Hunter Dickinson Commits to Kansas

The most sought-after transfer in the history of the portal is headed to Lawrence to become a Jayhawk.

The most anticipated transfer decision in…well…recent memory (or ever?) has now concluded with Hunter Dickinson announcing Thursday that he will be heading to Kansas. The Jayhawks beat out Kentucky, Maryland, Villanova, and Georgetown in the recruitment (Dickinson is a D.C. guy and the appeal to play closer to home felt real).

The decision stretched out longer and was teased more than college hoops fans would like — the insinuation of an announcement on Dickinson’s Barstool podcast RoundBall Pod Tuesday only to say he hadn’t made up his mind yet ruffled some feathers even by those without a stake — but there’s a reason he garnered the attention.

Dickinson is a 7-foot-1 former consensus All-American, Big Ten Rookie of the Year, three-time All-Big Ten selection, and NCAA All-Region member who has averaged better than 18 points and eight rebounds the last two seasons while shooting 56% from the field. He has two years of eligibility remaining and, given the diminished value of post players like him in the NBA, is likely to make as much with NIL in college than he will heading to the pros.

The move to Kansas solidifies the Jayhawks as a real national title contender. Dickinson’s ability to score from multiple positions paired with Dajuan Harris’ court vision and Nick Timberlake’s shooting will make Kansas a dangerous offensive team. This will also allow KJ Adams to move to the four spot and Bill Self now has no shortage of ball handlers and wings to get to the basket and spread the court.

And for those who are high on Ernest Udeh like myself, Udeh still has a huge role to play. Dickinson has never averaged more than 32 minutes a game in his career and Udeh has made a name for himself by being a high-energy player on both ends of the court. Which means there will still be opportunities for Udeh, and Zuby Ejiofor, to play valuable, impact minutes. It’s also interesting to see if Ejiofor sticks around with Dickinson entering the picture.

The announcement Wednesday that Kyle Cuffe would be transferring is also worth noting as it frees up a second open scholarship for KU to bring in another talent. The Jayhawks are still in the running for several highly rated freshmen and transfers that could impact the team immediately. Five-star former Duke commit Mackenzie Mgbako is a 6-8 power forward ranked as the No. 7 player in the 2023 class on 247 Sports and visited Lawrence earlier this week. Self has also targeted Texas Tech transfer Jaylon Tyson, who also visited Kansas recently, and has recently shown interest in North Dakota State transfer Grant Nelson.

With Dickinson committing, I would expect the final scholarship spot to go to a wing, unless Kansas gets Mgbako and Ejiofor leaves to give KU the option to bring in two.