Tyran Stokes, nation's No. 1 basketball prospect, withdraws from high school days before start of season

Tyran Stokes, the No. 1 basketball prospect in the class of 2026 according to 247Sports, has withdrawn from Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks, California, athletic director Alec Moss confirmed to the Los Angeles Times. This was set to be Stokes' second year at Notre Dame, as he transferred from California's Prolific Prep ahead of his junior season. 

"Notre Dame High School acknowledges Tyran Stokes' decision to withdraw and explore new opportunities," Moss said in a statement. "We appreciate the contributions he made to our basketball program and community during his time here. We wish Tyran all the best as he pursues his future goals, and we are confident he will find success."

The 6-foot-7, 230-pound Stokes, who debuted as the top player in the 2026 cycle when 247Sports unveiled its initial rankings in Oct. 2023, averaged 21 points, 9.2 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game as a junior at Notre Dame. Stokes joined the school's football team in the middle of the season but played in only three games. 

Where could Tyran Stokes play college basketball?

Stokes recently announced a top three of Kentucky, Oregon and Kansas out of a reported offer pool of more than 20 schools. Stokes took official visits to Kansas and Kentucky over the summer and to USC and Oregon in September. Kentucky is the favorite, according to the 247Sports Crystal Ball, but it's considered a close race. 

"The Wildcats are considered the slight favorite in this recruitment, but the race remains very close and Stokes' ultimate destination remains unclear," 247Sports national basketball analyst Travis Branham reported last week.

The school that lands Stokes will receive an instant-impact player with the upside to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2027 NBA Draft, according to 247Sports' scouting report: 

Stokes is the most talented prospect in the national class and a unique match-up for opposing defenders. At 6-foot-7 and 230 pounds with a 7-foot wingspan, he's powerful, long, and explosively athletic. But while he's built like a forward, he can make plays like a guard with an ability to create off the dribble and an innate understanding of how to instinctively find a path to the rim, even when one doesn't seem to initially present itself. He's especially lethal getting downhill in the open floor and loves to take the ball off the defensive glass (10 rebounds per game in EYBL) and start the break himself. 

Stokes may not have a ton of time to find a new school. Notre Dame, for instance, is set to open its 2025-26 season on Nov. 18. 

What's next for Tyran Stokes? Is he eligible for 2026 NBA Draft?

What is the path forward for Stokes' basketball career? One logical option would be to enroll at another high school and play during the 2025-26 season before joining a college team in time for next season. But there is potentially another path that plenty of highly-touted recruits have taken before him.

Take Shaedon Sharpe as the most prominent -- and recent -- example, albeit under different circumstances. Sharpe left high school a semester early and enrolled at Kentucky mid-year. However, he didn't play in a game during the 2021-22 season and declared for the 2022 NBA Draft. Sharpe, despite not playing in a single college game, was selected No. 7 overall by the Portland Trail Blazers.

In order to be eligible for the NBA Draft, rules state that a player must be one year removed from high school and be at least 19 years old during the calendar year of the draft. Technically, if Stokes can graduate high school by the end of the year and enroll at one of his three finalists (Kentucky, Oregon, or Kansas) mid-season, he could take the same path as Sharpe.

Kentucky coach Mark Pope was asked Thursday about the possibility of adding a player mid-season.

"We haven't spent a ton of time," Pope said. "I love my roster right now. I don't worry about disrupting a team so much because the team is always getting disrupted with guys in and out of injury, for example and in and out of rotation. I think we have such a solid locker room that the core of our locker room is so solid that we could throw anything at our group and they would respond well. But I'm not looking to add anything right now because I love our team. ... That's where all my attention is going right now."

Even if Stokes takes the route of going through that process to be eligible for the 2026 Draft, there is no guarantee he would be a top-five pick because of how deep the class is. Kansas' Darryn Peterson, BYU's AJ Dybantsa and Duke's Cameron Boozer are projected to be the first three players off the board, in some order.

Outside of those three, there are plenty of players who could work their way into the mix, including Kentucky big man Jayden Quaintance, who is one of the most unique transfers in college basketball history. Quaintance transferred to Kentucky from Arizona State this past offseason and was ineligible for the 2025 NBA Draft -- despite being one year removed from high school -- due to the age requirement. Quaintance is recovering from a torn ACL and hasn't appeared in a game so far for the Wildcats.