LAWRENCE — Kansas women’s basketball’s 2026 recruiting class grew to three players a little over a week ago, when KU announced the signing of Cydnee Bryant.
Bryant is a 247Sports Composite five-star center in her class, as well as the No. 6-ranked player at her position and No. 33-ranked player in the nation. She joins earlier signees in four-star power forward Brooklynn Renn and four-star shooting guard Mollie Ernstes. And Bryant is also set to play for Jayhawks women’s volleyball coach Matt Ulmer.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementRELATED: Kansas women’s basketball coach Brandon Schneider analyzes KU’s class of 2026 signees
“Cydnee will bring immediate size and physicality to our front line,” women's basketball coach Brandon Schneider said in a KU release. “She provides a paint presence on both ends of the floor but has the skills to step away and stretch the defense. Cydnee is a great rebounder, she’s very mobile in transition and can really finish through contact around the rim. With us graduating two post players, Cydnee is a critical addition to our program.”
Ulmer added: “Cydnee is an elite athlete and an extremely determined competitor. She has big goals and the right work ethic to achieve them. She is going to make a big impact in both locker rooms and in the athletic department with her personality and ability to bring people together.”
The Kansas women’s basketball program has gotten off to a fast start in the 2025-26 season, including a neutral-site win against Missouri and win at home against Minnesota. The first loss of the season came Friday against Georgia during the Fort Myers Tip-Off, in Fort Myers, Florida, but it also saw the Jayhawks have junior guard S’Mya Nichols score a career-high 40 points. Big 12 Conference play begins for this KU squad on Dec. 21 on the road against Iowa State.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementBryant might not be in a position to help Schneider’s squad through the rest of this season, but as he mentioned she can when the Jayhawks start to look ahead to the 2026-27 campaign. Bryant, Renn and Ernstes continue a wave of momentum that Schneider’s coaching staff has been able to enjoy on the recruiting trail. Part of the reason for optimism around Kansas for the 2025-26 season, is the group of freshmen it brought in the 2025 signing class.
Kansas women's basketball coach Brandon Schneider watches his players during a game against UMKC inside Allen Fieldhouse on Nov. 5, 2025.Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. He was the 2022 National Sports Media Association’s sportswriter of the year for the state of Kansas. Contact him at [email protected] or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Kansas women’s basketball, volleyball sign dual-sport Cydnee Bryant
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