Former Purdue forward Trey Kaufman-Renn has signed with Kansas, the school announced, as he pursues a sixth year of college eligibility. Kansas coach Bill Self said Kaufman-Renn has enrolled in classes and has been practicing with the team as of Sunday. Self praised his career at Purdue, where he reached the national championship game, the Elite 8 and the Sweet 16, and said his basketball IQ should make his transition quicker than most players in similar situations.
Kaufman-Renn currently is eligible to play for the Jayhawks after receiving a temporary restraining order in September and a preliminary injunction earlier this month against the NCAA. His argument centers on his redshirt season in 2021-22. He contends that under the NCAA's new five-for-five age-based eligibility model, he would not have used that redshirt and would have played only four seasons instead of five.
Kansas had an open roster spot after freshman Grant Mordini suffered a season-ending injury. The Jayhawks now have three players pursuing another season of eligibility, joining returning starters Melvin Council Jr. and Tre White. Council won a preliminary injunction in a New York state court, while White is part of an Indiana lawsuit in which an NCAA emergency motion was denied on Friday.
Kaufman-Renn was one of the top big men in the country at Purdue. The 6-foot-9 power forward started 112 games over his final three seasons. He broke out in 2024-25 by averaging 20.1 points and 6.5 rebounds, then posted 14.2 points and 8.3 rebounds last season as a fifth-year senior. The Minnesota Timberwolves drafted him with the 59th pick in June's NBA draft, but he never signed a contract. Kansas opens its 2026-27 season at home against Fordham on Nov. 2.
Source: ESPN General · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing