Kansas Jayhawks Q&A: Johnny Furphy’s thoughts on KU roster and latest on Gateway Project

As Kansas freshman Johnny Furphy prepares for the NBA Draft, he’s still keeping a close eye on his soon-to-be former team.

And with a busy offseason filled with new additions, Furphy has been impressed by KU’s roster.

“It’s super exciting, I think they got a super exciting team that they’ve put together,” Furphy told The Star. “I will be absolutely be paying attention. The longer I step away from Kansas, the more I really kind of appreciate what I was part of. I’ll definitely be keeping a close eye on it because I definitely feel I have a super strong connection (since) I was able to spend a year there. I’m super excited to see how they (do).”

The NBA Draft is set for June 26-27 in Brooklyn. Furphy will attend with his family and is expected to be picked in the lottery or sometime in the latter stages of the 1st round.

Furphy isn’t the only Kansas player expected to be drafted; his teammate Kevin McCullar is projected as a late first-round to early second-round pick.

Furphy has kept in touch with McCullar throughout the draft process.

“(We’re) keeping it pretty casual, I think just checking on each other, checking in how he’s going with everything,” Furphy said. “He’s had some some speed bumps with his knee, but it sounds like he’s doing really well and really improving on his body. I’m excited to see him next. I think its awesome I’ve built this relationship with him. It’s going to be great to kind of have someone going through a similar process.”

With that, let’s get to this week’s KU mailbag. Thanks as always for the questions.

How confident are you in KU’s O line with the addition of Foster? @NickSpringer29

I feel pretty good — certainly better than I did a few weeks ago about KU’s offensive line. I think the addition of Bryce Foster is significant for many reasons. Yes, he had a down year at Texas A&M, but he had a stellar freshman season a few years back — he earned SEC All-Freshman honors.

On top of that, he provides SEC-level experience for KU’s existing offensive line, which can only make the rest of the offensive line better. I also expect him to provide fierce competition for the center position.

Between the addition of Foster, Amir Herring (Michigan) and Shane Bumgardner (D-II Tiffin), the Jayhawks have used the transfer portal to beef up their offensive line, which was greatly needed.

Kansas has two key starting roles up for grabs — center and left tackle. The Jayhawks lost starting center Mike Novitsky to graduation, left tackle Dominick Puni to the NFL and guard Armaj Reed-Adams as a transfer to Texas A&M.

How concerned should fans be with the recent news about the gateway project? — @TheJayhawk4ever

I don’t think KU fans should be very concerned, if at all. In a recent KU Athletics board of directors meeting, athletic director Travis Goff said that the David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium renovations are on track to be finished by 2025.

That said — the Lawrence Journal-World reported that KU hasn’t found a hotel partner for the Gateway Project yet. I don’t think that’s necessarily super concerning because there’s still some time before renovations are done anyway.

It’s also been reported that Kansas has met with three private development firms for the Gateway Project but hasn’t found a match yet. I think the biggest and most important thing is that the stadium is on time and progressing nicely, which it is.

Until KU says there’s been a delay for the overall project — I don’t think there’s any reason to be concerned. I get why the recent news raises some eyebrows, but these things are fluid and KU could find a development partner for its hotel sooner rather than later.

Justify Dajuan and KJ in the starting lineup besides both being Coach Self’s guys. Thank you. @derekho23

I think the justification for Harris is simple — he’s a championship-winning point guard with the right players around him. Despite his hesitancy to shoot and pass-first mindset, his teammates love having him on the floor. Harris is like another coach on the court — it’s why Bill Self trusts him so much.

For Adams, he can be a key cog in the lineup. He allows KU’s defense to work well despite Hunter Dickinson’s deficiencies, which is a big reason why Dickinson called him the most underrated player in the country.

He’s a secondary creator with his passing on offense and efficient around the rim. He also had a higher offensive rating than Dickinson, meaning lineups can still be successful offensively with him in the game.

According to statistician Evan Miya, Adams was involved in 13 of KU’s top 14 lineups, ranked by team-adjusted efficiency, last season. Adams also had strong numbers, with career highs in points, rebounds and assists.

How many players are drafted from this Kansas team in the 2025 NFL draft. @kylecoffey11

Great question.

I think Kansas has at least three players drafted (Jalon Daniels, Devin Neal and Cobee Bryant) with the potential for a few others — Mello Dotson and Logan Brown.