Dennis Parker Jr Joins Kansas as 2025-26 Roster Takes Shape
Dennis Parker Jr. committed to Kansas on Thursday morning, giving the Jayhawks a 6-foot-6 transfer guard for his senior season. The move adds a proven scorer to a 2025-26 roster that already includes 11 others and can still take as many as three more players.
Kansas lands Parker
Parker announced his decision on The Field of 68’s YouTube channel after talking with Bill Self and Kansas assistants. He said, “After great conversations with coach Bill Self and some of the assistants, man, I just felt like it was the perfect fit for me.”
Self’s pitch was direct. “Hey man, if you’re going to come here, we need you to score the ball.” Parker’s answer matched the role Kansas appears to want from him, and he said, “That’s really what it’s going to have to be.”
The commitment gives Kansas its fourth transfer addition, joining Keanu Dawes, Leroy Blyden Jr. and Christian Reeves. Parker is also the 12th player on the 2025-26 roster, with room left to add as many as three more.
Radford scoring burst
Last season at Radford, Parker averaged 18.3 points and 5.9 rebounds per game while shooting 48.4% on 12.7 total attempts per game and 37.7% from 3-point range. He also went 60-for-159 from deep after making 21-for-75 from 3-point range in his career at N.C. State.
One game stood out on the stat sheet. Parker scored 53 points against Coppin State on Dec. 14, the kind of outburst Kansas did not need to project from scratch.
Those numbers matter because Parker is not arriving as a raw add-on. He spent two years as a reserve at N.C. State before transferring to Radford, where his shot volume and efficiency jumped into a different range.
Self’s scoring ask
Parker entered college as a four-star prospect and top-100 recruit out of John Marshall High School. He started 12 of 29 games for N.C. State’s 2023-24 team that reached the Final Four, averaging 4.7 points and 3.2 rebounds per game in that season.
He described himself as a “two-way dog,” but the message he got from Kansas was about offense first. “I feel like the pieces of the team that he brought together for this year (are) great, man,” Parker said. “I’m excited to play with these young dudes.”
He also framed his role as one of experience. “To be experienced in college, I’ve seen a Final Four before, so it’s like I can be one of those guys to just be around them and try to just guide them if they need it.” Kansas now has another older perimeter piece, and Parker’s next job is clear: score the ball for a roster that is still filling out behind him.
