The 2026-27 BYU men’s basketball season starts with a lot more questions than answers, and Friday night’s exhibition against Nebraska at the Marriott Center will offer the first real peek at what Kevin Young has built.
That uncertainty isn’t unique to BYU. Between eligibility issues, the transfer portal and NIL, college basketball is entering the season in a way that feels unsettled everywhere. But the Cougars have kept a low profile through the offseason, with Young and his team making only a brief appearance for local media in June before going back to work behind closed doors.
One of the biggest names in BYU’s mix is former American Fork standout Jaxon Kohler, a 6-foot-10 post player who spent the last four years at Michigan State. His status remains tied to the wave of eligibility questions rippling through the sport, after the NCAA’s June move to a “5 in 5” rule gave current players five years of eligibility while hundreds of Class of 2022 athletes have gone to court seeking that extra season.
Young made clear in June that the Cougars were looking for size, but size with a purpose.
“Obviously, a little bit more size would be good, but more than that, for me it’s just a skill set. You’re trying to pair Rob (Wright) up with someone that can play away from the basket a little bit more, not just shooting, but just functionality wise. We’ve been going after something very specific at that position, so we’ve casted a very wide net there and looked at a lot of different things.”
If Kohler is on the floor this season, BYU suddenly looks like a team that could make a real run in March. If he isn’t, the Cougars are left relying on youth and inexperience in the post, though they do have reinforcements on the perimeter. The roster includes a group of 40% 3-point shooters, among them Collin Chandler, who came from Kentucky, and Tyler Betsey, who transferred in from Syracuse.
That puts even more responsibility on Rob Wright, who averaged 18.1 points per game last season.
“I like the blend having the older guys that can show the younger guys the ropes,” Young said back in June. “So I do like the sort of battle-tested nature of a lot of the guys, including Rob, and yeah, it does give me confidence.”
Nebraska arrives in Provo with plenty of momentum, even after dropping an exhibition game last Friday to St. Louis. The Huskers were one of the stories of the 2025-26 season, finishing 28-7, going 15-5 in Big Ten play and reaching the Sweet 16 before Iowa knocked them out.
They also have some turnover to manage. Post Rienk Mast and point guard Sam Hoiberg are gone, along with graduated starting guard Jamarques Lawrence and big man Berke Buyuktuncel, who moved on to Vanderbilt. Mast, a 6-foot-10 force who hit 7 of 8 3-pointers against BYU in last year’s exhibition in Lincoln, went unsigned in the NBA Draft but later agreed to an Exhibit 10 contract with the Indiana Pacers.
Still, Nebraska brings back plenty of firepower. Pryce Sandfort, a 6-7 senior, is back after leading the Huskers with 18.1 points per game and knocking down 129 3-pointers. Braden Frager, another double-digit scorer, also returns after averaging 11.8 points.
The Huskers have also reloaded through the transfer market. Former Utah Valley point guard Trevan Leonhardt joins after averaging 11.9 points and 6.0 assists per game. South Dakota State transfer Damon Wilkinson, Belmont transfer Sam Orme and Boston College transfer Boden Kapke give Nebraska a frontcourt with real size, with all three standing 6-10 or taller and each bringing double-digit scoring resumes from last season.
Their lone exhibition tune-up last week was rough around the edges. Nebraska went 8 of 30 from 3-point range, 18 of 28 at the foul line and 24 of 61 overall in the 79-74 loss to St.
Louis. Freshman Jacob Lanier led the way with 15 points, while fifth-year guard Cale Jacobsen added 10 in his return after missing most of last season with injury.
Nebraska at BYU is set for Friday at 7 p.m. MT at the Marriott Center in Provo. The game will be shown on ESPN+, aired on BYU Radio at byuradio.org and tracked with live stats at byucougars.com.
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