BYU basketball head coach Kevin Young and his crew had a lot of work to do this offseason, with only five scholarship players returning to the roster.
Between graduation, the NBA Draft and the transfer portal, BYU will need to replace 12 of the 17 players who bid farewell to Cougar Nation.
But the distinguished program brought in some major talent.
So far, the Cougars have added seven scholarship players to the 2027 roster. Three of these players come from the transfer portal, two from high school, one returned missionary and one international prospect.
From the transfer portal, the Cougars received Collin Chandler out of Kentucky, Tyler Betsey out of Syracuse and Jake Wahlin out of Clemson.
Chandler played a great season with the Kentucky Wildcats last year, averaging 10 points per game on 44% shooting. The Farmington native is a three-point sniper, shooting 43% from beyond the arc. But don’t let his three-point shooting fool you, he uses his 6-foot-5 frame very well, finishing strong around the basket and defending very well around the rim. He’s entering his junior season and should get some quality minutes in the Cougar lineup.
Betsey is another guy who can make waves on the court for the Cougar offense but hasn’t had much time on the court to prove himself. In his freshman year with Cincinnati, Betsey averaged 11 minutes per game. His sophomore season with Syracuse saw a slight increase in minutes at 18 minutes per game, where he averaged 7 points per game on 40% shooting. From beyond the arc, Betsey shot a consistent 41% on 123 takes. The 6-foot-8 forward will make his way to Provo for his junior season, playing for his third team in three years.
Jake Wahlin is the oldest guy the Cougars brought on to the program, and he’s no stranger. The Provo native is making his way back home for his senior season. After playing for the University of Utah Utes his first two years, Wahlin transferred to Clemson. The 6-foot-10 forward averaged 5 points and 4 rebounds on 21 minutes per night. But stats don’t tell the whole story. Wahlin’s large frame and ability to shoot the ball make him a dangerous asset on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball. He’s aggressive on both ends of the floor and is a consistent role player on whatever team he plays for. And while his shooting went from 46% to 40% this past season with Clemson, he’s proven that he can be an efficient third scoring option on the floor with the right team.
Brooks Bahr just returned to the program after completing his two-year missionary service for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He is the first returned missionary under the direction of head coach Kevin Young. The 6-foot-3 guard out of Keller High School in Texas was regarded as one of the best guards in the area, averaging 17 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists per game his senior season. After receiving offers from Utah, USC, Wake Forest and Nebraska, Bahr signed with BYU. He may not arrive in Provo with the hype of a one-and-done prospect, but his playstyle and skill give him a strong foundation to build upon at the Marriot Center.
Dovydas Buika is a 6-foot-7 guard out of Lithuania who is making his way to Provo to play BYU basketball after playing in the NextGen EuroLeague. He’s bounced around the Lithuania Basketball league and has been catching the eyes of recruiters for several years now and has even been invited to participate in the NBA’s Basketball Without Borders, a camp for the top prospects around the world, in 2024 and 2025. Buika averaged 12 points and 6 rebounds per game while shooting 46% from the field at last summer’s FIBA U18 EuroBasket.
Dean Rueckert is a four-star recruit out of Timpview High School and is coming into the program as a top 100 recruit, according to SportsCenter Next 100. The 6-foot-8 wing averaged 21 points and 6 rebounds shooting 40% from deep on nearly 200 attempts. The reigning Utah 5A Player of the Year has scored in double figures 22 times, including a career high 34-point performance at Spanish Fork. He also clocked 8 rebounds, 3 steals, 2 assists and 1 block that night. Earlier in the season, Rueckert scored 31 points against Notre Dame Academy and No. 1 recruit Tyran Stokes. Needless to say, BYU signed an elite scorer to the program.
But the most notable signing for the Cougars is five-star recruit Bruce Branch III out of Prolific Prep in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where he earned MaxPreps and Naismith Boys High School All-American Honorable Mention accolades. He is ranked seventh on the SportsCenter Next Top 100 recruits for the 2026 class.
The Cougars still have two or three scholarship spots to fill, and it's no question that the Cougars need to give a couple of those scholarships to centers.
The Cougars still haven't found their starting center, and with the departure of Xavion Staton to the transfer portal, they are also in need of a backup.
In their way-too-early Big 12 basketball rankings, CBS Sports puts BYU in the No. 6 spot, behind West Virginia, Iowa State, Kansas, Houston and Arizona.
Regardless, the Cougars will be competitive in the Big 12, which is arguably the most competitive conference in college basketball.