Tyran Stokes was on top of the world for a while. After transferring from Prolific Prep to Notre Dame in July last year, Stokes led the Knights to the CIF Southern Section Open Division finals in March. Within the week, Stokes and Notre Dame reached the CIF State Open Division SoCal regional final. However, things have fallen off the cliff between Notre Dame and Stokes.

As a junior, Stokes averaged 21 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 3.9 assists, earning All-CIF and All-Mission League honors. Stokes is the No. 1-ranked player in the 2026 Rivals Industry Ranking. Despite being a highly rated prospect and the best high school player in the country, he has abruptly announced his departure from Notre Dame. 

“Notre Dame High School acknowledges Tyran Stokes’ decision to withdraw and explore new opportunities. We appreciate the contributions he made to our basketball program and community during his time here. We wish Tyran all the best as he pursues his future,” Notre Dame athletic director Alec Moss said in an emailed statement.

However, things are stickier than a straightforward transfer or a change in plan. According to Sports Illustrated, “Stokes was facing disciplinary issues at the school, including altercations with students. He served a suspension that kept him sidelined during multiple high school football games this season, and has not been at school this week.” The fans naturally have an opinion regarding this situation and are imploring Stokes not to waste his talent.

Fans Plead Tyran Stokes After Moving Out of Notre Dame

“wtf did tyran stokes do lol how u #1 prospect getting kicked outta HS?” Asked a fan. Well, technically, Stokes hasn’t been kicked out but has pulled out of his own volition. However, generally, when a school wants to remove a player, it rarely frames it that way. It affects the school’s PR and reputation when they actually expel somebody. And a reputed school like Notre Dame Sherman Oaks will definitely choose the non-controversial route. Since there are reports of misconduct, many fans think that Stokes was expelled.

“Tyran Stokes gotta lock tf in man. He’s boutta sleep walk into the No. 1 pick. Being a head case is not gonna go over well for him at all,” opined another fan. Even before he transferred to Notre Dame, the 6-foot-7, do-it-all forward currently held offers to Kansas, Louisville, Kentucky, UCLA, Texas, and Alabama, among a bevy of others. He is still the top pick in his high school class. However, questions arise about where he will go from here. The colleges could avoid such uncertain prospects that could trouble them on and off the court and possibly affect team harmony. 

High school players can sign with the G League at 18 and then enter the NBA Draft in a later year, as long as they meet the NBA’s draft eligibility rules. The NBA requires most American players to be at least 19 during the draft year and one year removed from their high school class. Stokes just turned 18 last month.

Theoretically, this could be one of the paths he could take. He will play in the G-League for a year and then be drafted later. In an already risky move, his disciplinary history makes things even more complicated. It leaves college as a more viable option to improve his reputation and then go pro.

“Yikes, I think we figured out the answer to why Pat Kelsey and John Calipari stopped recruiting Tyran Stokes😬” Another fan theorised. Like we discussed above, he already had 5 schools in his shortlist, including Kelsey’s Louisville and Calipari’s Arkansas. However, Stokes recently announced that the shortlist had come down to Kentucky, Oregon, and Kansas. 

There were doubts about whether Kelsey made the full effort to recruit Stokes. The 5-star recruit visited Louisville way back in October 2024, giving Louisville a massive head start for his signature. On3 Spots gave Louisville a whopping 66.7 % chance of earning his commitment for the majority of the year. Kelsey reportedly took an in-house visit to Stokes this summer, but that was about it. 

With regards to Calipari, SI reported that Arkansas pulled out of the race for Stokes in August, before he announced his shortlist in November. The report cited Stokes’ rumoured $4 million NIL package as one of the reasons. However, according to Matt Norlander of CBS Sports, Arkansas was in the $10 million bracket for NIL deals in the 2024-25 season. Those amounts have been trending upward league-wide. 

So, $4 million for the top recruit in the country seems reasonable to some fans. That ties to our discipline issue situation. That factor could have played a part in the decisions for both coaches. Note that this is just fans speculating and connecting the dots based on past reporting. We might get a confirmed reason from both later on. While most fans were referring to Stokes in a negative sense after this incident, this Kentucky fan had another approach. 

“@tyran_stokes, come join our long list of ‘demons who know how to stand on business, ’” invited a Kentucky fan. Kentucky has long had a reputation of being the ‘bad boy’ of the NCAA scene. And ironically, it was John Calipari’s side for years. Before John Wall committed to the UK, he was charged with a misdemeanor for breaking into an empty house with a few of his friends. However, Calipari backed him. 

It paid dividends as he led Kentucky to a 35-3 record and an SEC regular-season and tournament championship. The program has had players like DeMarcus Cousins, and even 3 year bans for flouting the rules in the late 80s. We don’t know exactly what trouble Stokes got into, so he could still be a star in the future. Kentucky, which is more than willing to spend, is the frontrunner, but Stokes will need to clarify things from his side and prove that he is not a problem to get back on track.