A handful of players with Utah connections are starting to show up on the national radar, and Sports Illustrated’s Kevin Sweeney put several of them on his preseason position lists for next season.
The highest-ranked name from the state’s college basketball circle is BYU point guard Robert Wright III, whom Cougars coach Kevin Young has repeatedly described as the best at his position in the country. Sweeney slotted Wright at No. 4 among point guards, noting that Wright briefly explored the transfer portal this spring before choosing to stay in Provo and take on a bigger role.
Sweeney wrote that Wright will move out of AJ Dybantsa’s shadow and become the Cougars’ top offensive option in 2026-27. He also pointed to what Wright already showed in his first season with BYU, when he averaged nearly 18 points per game and shot 41% from distance. Sweeney added that Wright “has a real chance to lead the Big 12 in scoring this season, though he’ll need to take some strides defensively if he wants to help the Cougars compete at the top of the conference.”
Utah State also landed a player on one of Sweeney’s top 10 lists. Senior guard Mason Falslev came in at No. 5 on the shooting guard board after what Sweeney called one of the best stories in college basketball. Falslev stayed with the Aggies through three coaching changes and is back for another season in Logan.
Sweeney highlighted that Falslev is set to play for Ben Jacobson, the longtime Northern Iowa coach who convinced him to remain at Utah State despite interest from some of the biggest programs in the sport. He also praised Falslev as a “hyper-efficient offensive player and the ultimate winner,” while noting that Utah State has reached the NCAA tournament in each of the last three seasons.
There were more Utah ties on Sweeney’s watch lists, too. BYU guard Collin Chandler, a Beehive State native who transferred from Kentucky in the spring, was included among the 10 other shooting guards to watch. At small forward, BYU freshman Bruce Branch III made the watch list, and former Cougar Kanon Catchings, who spent his freshman season in Provo before moving on to Georgia, was also included there.
Former Utah Runnin’ Ute Keanu Dawes rounded out the Utah-connected names, landing on Sweeney’s list of other players to watch at power forward.
In Other News...
Utahs Young Defensive Tackles Must Fix One Costly Problem Fast
Utahs defensive tackle room heads into the offseason with a clear teaching point after a 2025 run defense that too often bent in the middle. The problems showed up most loudly against Kansas State and Kansas, when the Utes gave up significant rushing yardage and left the interior of the front looking more vulnerable than anyone around the program wanted to see. Colton Swan and Luther Elliss have made the fix a priority, with technique work at the center of the plan.
There is at least some reason for optimism because the group now has more experience to lean on, especially sophomore Pupu Sepulona, and the room has also gotten bigger and stronger through new arrivals and offseason training. But experience and bulk only matter if the tackles translate them into cleaner play at the point of attack, and that is the part Utah has to sort out before next fall. [Read more 🡒]