photo by: AP Photo/Lucas Peltier

Kansas forward Flory Bidunga (40) celebrates after defeating Duke during an NCAA college basketball game Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024, in Las Vegas.

The University of Kansas competes in 16 varsity sports, all of which feature a wealth of compelling storylines that will unfold over the course of the next calendar year.

Here’s a look at 25 student-athletes who will have a hand in shaping those storylines, and to whom it’s worth paying special attention between now and the end of December.

The only criteria for these selections were 1) the inclusion of at least one athlete from every varsity team on campus and 2) a vague attempt not to include the most obvious, established star players — Jalon Daniels for football, S’Mya Nichols for women’s basketball and so on. The list is in alphabetical order by last name.

1. Yerkezhan Arystanbekova (tennis): The reigning JUCO national champion in singles and runner-up in doubles at the JUCO level, Arystanbekova enters as a midyear addition to the KU roster. Though a native of Kazakhstan, she’s already familiar with the state of Kansas after spending a year at Cowley College. Head coach Todd Chapman said she could “be an immediate factor in our lineup.”

2. Flory Bidunga (men’s basketball): The center from the Democratic Republic of the Congo has already shown flashes of his immense potential as a rebounder, shot-blocker and occasional strong finisher inside. It seems like 2025, though, will be the year for him to take another step and cement a future as a professional player, both as head coach Bill Self endeavors to give him more minutes late in his freshman campaign, and then likely as a sophomore, when he would be in line to start following Hunter Dickinson’s departure.

photo by: Kā‘anapali Golf Courses

Kansas’ Gunnar Broin at the Kā‘anapali Classic on Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024, in Lahaina, Hawaii.

3. Gunnar Broin (men’s golf): Broin, who went on an improbable run to the U.S. Open as an amateur last summer, is back competing for KU as a graduate student. In the fall, his scoring average of 70.43 led the Jayhawks, who will push for another NCAA regional berth in the spring.

photo by: AP Photo/Colin E. Braley

Kansas third baseman Michael Brooks (6) reaches for a ground ball hit by TCU’s Chase Brunson during the second inning of an NCAA baseball game on Saturday, March 9, 2024, in Lawrence. Brunson was out on the play.

4. Michael Brooks (baseball): KU’s stalwart infielder, a fifth-year senior, is back after a hand injury derailed his 2024 season (he might even have been selected in the MLB Draft otherwise) and will undoubtedly be one of the team leaders on a brand-new roster.

photo by: Chance Parker/Special to the Journal-World

Kansas sophomore Raegan Burns during the match against TCU on Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024, in Lawrence.

5. Raegan Burns (volleyball): Having just completed her sophomore season, Burns is suddenly one of the most experienced members of KU’s roster as a two-year starter at libero (at least pending any upcoming additions in the transfer portal). She’s been consistent, averaging 3.46 digs per set in 2023 and 3.44 in 2024.

photo by: AP Photo/Colin E. Braley

Kansas guard Sania Copeland (22) celebrates with Laia Conesa (6) after hitting a three-point basket to take the lead as Penn State guard Moriah Murray (3) follows during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game on Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024, in Lawrence.

6. Sania Copeland (women’s basketball): Her stats don’t always leap off the page, but the Wisconsin transfer and Kansas City native has been an integral player on both sides of the ball for the Jayhawks, starting every game, defending key threats and displaying chemistry with longtime friend and backcourt mate S’Mya Nichols. She also hit a series of crucial 3-pointers in one of KU’s biggest wins of the 2024-25 season so far, at home against Penn State. Like nearly everyone else on the team, she has another year of eligibility and can return in 2025-26.

photo by: Brett Rojo/For The Big 12 Conference

Kansas shortstop Hailey Cripe makes a throw against Oklahoma on Thursday, May 9, 2024, in Oklahoma City.

7. Hailey Cripe (softball): Cripe’s coach Jennifer McFalls has said she has the potential to become an All-American during her KU tenure, and the shortstop took a big step in that direction during her sophomore campaign, leading the Jayhawks in doubles (11), home runs (seven), RBIs (39) and slugging percentage (.516).

