Dallin Hall has entered the transfer portal

Dallin Hall, BYU's junior point guard will enter the transfer portal, according to Verbal Commits on Twitter.

Hall will be the second Cougar to enter the portal this offseason, but the first to announce his intention to leave the program following coach Mark Pope's departure to Lexington to assume the mantel of head coach for the Kentucky Wildcats on Thursday.

Dallin Hall's starting spot on the team was secure, so his entrance into the transfer comes as a surprise. Hall averaged 9 points and 5 assists as a sophomore in BYU's first season in the Big 12. His production wasn't consistently high--especially when the rest of the team was struggling--but his heroics against Kansas in Allen Fieldhouse cemented his place in BYU basketball lore.

Entering the transfer portal must be tied to Pope's departure from the team for Dallin Hall, as the timing of this announcement makes that nearly certain. While a talented player, he wouldn't get much playing time if he were to follow his coach to Kentucky. When a program can recruit the best point guards in any high school class, it's hard to imagine they'd be interested in Hall's services.

Hall's likely landing spot is uncertain at this point, but his exit could be a sign of things to come for the BYU basketball team. BYU fans are collectively holding their breath that incoming recruits Collin Chandler and Isaac Davis don't flip to Kentucky. With players already entering the portal, the Doomsday scenario for BYU is the team could be gutted and look completely new by the time next season starts up.

I'm not one to believe in the idea that Mark Pope's exit spells doom for the foreseeable future of BYU hoops. If Dallin Hall ends up transferring, it would certainly impact the team, but this isn't the end of the world. The sky hasn't fallen, Chicken Little, and BYU isn't done.

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