get you salivating right there. His coach said this on the SPN story, Ryan Bernardi. His work ethic will prepare him for the reclassification. He is emotionally stable. He does not get too high or too low. So a lengthy player who has a very good shot. And because of the length can get those shots over other players,

Starting point is 00:03:10 this is not just somebody who is a very highly recruited player that KU should want. It's somebody who would, what have we been talking about the last couple of years of KU? They need more shooting. They need more shooting. Well, Tailing Kinney is a good shooter, who's the five star you have in the class of 2026. you get Kinney and Branch, I mean, that's about as good of a freshman duo of shooting as I can ever remember coming into KU. And I mentioned he played on the Adidas circuit. Well, this was back in May of 2025 that, and this is part of why I think this is good news for KU that is reclassifying.

Starting point is 00:03:40 Obviously, there's a lot of schools that we mentioned on the tail there. But Adidas, basically they called it like expanding their NIL raw. with the next generation of elite student athletes. That's how they termed it. Basically, the rub on that is they signed a bunch of high school kids to NIL deals. And Bruce Branch was one of those players. Now, as we're seeing right now with Tyron Stokes, Tyron Stokes is still flirting with Kansas and he has a Nike deal.

Starting point is 00:04:09 So maybe there is a chance that, you know, Bruce Branch does a reverse, that he flirt with Nike schools and is Indetus. But it certainly would, you would think, at least give you a leg up in a real way or give you at least the first opening to make a real opportunity here, right? So that is good news for KU. And it just gives Kansas another possible top target out there, right? Like it seems like Christian Collins, like it feels like he's leaning. I mean, I don't even think that KU was in the finalist there,

Starting point is 00:04:37 whether it's Kentucky or wherever, that's one Kansas can't get. Tyron Stokes, somebody that KU is deep in on and trying to land. But what if he picks Kentucky? What if he picks Oregon? What if he sticks with the Nike? family, so to speak. Then this gives you another possible elite option to try to go to if you're Kansas to pivot to. And then there's the ultimate hypothetical. The ultimate, wouldn't that be fun? What if Kansas landed both? I don't even know if it would work money-wise,

Starting point is 00:05:04 but let's break that down. Let's break down. Would you rather have Stokes or Branch if you could only have one? We'll get to all of that in just a moment and then a little update on where things are at right now with Tyrant Stokes. This is locked on Jayhawks. Today's episode of the show is brought to you by Fandul. NBA's back. There's no better place to get in on the action than Fandul, the official sports betting partner of the NBA. Even if you miss the start of the game or want to ride a hot hand, Fandul has live bets on everything from who's going to score next to make that fourth quarter comeback. You can even combine your bets into a same game parlay or a shot at a bigger payout.

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Starting point is 00:06:05 But anyway, we are here on Lockdown, Jayhawks at L.O. underscore Jayhawks on Twitter. Okay, branch or Stokes, if you could pick between one of the two. Because, again, the ideal scenario is that, you know, the donors pony up and with, with, Detus paying an NIL deal to Bruce Branch, you're able to make it work financially to get both. And you have Taylin Kinney and Tyron Stokes and Bruce Branch. And it's one of the best recruiting classes that we've ever seen, right? You go back to the Zion Williamson Duke team for, you know, having the like top three recruits in the class, right? That would be the most ideal awesome situation and scenario.

Starting point is 00:06:41 Who knows? You know, I'm not going to rule anything out because that would be really fun. And I don't want to rule that out just from that level of fun. But if you had to choose between one of the two, we do know that there are limitations. with RevShare, with NIL now having to go through certain stipulations. There are certain limitations that what if you could only afford one of the two? Move all the money from football because that's not working right now and afford both. But no, in all honesty, like, what do you do?

Starting point is 00:07:07 Who do you go after between the two? Stokes is ranked higher on the 24-7 sports rankings right now than Branch. So is that the obvious answer? It would also feel like such a, I don't know, it would be kind of a fun thing to be like, hey, this guy's a Nike NIL deal and you still got him. That'd be kind of a cool thing to do, right? I mean, that'd be kind of a gangster move by BEL self. That'd be a lot of fun.

Starting point is 00:07:27 On the other side, it's like, well, but if Branch is already getting an NIL deal with Adidas, would you theoretically have to pay less to get branched than you would get Stokes to outmatch the Nike offer? And then it's like, would that help you building the rest of the roster. So I think there's some plus minuses for both players. I would say both, of course I would say both. I would say honestly, like, if I had to pick one, I really love watching Tyron Stokes games.

Starting point is 00:07:50 It's fun, you know, having this Ford who can kind of be like that Zion type, who can just dunking on guys and super physical and stuff. But I think I actually would pick Branch. Just from the standpoint of, again, I go back to the idea that how many over these previous years have we talked about, hey, you need more three point shooting. If you're starting with Kinney and Branch as your best two players who would both be really good shooters, I wouldn't have that feeling. Plus, with Branch, like the thing with Stokes is what if he can't shoot it as much?

Starting point is 00:08:15 He can shoot it a little bit, but I think with Branch, it's more proven. What if you are more stuck with playing Stokes the four? And what if you're playing him next to a center who can't shoot? What if there are spacing issues? I don't think there would be because Stokes would be, I don't know, I think there's enough rim pressure there with his ball ability to drive and stuff that it'd be fine. But like, I don't have any questions about how you fill the rest of the roster if you have Branch and Kinney.

