BYU's Kennard Davis has an impressive list of landing spots in the transfer portal

Despite an overall discouraging junior season with BYU basketball, 6'6" forward Kennard Davis Jr. has no shortage of suitors since entering the transfer portal.

He struggled to catch up to the pace of Big 12 basketball after spending the first two seasons of his collegiate career with Southern Illinois in the Missouri Valley Conference. With the Salukis, Davis was an offensive focal point as the ball was put in his hands to score and operate the offense at his discretion.

But when forced to share one basketball with the exceptionally talented trio of potential number-one NBA Draft pick AJ Dybantsa, 5-star point guard Rob Wright III, and two-time All-Big 12 honoree Richie Saunders, Davis' role with the Cougars was that of an off-ball shooting threat and defensive ace. The shooting percentages never quite caught up in catch-and-shoot situations, especially with the increased physicality and frantic pace of Big 12 in-conference play.

He shot 32% from distance for the year -- reminiscent of his freshman season, where he hit on just 30% of his looks beyond the arc -- and that was after a late-season surge finally pushed his clip above the 30% threshold; a barrier he swam below for most of the season.

Still, his defense on the perimeter proved his value for Kevin Young's team, as he remained in the starting five all season long despite his jump shot woes.

Clearly, other teams across the nation are more than willing to rest on his defense and trust that 2025-26 was just a horrible rim-clanking dream -- a blip on the radar for a player who truly is a capable shooter.

Just take a look at the teams showing interest in Davis since he put his name in the portal, including Mark Pope's Kentucky program, Missouri, Ole Miss, and Mississippi State from the SEC. Other power conference members and established winners like Maryland, Virginia, and Marquette are also in the hunt for Davis.

It was a challenging season for Davis at BYU. Perhaps he was placed in the wrong role. Maybe he just got cold. His poor numbers could have even been a confidence issue. Regardless of the cause, his disappointing year was reflective of his team, who failed to meet expectations all season long despite all the necessary talent on paper to accomplish their goals.

Best of luck at your next stop, Kennard. Hopefully you finish your college career on the upswing.

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