Mizzou lands big man Bryson Tiller from Border War rival Kansas

Former Kansas big man Bryson Tiller will become the first men’s basketball player in the longtime heated Border War rivalry to move from the Jayhawks to Missouri.

The 6-foot-11 rising redshirt sophomore announced Thursday morning that he is transferring out of the portal to Mizzou.

“Just the plan that (Mizzou coach Dennis Gates) had for me, he was real honest with me and my dad and my family,” Tiller said on the Field of 68 podcast during his live commitment. “He’s been recruiting me since I was a freshman in high school, so we’ve definitely had a good relationship. And I trust in him and the University of Missouri to do what needs to be done to win, to get to the next level for me.”

The longtime relationship between Gates and Tiller was made evident in a post on X this morning when Gates added the date Sept. 22, 2021, a reference to the day he initially offered Tiller while at Cleveland State.

“I just want to be able to express myself freely on the court,” Tiller said, “play with a lot of energy, a lot of passion, and I feel like Missouri is the place to do so.”

Tiller also has a connection to Mizzou general manager Tim Fuller. Before attending KU, Tiller signed and played with Overtime Elite, where Fuller previously worked in the role of vice president of recruiting and player personnel. These are the connections that Mizzou hoped Fuller would take advantage of when taking on this role with the Tigers, and so far it has proved impactful. Fuller has used his previous roles and relationships to help secure both Tiller and Providence rising sophomore Jamier Jones in the portal.

A top-20 five-star prospect in the Class of 2025, Tiller reclassified and enrolled early at Kansas as the 42nd-ranked recruit in the Class of 2024, per 247Sports. He sat out the 2024-25 season with an ankle injury and averaged 7.9 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.3 blocks a game this past season for the Jayhawks.

A big part of Tiller’s game is stepping out beyond the arc, although he connected on just 14 of 52 3-point attempts in ’25-26.

Tiller joins unique company in the long history of the rivalry by moving between the two teams. After burning the Tigers with 13 points, five rebounds and five blocks in Kansas’ 80-60 victory in December in Kansas City, Tiller will be suiting up in the black and gold next season ... and will be facing his former team, again in KC.

Parker Braun is the only other known player to cross the border in the rivalry. He spent two seasons at Mizzou before moving to Kansas but made a two-season stopover at Santa Clara in between.

Tiller joins Jones from Providence and Jaylen Carey from Tennessee in the portal class for Gates so far.

Anthony Robinson returning home

Junior guard Anthony Robinson II is returning home to Tallahassee, Florida, to join Florida State for his senior season.

After spending three seasons with the Tigers, Robinson expressed his intention to enter the transfer portal March 30. He struggled to see as many minutes as he was used to during the back end of the 2025-26 season, losing his starting spot to T.O. Barrett.

For Robinson, a move to Florida State will be familiar. A native of Tallahassee, he attended Florida State University High School before making his way to Columbia.