Starting point is 00:08:41 And you could play Branch in a lot of different ways that to me, he becomes my favorite target available. But again, Stokes would be, if Branch is 1A, Stokes is one B. If Branch is one, Stokes is still two. And you still try to get both because just think about that for a second, right? Again, this is a dumb hypothetical that probably won't even happen. But I'm just, it's just a fun, creative thing to think about if you have Kinney and Branch, who are these really good shooters coming in as freshman, let's say you add another like good shooter out of the transfer portal just to be a role player who can come in and shoot threes. And then you have Stokes driving and able to drive and kick to these good shooters. And

Starting point is 00:09:15 And you have like a, whether it's Florey coming back for another year, or Davy on Adkins or Paul M. B or Bryson Taylor protecting the paint with a lengthy wingspan and just throwing out lobs and dunks. Oh my goodness, I am getting so excited for the 26th, 2017. Let's hopefully get excited for the rest of this season. And hopefully Darren Peterson's healthy and everything. But I don't know, just an exciting thought.

Starting point is 00:09:36 Let's get to the latest on Stokes. What's going on there, right? He might have a lot of scene that he left his school in Southern California. Where is he at right now? and why that might actually be a good thing of the move he made for Kansas. Thanks for joining us on this bonus episode of the show and college basketball is back. You get tickets with game time. It's the app that gives the advantage back to the fans.

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Starting point is 00:10:19 Download the game time app, create an account, and use code locked on college for $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply. promo code locked on college for $20 off. L-O-C-K-E-D-O-N-C-O-L-E-G-E. Swipe, tap, ticket, go download game time today. Thanks, joining us on this bonus episode of the show. Okay, so what's the latest on Tyron Soakes and why is that good for K-U as well? so he left his school in southern california he transferred to rainier i don't know if it's rainier or

Starting point is 00:10:46 rainer uh beach in seattle and why is that good news for k u seattle is very far away from kansas well once a j hawk always a j hawks plenty of players who eventually either eventually or i guess went to k u and then went somewhere else but i have come from reiner beach roderick stewart who started his career at usc finish it up at kansas was part of the national title team c jiles who had a really good start to his career, KU, didn't finish there. Rio Adams, who, you know, of celebration fame for KU, and then Sam Cunliff, who transferred in from Arizona State and then finished up his career and had some nice success in Evansville. Again, none of those players stick out as like ones that I don't necessarily know that,

Starting point is 00:11:31 you know, Tyron Stokes is talking to them on the regular and being like, wow, you went to Kansas too from here, but it clearly shows there is some level of familiarity with the program and some level of connection for Kansas there. That's a good thing. And here's the other one. Jamal Crawford, who is the longtime NBA vet, played till he was like 40. Now he's announcing games for NBC was a really good player. He's big in the Seattle community. He went there to the school. He also earlier this year, it was for last season, but earlier this calendar year, was coaching for the team, like filled in as a coach. So clearly he has connections and ties and still active with the program. Do you know who he was recruited by

Starting point is 00:12:11 when he went from Rainier to Michigan. That would be one Curtis Townsend. Curtis Townsend was the assistant coach at Michigan. Now he's assistant coach at Kansas. Okay. So all these ties together, it doesn't mean that Kansas has an increased chance necessarily. Certainly doesn't hurt.

Starting point is 00:12:29 I don't dislike the idea that it's the case. But the biggest thing to me is this. It almost feels like to me, and again, this is maybe reckless speculation. It feels like to me, if you're Tyron Stokes, whether it's getting suspended or you leaving, whatever's going on, you're leaving your school in Southern California. You are scrambling because it's in the middle of the school year.

Starting point is 00:12:50 We need to find somewhere. We need to find somewhere fast. What do you do? You talk to people you know. You talk to people you have connections with, hey, where should we go? Who's going to let us in? How can we get to whatever? So if that's the idea of where you'd go.

Starting point is 00:13:05 And again, this is just speculation. I have no idea if this is what actually would happen. This is just how I would view it in my shoes. and you talk and if the end goal, so we have the beginning, if that were the beginning and the end goal was you end up here, doesn't it feel like a logical middle there would be he talked to or you talk to, hey, Curtis Townsend or maybe Curtis Townsend or Bill Self or whoever reached out and was like, hey, if you're looking for somewhere, we know a good spot you can go. Now, again, that doesn't mean you're going to go to Kansas, but it clearly would indicate that you

Starting point is 00:13:34 have the trust of the coaching staff and vice versa. So it doesn't mean he's going to commit to Kansas. but does it hurt? Absolutely not. So I think some fun updates for KU in the recruiting game with both Bruce Branch and Tyrant Stokes to really exciting players in the class of 2026. That'll over for this episode of Locked on Jayhawks. Find a show anywhere you get your podcast,

Starting point is 00:13:54 including on our YouTube page. See you next time with LOJ.

Locked On Jayhawks - Daily Podcast On Kansas Jayhawks Football & Basketball - BRUCE BRANCH RECLASS IS GREAT NEWS for Kansas | Can Bill Self Land Branch III or Tyran Stokes???

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