8. Jaliya Davis (women’s basketball): Any member of KU’s 2025 recruiting class fits this article, but in Davis, a versatile, athletic 6-foot-2 forward from Overland Park, the Jayhawks are getting an archetype of player they don’t exactly have this year and haven’t for a while.

photo by: Mike Gunnoe/Special to the Journal-World

Kansas goalkeeper Sophie Dawe controls the ball for a save against West Virginia during the Big 12 tournament at CPKC Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024 in Kansas City, Mo.

9. Sophie Dawe (soccer): Dawe went from zero minutes in 2023 as a redshirt to 1,988 of a possible 2,081 in 2024. The first player in program history to be named to a TopDrawerSoccer Best XI team, Dawe can now provide a reliable goalkeeping option for three more seasons for the Jayhawks.

10. Marieke Ebens (women’s golf): Plenty of current Jayhawks have chipped in already as the KU women’s golf team won an unprecedented three straight team titles in the fall, but the future looks bright for Lindsay Kuhle’s squad as well between in-state addition Kinslea Jones and Ebens. Kuhle called Ebens, who had a scoring average of 73 in 2024 at the time of her signing, a “program changer” and said, “She is an extremely high achiever and a disciplined player who has the desire, determination and mindset to develop her game in four years in college to help prepare her for professional golf.”

photo by: Aiden Shertzer/Texas A&M Athletics

Texas A&M’s Bryce Foster throws the shot put at the Battle on the Bayou in Baton Rouge, La., on Saturday, March 30, 2024.

11. Bryce Foster (football, track and field): Foster will attempt to do something he could not at Texas A&M by attending both football and track practices back-to-back in the spring. He’ll be a thrower for the track and field team and then has a chance to set himself up well for the 2026 NFL Draft with a strong football season in the fall.

photo by: AP Photo/Vasha Hunt

Alabama wide receiver Emmanuel Henderson Jr. (3) works through drills during an NCAA college football practice, Wednesday, July 31, 2024, at the Thomas-Drew Practice Fields in Tuscaloosa, Ala.

12. Emmanuel Henderson Jr. (football): One of the top running backs in the country out of high school, Henderson is now a little-used former Alabama receiver with sky-high potential as he transfers to KU. The battle for playing time in the receiving corps will be wide open, but if Henderson establishes a good connection with Jalon Daniels it could take KU’s passing game to a new level.

photo by: AP Photo/Charlie Riedel

Kansas running back Daniel Hishaw Jr. (9) reacts after scoring a touchdown during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Lindenwood Thursday, Aug. 29, 2024, at Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kan.

13. Daniel Hishaw Jr. (football): There was no shortage of rumors about Hishaw’s future at KU after he missed a couple games due to personal matters late in the 2024 season, but it certainly appears now he’ll be back in Lawrence for a sixth and final season. The 2025 campaign will give him an opportunity to emerge as a feature back that he never truly had when Devin Neal was in town, although he’ll have to compete with Iowa transfer Leshon Williams for touches.

photo by: Jordyn Pennington/Kansas Athletics

Dorcas Kiptanui during the Bob Timmons Cross Country Classic at Rim Rock Farms in Lawrence on Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024.

14. Dorcas Kiptanui (women’s cross-country, track and field): Only a sophomore, Kiptanui was KU’s top finisher in the women’s 6,000 meters at NCAA regionals in November with a personal-best time of 20 minutes, 30.99 seconds.

photo by: Landon Cory/Special to the Journal-World

Kansas freshman Shiyun Lai competes in the 3-meter diving event during the meet against Arkansas on Friday, Jan. 26, 2024, at Robinson Natatorium.

15. Shiyun Lai (swim and dive): Lai was an All-Big 12 diver as a freshman and has already earned her fourth and fifth conference diver of the week honors in the early stages of her sophomore season.

16. Connor Maggi (baseball): One of the highest-touted members of KU’s robust offseason transfer class, Maggi earned first-team all-conference honors in his final season at Gardner-Webb, posting a 3.00 ERA before he joined the Jayhawks. He could be one of their go-to relief arms this spring.

