Kansas forward Bryson Tiller (15) delivers a dunk against Missouri during the second half on Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025 at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City. Photo by Nick Krug

A former Kansas Jayhawk made an unprecedented move across enemy lines on Thursday morning, as Bryson Tiller announced on The Field of 68’s livestream that he has committed to Missouri in the transfer portal.

Tiller will be a redshirt sophomore for the Tigers when he meets KU in a Border War revenge game at the T-Mobile Center this fall.

He enrolled early with KU in the winter of 2025 and redshirted as he was recovering from a long-term ankle injury he suffered at Overtime Elite. Then, in his first action, he moved quickly into the starting lineup at power forward for the Jayhawks during the 2025-26 campaign, and ultimately averaged 7.9 points and 6.1 rebounds with 31 starts in his 39 appearances.

He underwent an interesting arc over the course of the season. He impressed early on by connecting on four 3-pointers in a matchup at North Carolina, but head coach Bill Self and the coaching staff repeatedly emphasized how much they wanted him to play to his size and demonstrate more physicality. As the year went on, Tiller did just that and racked up some impressive performances: 17 points and nine rebounds against Notre Dame at the Players Era, 21 and seven versus BYU and 18 and eight in KU’s win over No. 1 Arizona when he helped sustain the Jayhawks in the first half.

But he struggled in the later stages of the year and was benched for the second half of KU’s Big 12 tournament loss to Houston. He then went scoreless for the first time in his career when the Jayhawks were eliminated from the NCAA Tournament with a loss to St. John’s.

He is now the fourth KU player to announce a new destination in the transfer portal after Flory Bidunga (Louisville), Samis Calderon (Butler) and Jamari McDowell (Wake Forest), with Elmarko Jackson still pending and Paul Mbiya’s status uncertain.

Tiller, who also reportedly had interest from Michigan and Arizona and visited Miami, said on the livestream that he wanted a fresh start.

“I had a great list of options,” he said. “Definitely a quicker process than high school. The transfer portal is so fast and unique. Definitely got a good chance to build some relationships with some good choices.”

He said he wanted “to be able to express myself freely on the court, play with a lot of energy, a lot of passion, and I feel like Missouri’s the way to do so,” while praising his longtime relationship with Dennis Gates, who recruited him in high school.

“I trust in him and the University of Missouri to do what needs to be done to win and to get to the next level for me,” Tiller said.

KU, for its part, secured a power forward for next year with the commitment of Utah senior transfer Keanu Dawes on Thursday morning.