Kansas Transfer, Top 50 Recruit Marcus Adams Commits to BYU

After hitting the transfer portal again Sunday, BYU moved quickly and added a piece to the 2023 roster as Marcus Adams committed to BYU Saturday.

A member of the 2023 class, Adams was rated a consensus 4-star recruit and number 49 prospect in the country by 247 Sports.

A 6-foot-8 and 205 pounds forward, Adams was initially a member of the 2024 recruiting class before re-classifying to 2023. Adams signed with Kansas back in April and enrolled at the school in June. Adams participated in practices for the Jayhawks before hitting the transfer portal in July. BYU was one of the schools involved then, but Adams signed with Gonzaga. Adams backed off that pledge Sunday night and re-entered the transfer portal.

A gifted scorer, Adams is a skilled wing that can also play the four spot due to his size. He is a knockdown shooter, can score off the dribble, and play above the rim. The Torrance, California product was one of the top prospects in LA. This past season, Marcus had one game with 11 made threes and another where he made 13. In the game he canned 11 triples, he had 50 points and 21 rebounds.

Below are some things Marcus told me were highlights from his BYU visit and factored into his commitment.

“Coach Pope is a great coach, love him. He’s a great energy coach. Cody (Fueger), all the coaches have great energy, made me feel at home. It’s a beautiful city around BYU, I really like it a lot.”

Sources tell me Marcus had late interest from Missouri, St John’s, Seton Hall, USD, UCSB and Syracuse, but he only visited BYU and wanted the Cougars.

Will Adams be eligible this coming season?

I was initially told that odds are slim that Adams would be able to play this season, but sources have told me this week that Adams has a waiver case that gives him a legitimate chance to play next season. Since Adams enrolled at Kansas, he had to enter the transfer portal and couldn’t simply be released from his NLI. Adams entered the portal in July, two months after the portal closed for undergraduate players to enter. Since he entered after, Adams needs a waiver to be eligible immediately. Adams will apply for a waiver, and I think it’s at least coin flip odds of whether the waiver gets granted. If not, Adams will need to redshirt.

Below is what Marcus told me about his waiver case.

“Hopefully we can get that waiver. We highly believe we can get that waiver done.”

Sources close to BYU also told me that Marcus has a legitimate waiver case.

How did BYU get involved?

BYU immediately got in the mix for Adams right after he entered the portal when he left Kansas. Cody Fueger was the main assistant leading his recruitment. He ultimately decided on Gonzaga, but Pope and BYU’s coaching staff left an impression on Adams that allowed them to get to the front of the line once he left Gonzaga. NIL wasn’t a huge part of the conversation.

Out of high school Marcus had offers from Kansas, UCLA, Indiana, Syracuse, Oregon, Texas, Tennessee, Arkansas, USC, and several others. He initially committed to Kansas over other finalists UCLA and Syracuse.

There are obvious questions that need to be asked. The most obvious one — is is worth taking a guy that will be on his third college before he even plays a game? BYU coaches had to do their homework. There are some potential red flags. My take, however, is that Marcus should be shown some grace. He might be getting some bad advice — which is something to watch — but he’s a young kid who wouldn’t be in college yet if he didn’t reclassify to 2023. With his kind of talent, he’s worth taking on.

I won’t give additional details to protect Marcus and my sources, but I have very little concern about this being Marcus’ third school already. If people knew his situation and back story leading to this, he would be given plenty of sympathy and understanding.

Outlook

Marcus has the talent to be a foundational piece for BYU. BYU historically doesn’t get wings with his size and skill set. Marcus can play the 3 or 4 spots, which will allow BYU to use him in multiple ways. If Marcus redshirted this season, he’ll join a freshman class in 2024 that includes Collin Chandler, Isaac Davis, and potentially others. He and Collin Chandler could form a very high-level duo that competes for All-Big 12 honors.

If Marcus can play this year, he would immediately factor into BYU’s rotation at the 3 and 4 spots. I’d anticipate him coming off the bench, at least initially, but he has the talent to be one of BYU’s top players this year. I think Marcus would play a lot of four to be alongside Aly Khalifa or Fouss in the frout court and provide some floor spacing and defensive versatility. If BYU wants to go big with more length, Marcus can play the 3 and other guys can move around.

What else to consider

BYU offered Max Adams, Marcus’ younger brother, earlier in August.

A member of the 2026 class, Max is considered one of the top 2026 prospects. ESPN released their top 25 prospects for the 2026 season and Max is rated 24. BYU has a real chance to get Max with Marcus now at BYU.

You can watch highlights of Marcus below.