FRISCO, Texas – BYU basketball will have Dawson Baker for the 2026-27 season.
Coach confirms Baker's return
All indications pointed to that being the case, as Baker was at BYU’s Fan Fest earlier this month near his hometown in Southern California.
Plus, he didn’t go through Senior Day festivities at BYU basketball’s final home game last March.
At the Big 12 spring meetings this week, BYU basketball head coach Kevin Young confirmed Baker is going to be on the 2026-27 BYU basketball roster.
“Yes, we’re planning on him being with us,” Kevin Young said to KSL Sports.
Next year will be Baker’s seventh season in college basketball.
Details of recent injury
Baker suffered a devastating season-ending injury in BYU’s win over Miami (FL) last November on Thanksgiving.
In that game, Baker suffered a torn ACL, torn lateral meniscus, mild PLC involvement, grade 2 MCL and LCL sprains, bone bruising, muscle/tendon strains, and small impact fractures.
“He’s going through his rehab process, which is going well,” Young added.
Dawson Baker is preparing for his seventh college season
“There’s been no setbacks. We have a full-time PT (personal trainer) I work with, and I work out every morning with him. I’m working my butt off to get everything feeling right. And it’s been going really good. I’ve been feeling really good about everything,” Dawson Baker said to BYUtv on May 16.
“We’re on pace with everything, I’m super excited about it, and I’ve been more motivated than ever just having an injury like that to get back to playing again.”
Overview of collegiate career
Baker has gone through his share of adversity in his collegiate career. Since arriving at BYU in 2023, he’s had two seasons cut short due to injuries.
The Coto De Caza, California native began his collegiate career at UC Irvine after serving a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints out of high school.
One of Baker’s three seasons at UC Irvine was the free year of eligibility from the COVID season in 2020-21.
When he arrived at BYU in 2023, he was a junior, but he redshirted that season due to a foot injury.
When healthy, Baker is a shotmaker for BYU basketball
Then, in his redshirt-junior year in 2024-25, Baker was instrumental in helping BYU reach the Sweet 16 in Kevin Young’s first year.
In roster construction this offseason, Young has prioritized shotmaking, and Baker is someone who, when healthy, can hit shots.
During his six-game appearances last season, Baker knocked down 47.4% of his attempts from three-point range.
In the Sweet 16 season in 2024-25, shot 38% from beyond the arc in a role off the bench.
Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for KSL and hosts the Cougar Tracks Podcast daily on KSL Sports YouTube and KSL NewsRadio (SUBSCRIBE). Harper also co-hosts Cougar Sports Saturday (12–3 p.m.) on KSL NewsRadio.
Follow Mitch’s coverage of BYU athletics in the Big 12 Conference on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram: @Mitch_Harper.
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