What the University of Utah basketball rosters look like now that the transfer portal is closing

Utah lost eight key players in April as Craig Smith tries to rebuild by moving to the Big 12.

(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Utes center Keba Keita (13) as Utah hosts Bellarmine, NCAA basketball in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023.

The transfer portal is officially closed. Yeah, sort of.

May 1 was the deadline for most players to decide whether to stay at their current school or test the waters. But in BYU’s case, players are getting a bit of an extension.

Since head coach Mark Pope left for Kentucky on April 12, BYU’s roster has one month from that date to appear in the portal. That means May 12 will be the actual end of college basketball free agency.

But for the most part, Utah’s transfer portal activity is over. Here is each selection after a month of movement.

Utah

The sky isn’t falling yet in Utah, but it sure feels like it.

This portal cycle left the Utes roster in tatters as head coach Craig Smith gained traction.

To recap, the Utes lost two of their best players to the transfer portal: point guard Deivon Smith and center Keba Keita. That’s on top of two other starters, Branden Carlson and Cole Bajema, graduating.

Utah’s backup point guard, Rollie Worster, left for Nebraska. And some depth pieces such as Ben Carlson, Luka Tarlać and Wilguens Exacte Jr. are also listed in the portal.

This means that eight significant players have disappeared from last year’s selection. That’s a huge blow as Utah enters the Big 12 – the best basketball conference in the country.

(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Utes guard Deivon Smith (5) high-fives fans after victory as Utah hosts Virginia Commonwealth in the NIT, NCAA basketball quarterfinals in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, March 27, 2024 .

The hits don’t stop with the players either. Utah lost two of its top assistants in Chris Burgess and DeMarlo Slocum. The month of April was not kind to the Utes.

Now Smith needs to fill out his coaching staff and add about five scholarship players in short order.

He has already signed Rice transfer Keanu Dawes and Boston College transplant Mason Madsen. Wake Forest big man Zach Keller is also coming. But this roster is sparse and needs more talent quickly heading into the summer.

Important pieces that return:

G | Gabe Madsen (starter)

F | Lawson Lovering (starter)

G | Hunter Erikson

Major players added:

G | Mason Madsen

F | Zach Keller

F | Keanu Dawes

Players to work with:

F | Jake Wahlin

BYU

Early on, it seemed like a mass exodus was coming for new head coach Kevin Young. When Pope left for Kentucky, BYU’s two best players entered the portal: Dallin Hall and Richie Saunders.

Shooting guard Jaxson Robinson declared for the NBA draft and the portal. Atiki Ally Atiki wanted to test the waters. Aly Khalifa went to Louisville

But Young — while completing a playoff run with the Phoenix Suns — kept the roster in shape. Hall and Saunders left lucrative NIL deals on the table to return to BYU. Young added former USC commit Brody Kozlowski. He kept key guards Dawson Baker and Noah Waterman in place.

It solidifies a roster that is now returning most of its production from a fifth-place finish in the Big 12 last year.

Robinson is probably still gone, but BYU can work with that. Robinson was always expected to leave Provo after this season. Now Young can start building around the core. The closet is not bare.

(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Brigham Young Cougars guard Dallin Hall (30) takes the ball inside as Kansas State Wildcats forward David N’Guessan (1) defends in basketball action between the Brigham Young Cougars and Kansas State Wildcats, at the Marriott Center, on Saturday, February 10, 2024.

Key players returning:

G | Dallin Hall (starter)

G | Trevin Knell (starter)

G | Richie Saunders

F | Noah Waterman (starter)

G | Dawson Baker

F | Fousseyni Traore

Major players added:

G | Brody Kozlowski

Players to work with:

G | Trey Stewart

G | Isaac Davis

State of Utah

New coach Jerrod Calhoun said he could win a national championship if everyone stayed out of 2023.

He didn’t get his wish. The decimation of Utah State’s transfer portal was significant.

Mountain West Player of the Year Great Osobor left almost immediately. The sixth man of the year, Josh Uduje, reached the portal. Kalifa Sakho did that too.

Calhoun made sure point guard Mason Falslev and center Isaac Johnson stayed. Ian Martinez is also on board.

But a total of 10 players are leaving Logan.

USU has been here before. Last year, then-head coach Danny Sprinkle didn’t return a single production point. He ended up winning the conference and an NCAA tournament game.

But Calhoun has work to do.

(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah State Aggies forward Great Osobor (1) dunks the ball as Utah State faces San Francisco on Saturday, Dec. 16, 2023, in Salt Lake City.

Key players returning:

G | Mason Falslev

G | Ian Martinez

F | Isaac Johnson

Major players added:

G | Drake Allen

G | Tucker Anderson

G | Braden Housley

Players to work with:

F | Karson Templin