BYU basketball is finally back on top of the transfer portal conversation, with the return of Robert Wright III at point guard, but Kevin Young and his team have a very long way to go before they can hope to contend for a deep run through March Madness.
Even with AJ Dybantsa alongside Wright last year, the team was knocked out of the first round by the (admittedly upset-adept) 11-seed Texas Longhorns. No matter how far UT ran through the bracket, that's an unacceptable disappointment for a team headlined by the best player in college basketball, and the likely number-one overall pick in the NBA Draft.
Attribute the Cougars' disappointment to injury luck or a bad matchup in the round of 64 all you like, but when it came down to winning time, BYU was a janitor without a mop. They didn't have what it took to get the job done. The message this offseason is clear -- no more messing around, this year's team needs depth and lots of it.
And they've done a great job getting the ball rolling. The aforementioned Wright retention and signing of former Kentucky guard Collin Chandler were blockbuster signings for Kevin Young's program. Tyler Betsey and Jake Wahlin will be great depth at the forward position. But this team still has four spots to fill, and BYU can't afford to waste them with another McDonald's All-American -- Bruce Branch III -- approaching his one-and-done season.
As it stands today, this is the projected depth chart.
BYU basketball projected depth chart 2025-26 (April 16, 2026):
Starters:
PG - Rob Wright III (Jr)
SG - Collin Chandler (Jr)
SF - Bruce Branch III (Fr)
PF - Wahlin (Sr)/Betsey (Jr)
C - Khadim Mboup (RS So)
Bench:
PG/SG - Nate Pickens (Sr)
SG - Dawson Baker (RS Sr)
SF - Brody Kozlowski (RS So)
SG - Dean Rueckert (Fr)
PG/SG - Brooks Bahr (Fr)
BYU basketball transfer portal wishlist
Starting Center
If the season started today, Khadim Mboup would likely be the Cougars' starting center. BYU isn't anxious to throw the developing sophomore into the fire of the Big 12 Conference as the lead big holding down the fort down low. A fantastic x-factor and defensive impactor, but too limited offensively and unrefined as a post defender (spent much of the season face-guarding opponents' best guards, in fact. He thrived against speedy, smaller players), Mboup is better seved as a situational big off the bench at this stage in his development.
All of the best teams in college basketball have a 7-footer patrolling the paint. Stifling errant attempts at the rim and finishing plays on the offensive end, BYU's tandem of Mboup and Keta simply didn't pose enough of an offensive threat and were too undersized to stand up against the best bigs in the country. BYU needs a big to depend on.
Defensive Presence
Last year's team gave away free buckets than a disgruntled employee at Kentucky Fried Chicken. It started at the perimeter as guards penetrated the paint and scored nearly at will as the season progressed. Simplifying the defense worked well for Kevin Young, but this year's team needs players willing to be the defensive instigator. A tough, hard-nosed force that always has his hands in the passing lanes, and constantly bothers the flow of the opposition.
It wouldn't hurt if he could hit a few threes, either. 3 and D specialists of the Mawot Mag ilk were severely lacking with this year's team -- BYU can't afford to be flimsy on defense, most of all. Players like Aleksej Kostic and Tyler Mrus were completely unplayable if they weren't making threes, but the transfer portal has offered Kevin Young the chance to eradicate soft spots on his depth chart.
Glass Cleaners
BYU needs Windex -- desperately so -- because they were caught flat-footed as teams like West Virginia outworked, outhustled, and flat out smothered BYU's defense.
As we learned last season, most every defensive posession has to end with a rebound or a made basket. Stops were far too rare for BYU basketball last season, because opponents could send players to crash the class and nearly guarantee a offensive rebound, and an inevitable made basket.
It's time to learn from last year's failure, fill in the gaps, and set this season's sights on a deep tournament run.
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