FRISCO, Texas – BYU basketball head coach Kevin Young told everyone more than two months ago that roster construction through the transfer portal was a “buckle up type of deal.”
Roster construction challenges
There have been a lot of twists and turns for Young in building out his third roster since his BYU program suffered an NCAA Tournament First Round loss to the Texas Longhorns in March.
📍 Big 12 Spring Meetings in Frisco, Texas pic.twitter.com/2gXMBCtDK6
— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) May 26, 2026
Key player departures
For starters, AJ Dybantsa made the easy decision to declare for the NBA. The Brockton, Massachusetts native left BYU as the nation’s leading scorer and improved his draft stock to the point where he’s a top candidate to be the No. 1 NBA draft pick next month by the Washington Wizards.
Then there was a wave of transfers who exited the program to pair with the departures of Dybantsa and key seniors Richie Saunders, who might hear his name called in the NBA draft, and Keba Keita, who impressed at the G-League Combine.
Keita’s departure due to his eligibility expiring leaves a significant opening in BYU’s roster at the center position.
Searching for new talent
BYU has been linked to many prospects in the portal, at the high school level, and internationally, but has yet to land anyone to team up with a roster that features Rob Wright III at guard once again. Along with Kentucky transfer Collin Chandler and five-star wing Bruce Branch III.
BYU basketball head coach Kevin Young at the Big 12 spring meetings
KSL Sports caught up with BYU basketball head coach Kevin Young at the Big 12 Spring Meetings at the Omni PGA Frisco on Tuesday, during the first day of basketball coach meetings.
The search for a center on BYU’s roster is a hot topic among Cougar fans. Kevin Young hosted the Father’s & Son’s basketball camp over the Memorial Day holiday weekend, and he got his share of questions.
“It’s fair questions, obviously, because everyone’s excited about who’s going to be joining us. But we feel like we’re in a good position,” Young said to KSL Sports.
BYU basketball is navigating the “most aggressive portal cycle”
Young noted this is the “most aggressive portal cycle” he’s been part of since taking over as BYU’s head coach.
It’s a market where coaches are frustrated by which rules are actually out there. Then there are agents capitalizing on the confusion.
Still, BYU needs some bigs for the frontcourt that lost Keita, Abdullah Ahmed (UMass), and Xavion Staton (Oregon State).
“I think for me, with the bigs is just trying to be a little bit more particular about the style of big we’re going after. We’re looking at some different things, given who’s on our roster and who we think complements those skill sets.”
Young and his staff continue to review all options in the portal and everywhere in between for bigs.
“Given the way that things have played out through this portal cycle, you’ve got to kind of play it all the way to the end, because I think there’s still plenty of guys that are trying to get involved with college athletics, international guys, even, there’s still some guys in the portal that are of interest too.”
From the transfer portal and international prospects to even early entrants in the NBA draft process, Young and his staff are looking everywhere to fill out the front court and the roster as a whole.
BYU currently has 11 players on the roster for the 2026-27 season.
“I think you have to [look at all avenues to build the roster], not just front court, we have a few more spots across the board that we’re looking at. That’s kind of the nature of my personality, but two, our staff. We look everywhere for players and mine all of our relationships and that type of thing, and so that’s what we’re doing right now.”
What about Khadim Mboup at center?
A potential option on the roster for BYU basketball at the five is Khadim Mboup.
The 6-foot-7 sophomore is entering his third year with the BYU program.
When asked if Mboup could play the five “if needed,” Young quickly responded, “I would say more than ‘if needed.'”
“That’s something that we’re going to do a significant amount of. I like him at the five because he can switch. He can guard multiple positions. He’s Dennis Rodman, basically, and gets every rebound it feels like. So I love him at the five. I think he gets a great advantage at that position.
“We’re still trying to grow his shooting to give him an opportunity to have success on the perimeter as well. That’s what’s great about him. He’s a versatile guy, and I think he also has confidence because he’s been able to produce as a young guy in our league.”
“You’ve got to get the roster right”
As far as when he wants to finalize the roster, Young isn’t setting a deadline.
“I don’t really have a time limit; I just want to get it right. I think I personally felt the college pressure to have great summer workouts. It’s important, I don’t want to downplay it, but you’ve got to get the roster right. You can’t bring in the wrong guys.”
BYU basketball begins summer practices on June 15.
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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