What a breath of fresh air to read that BYU basketball signed somebody -- anybody -- who could fill the role of starting center for the upcoming season. That's exactly what Jakob Urbaniak is: a 6'9" center who played pro ball overseas for the past few seasons and will now try the college route via a detour in Provo, Utah.
Pick and roll opportunities with Rob Wright III, perhaps one of the best guards in all of college basketball this season, should be Urbaniak's calling card this year, as a 23-year-old prospect whose game has already been polished (no pun intended, unless you're a big fan of Poland jokes, because I could whip up a million of those), developed and refined in pro ball.
@BYUMBB as finally landed their big man in 23-year-old “Polish Hammer,” Jakub Urbaniak. His pro experience & hoops IQ will allow him to step in quickly. The @robertwright “Pick & Roll connection” just got deadly. @Big12Conference @coach_paint pic.twitter.com/l3WDjIhH1D
— Fran Fraschilla (@franfraschilla) July 21, 2026
No, he's not a 7'5" behemoth, or a projected first-round pick (why can't I have the things that I want), but he delivers plenty of reasons for BYU fans to believe in Kevin Young's program again. His arrival means peace, comfort, and deliverable production for a starting-level big man. And at the current state of BYU basketball's union, it's challenging to overstate how desperately Kevin Young needs this year's crop of talent to translate to on-court success.
Turning stars into W's is far from a given in the loaded Big 12 Conference, though the narrative that a college big has to be 7 feet or taller to be successful is a bit overstated.
I feel like we are Mandela Effecting what a BIG12 center looks like. These are the heights of notable BIG12 centers last year:
— Joe Wheat (@joewheat27) July 21, 2026
Houston: 6’8
Arizona: 7’2
BYU: 6’8
Baylor: 6’9
Iowa State: 6’8
Kansas: 6’10
Texas Tech: 6’9
7 footers are extremely rare unless you are Matt Painter https://t.co/uXvhBTV6Ef
Urbaniak is a defense-first guy, who can deliver on the offensive end. But if you'd like a center with a bit more of an offensive punch, look no further than American Fork High School alum and Michigan State star Jaxon Kohler, whose injunction for a fifth season of eligibility could land the Utah native on Kevin Young's roster immediately after his impressive Summer League run with the Utah Jazz.
Kohler can space the floor and protect the rim, as he dropped a three-point percentage of 38.9% last season for Sparty and Tom Izzo.
He is also... 6'9".
Size comes at a premium, and landing prospects who tower above the 7-foot threshold is incredibly rare. But if Kohler's injunction can earn him a fifth season of eligibility (and that's a big if, but not an impossibility), it sounds like BYU is the clear frontrunner for the former Big Ten star.
Jaxon could land in Provo after receiving an additional year of eligibility.https://t.co/uDgLMYuzkD pic.twitter.com/4DE1ZNAjqa
— The BYU Flash (@TheBYUFlash) July 18, 2026
But if not, the Cougars still have a starting center who can do it all from his position, including defensive versatility and switchability combined with excellent finishing around the rim.
BYU basketball appears poised to challenge the best teams in the Big 12 Conference this season, behind a well-rounded roster more reminiscent of the 2024-25 team that went 10 players deep than last year's uneven and unbalanced mess that was left exposed when the injury bug was passed around the locker room.
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