2025 KU basketball signee Bryson Tiller to enroll in January, join team early, Self says
One of the three men’s basketball players to sign with Kansas in the recruiting Class of 2025 is slated to arrive on KU’s campus second semester of this 2024-25 school year. He will practice with the Jayhawks and begin his college career as a redshirt.
Bryson Tiller, a 6-foot-10, 240-pound senior power forward out of the Overtime Elite program in Atlanta, is expected to join the current team in January, KU coach Bill Self told The Star.
Tiller will practice but not play in games until the start of the 2025-26 season, Self indicated.
“The plan is right now, at least the latest I’ve heard based on school acceptance and those sorts of things, Bryson Tiller will come here sometime in early January, not to play this year but to redshirt and have four (years) left,” Self told The Star.
“He has had an injury that has kept him very limited first semester. He’s not played in a game yet even thought he’s been doing some things. We hope he’ll have full release (to practice) by the time he gets here.”
Tiller is ranked No. 20 in the Class of 2025 by 247Sports, No. 21 by Rivals, No. 23 by On3 and No. 26 by ESPN.
He chose KU over Auburn, Indiana and Georgia Tech and signed with KU in the week-long November signing period.
“Bryson is ultra talented,” Self said upon receipt of Tiller’s financial aid agreement on Nov. 16. “If he hadn’t gotten hurt (foot injury) he would be a top-5, top-7 kid in the class. He hasn’t been able to do much in the last six or eight months, but he’s talented. He’s 6-10 and can play anywhere on the floor.”
Tiller, who is from Atlanta, home of Overtime Elite, has a 7-foot-3 wingspan.
“His upside is undeniable, and he’s been well trained. Bryson provides a versatility for us that he can play some 5, but he can also play the 4, very similar to the way KJ (Adams) has in his KU career,” Self said. “This was another good get for us. KT (Townsend) was the point man on Bryson and has been recruiting him going back to Bryson’s sophomore year.”
Tiller plays for the City Reapers and was named to the all-Overtime Elite second team in 2023-24 after averaging nearly a double-double at 12.2 points and 9.4 rebounds a game. He blocked 1.6 shots per contest. In the 2024 playoffs, Tiller averaged 15.6 points to go along with 8.1 rebounds and 1.4 blocked shots while shooting 50% from the field. He recorded seven double-doubles during the 2023-24 season.
In 2022-23, the City Reapers won the OTE championship and Tiller averaged 11.5 points and 6.9 rebounds with five double-doubles during the regular season. Tiller played AAU basketball for Atlanta Xpress.
KU has also signed guard Darryn Peterson and forward Samis Calderon.
Peterson, a 6-5, 195-pound senior guard from Prolific Prep in Napa, California, is ranked No. 3 nationally by all the recruiting services.
Tiller’s Overtime Elite teammate, Calderon, is a 6-8, 200 forward from Espirito Santo, Brazil ranked No. 67 by 247Sports and No. 129 by On3. He’s not ranked yet by ESPN or Rivals.
A fourth member of the class would be a walk-on football player. Jaden Nickens, who plays basketball and football at Sierra Canyon High School in California, recently committed to KU to play both sports. His scholarship will be in football but he has said he will join the hoops team at KU once the football season is over.
Nickens, a wide receiver in football and guard in basketball, committed to Oklahoma in August of 2023, but backed off his commitment in March. Both KU football coach Lance Leipold and Self have said they do indeed expect him to play two sports at KU.
This story was originally published December 16, 2024 at 3:15 PM with the headline "2025 KU basketball signee Bryson Tiller to enroll in January, join team early, Self says."
