LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas head coach Brandon Schneider has announced the signing of Mykayla Cunningham, Erianna “Anna” Gooden and Mariyah Noel, who will join the Jayhawks for the 2026-27 campaign.
Cunningham, from Salina, and Noel, from Kansas City, will both return to their home state for their final year of eligibility, while Gooden comes to Kansas with Big 12 experience after playing her freshman season at Colorado.
“This spring we attacked recruiting with the goal of improving our team in three areas – ability to defend the ball, secondary ballhandling / decision making, and toughness,” Schneider said. “We feel like this group helps us improve in each of those areas.”
Cunningham comes to Kansas from Southern University, where she started 29 games and averaged 5.4 points per game while leading the team with 114 assists during her junior season. She played her first two years at Lindenwood and graduated from Spire Academy after playing her first three years at Salina Central HS.
“Mykayla is a terrific on ball defender and can play both with the ball and off the ball as a combo guard,” Schneider said. “Her experience will help her transition quickly to Big 12 competition.”
Gooden joins the Jayhawks after playing in all 34 games during her freshman season at Colorado. She graduated from Northside HS in Fort Smith, Arkansas, as the 2025 Arkansas Player of the Year after guiding her team to the state championship. Gooden was also a state runner-up her junior season and earned all-state honors in all four years of high school.
“Erianna elevates the toughness and competitive spirit of any team she’s a part of,” Schneider said. “She can defend multiple positions and has the IQ to move around for us offensively on the perimeter.”
Noel brings three years of collegiate experience back home to Kansas. She played her junior season at Xavier, leading the Musketeers in scoring with 14.9 points per game, after two years at Ole Miss. Noel was a three-sport athlete at Bonner Springs HS, where she averaged better than 23 points, eight rebounds, four assists and two steals per game her junior season.
“This past season, Mariyah was a proven three-level scorer at Xavier,” Schneider said. “This skill set, along with her length and athleticism, will allow her to contribute immediately.”
The trio of spring additions join the No. 20 high school recruiting class in the country as newcomers for Kansas. The Jayhawks will add a McDonald’s All-American for the second straight season in forward Cydnee Bryant, a five-star prospect ranked No. 23 in the class of 2026 by ESPNW. She is joined in the recruiting class by four-star forward Brooklynn Renn, the No. 73 prospect in the country, and three-star guard Mollie Ernstes.
Kansas welcomes back six players from its 22-14 team which reached the WBIT Semifinals in 2025-26. The headlining returners are duo of senior guard S’Mya Nichols and sophomore forward Jaliya Davis, both WBCA All-America honorable mention selections last season. Nichols, a three-time All-Big 12 First Team selection, is ranked No. 10 on KU’s all-time scoring list and holds the school record with 627 free throws made. Davis is the reigning Big 12 Freshman of the Year after scoring 514 points, the second-most by a freshman in Kansas history. She set a new power conference record by being named the Big 12 Freshman of the Week for nine-consecutive weeks during conference play.
“We are excited to retain about 70 percent of our offensive production and have a good mix of both frontline and perimeter play returning,” Schneider said. “We realize some roster turnover is inevitable in the current climate. We look forward to working with six returners and six newcomers to create and instill the kind of toughness and chemistry necessary to compete at the highest level.”