17. Mason Meinershagen (women’s track and field): As a freshman, Meinershagen won gold in the pole vault at the Kansas Relays, among a slew of other top-five finishes. She went on to compete in the NCAA national championship and the U.S. Olympic trials.

photo by: Chance Parker/Special to the Journal-World

Kansas freshman Reese Ptacek waits for the serve against TCU on Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024, in Lawrence.

18. Reese Ptacek (volleyball): After easing her way into action, Ptacek looked like a veteran for much of her freshman season. The native of Prescott, Wisconsin, became a reliable starter at middle blocker and averaged 1.81 kills and 1.26 blocks per set while earning Big 12 freshman of the year honors and establishing herself as a program centerpiece going forward.

19. Clayton Simms (men’s track and field): Simms came as close as any Jayhawk (regardless of sport) to earning a national title last season when he finished in second place in the pole vault at the NCAA outdoor championships by clearing 5.62 meters. The one athlete ahead of him last year, Kentucky’s Keaton Daniel, has graduated.

photo by: Missy Minear/Kansas Athletics

Tanner Talley during the Bob Timmons Cross Country Classic at Rim Rock Farms in Lawrence on Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024.

20. Tanner Talley (men’s cross-country, track and field): Talley finished in second place at the Bob Timmons Classic to open his junior season, and was at the front of the pack for KU for much of the campaign. In track, he’ll look to build on some of his success in the 1,500 meters from 2024, when he was also part of a 4×800-meter relay team that won the Kansas Relays.

21. Bryson Tiller (men’s basketball): The KU coaching staff feels it got a prospect who could have been rated far higher — and he was already a high four-star — if not for a long-term ankle injury. The extent to which he is able to contribute during the 2025-26 season will depend on how quickly he gets back up to speed, and how well he gets integrated with the program during the spring semester after enrolling early.

photo by: Mike Gunnoe/Special to the Journal-World

Kansas cornerback Jalen Todd participates in a drill during fall camp on Monday, August 5, 2024, in Lawrence.

22. Jalen Todd (football): Few true freshmen have seen the field on defense during head coach Lance Leipold’s tenure at KU, but Todd had worked his way into a key role at nickel corner by the end of the 2024 season and even started in the Jayhawks’ victory over Colorado. Now, he could compete for an even larger share of snaps in 2025, depending on how well transfers D.J. Graham II and Jahlil Hurley get integrated into first-time coordinator D.K. McDonald’s defense.

photo by: Mike Gunnoe/Special to the Journal-World

Kansas forward Lexi Watts scores the game-winning goal in overtime against West Virginia during the Big 12 tournament at CPKC Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024 in Kansas City, Mo.

23. Lexi Watts (soccer): Watts has been one of KU’s top goal-scoring options since she came on campus in 2022, but the pressure she and Saige Wimes exerted on opposing defenses was a big reason why the Jayhawks went on their miracle run through the Big 12 last fall. She could still reach another level of production in her senior season, too; she had nine goals in 2024, but all of them came following the start of conference play.

24. Emma Wistuba (rowing): The Oklahoma transfer earned both KU’s internal award for its top rower and an all-conference selection at the conclusion of the 2023-24 season, and has already been a part of two winning boats this year at the Head of the Oklahoma and Jayhawk Jamboree.

photo by: AP Photo/Lachlan Cunningham

Cal State Fullerton fielder Candace Yingling (10) throws the ball against Mississippi State during an NCAA softball game on Friday, May 17, 2024 in Stanford, Calif.

25. Candace Yingling (softball): Transfers have not played a significant role in McFalls’ roster composition in recent years, but for 2025 she brought in three in Yingling, Madi Hays and Haley Webb. Yingling has the widest-ranging background as a sixth-year senior with 38 career starts, mostly at first base during her tenure with Cal before she played for perennial tournament participant Cal State Fullerton in 2024. Interestingly, Yingling hit 15-for-48 (.313) in 2020 and 14-for-36 (.389) in 2024, but batted .156 in each of the two seasons in between, so who knows what form McFalls’ staff will get from her.