And then there were four. With the announcement that Austrian sharpshooter Aleksej Kostic will be transferring to Northwestern, that leaves just four remaining BYU Cougars still floating around in the transfer portal void. Some aimless, some desperate, and some with a concrete exit plan, these players are still without a home.
That includes some prospects capable of torching from three-point range. Some defensive specialists are pitching their aptitude for barricading the paint. And others likely entered the portal thanks to a friendly nudge from Kevin Young, who is intent on patching the holes from last season's roster that was so porous that not even the likely number-one NBA Draft pick could patch all the leaks.
In that respect, the panic meter is likely climbing for Kevin Young, who is still without a starting center over two weeks since the opening of the transfer portal. But that's not what this article is about.
The dial on the patent-pending "Transfer Portal Panic Meter", is driving some players to take drastic measures, but others are completely unbothered. How are the four former Cougars in the transfer portal holding up, and where do they go from here?
BYU basketball transfer portal panic ratings
Kennard Davis Jr. | Wing, Senior | Panic Meter: Low
Since entering the portal, Kennard Davis has drawn plenty of attention from quality programs across the nation. Reports suggested that the former Southern Illinois standout was once receiving interest from Maryland, Missouri, Kentucky, DePaul, Marquette, Virginia, Ole Miss, and Mississippi State. Whether or not that list remains accurate is unknown.
My theory on why Davis has yet to select his new home is the same for why I can never seem to settle on the right Netflix show -- he's drowning in options; burdened by choice. After a rocky transition from the MVC to the Big 12 that saw the 3-and-D specialist fail to live up to his offense-oriented end of the deal (sub-30% from distance for most of the year, redeeming his percentage with a late-season surge), I was surprised to see so much interest from power conference programs.
Still, Davis has options, and there's no need to rush his decision.
KJ Perry | Guard, RS-Sophomore | Panic Meter: Medium
Perry was a top-rated JUCO prospect in the nation at the time he agreed to team up with Kevin Young at BYU, but after a season where he sat out from beginning to end (he was ineligible to compete until 2026-27), he's out the door behind rumors that he wasn't a strong "culture fit" in Provo.
BYU isn't for everyone, but off-the-court concerns could steer plenty of coaches away from a player still yet to play a single minute of Division-1 basketball at any level, let alone a power conference. In many ways, Perry is still an unknown, and he went completely unrated in 247's transfer rankings.
There was plenty of interest in Perry when he originally committed to BYU, including Kansas, Oregon, Cal, Arizona State, and more.
Abdullah Ahmed | Center, Junior | Panic Meter: RED ALERT
It seemed so obvious to think that Ahmed would descend from his G-League career and immediately dominate the lower competition level of college basketball, but reality proved far more cruel to this former Westchester Knick from Egypt.
He was a complete zero on offense, incapable of scoring outide the paint (and virtually incapable inside the paint, too) with no playmaking or rebounding upside to speak of. What he did well was block shots -- he swatted plenty of errant attempts at the rim -- though it often felt like a coin-flip whether he'd sent the shot or the player into the stands as he quickly tallied foul after foul.
The transfer center market is lucrative at the moment, but you won't see many programs clamoring for this G-League dropout.
Tyler Mrus | Wing, Senior | Panic Meter: High
Mrus was a great shooter at Idaho, and Kevin Young brought him on at BYU for exactly that reason: fill it up from beyond the arc. But the transition to a higher level of competition proved too much for Mrus to overcome, as a former 40%+ three-point shooter watched his percentage (and value with his team) plummet in the Big 12.
Mrus found himself glued to the bench down the stretch of the season, and for that reason he may be better off finding another Big Sky-grade program to spend his final year of college basketball.
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