Outside of the final record, the book on Alex Jensen’s first season as Utah basketball’s coach has largely been written.
While the expectations weren’t high after only one rotational player, Keanu Dawes, stuck around from last season, there have also been several injuries that impacted the depth of Jensen’s first team that already had a small margin for error.
With that many newcomers, a new system to get into place and multiple contributing pieces being unavailable, it has led to a year wherein Utah (9-15, 1-10 Big 12) is tied for last in the Big 12 standings, with Kansas State.
There are seven more games left in the regular season, but the attention has begun to turn to the future for the Runnin’ Utes.
How many players will Utah have come back for another season? What players are the priority to retain? And what kind of talent can the Utes add through the transfer portal?
Soon, those will be the questions that are thrust into the limelight as general manager Wes Wilcox and company build for the future.
The NCAA men’s basketball transfer portal opens April 7 and is open until April 21. That 15-day window is significantly smaller than the 45 days players had to enter the transfer portal last offseason.
The Utes, like most teams, will be busy in the portal, trying to find both short-term and long-term talent.
Of Utah’s current group of players, the most intriguing to watch will be what happens with the current junior and freshmen classes.
There are enough players in both of those groups to help create a competitive baseline in the short term, as well as a foundation for the future.
How many of these players will return next season? Can some of Utah’s incoming signing class make an immediate impact as well?
Let’s assess the situation that Jensen and his staff will face when it comes to building the 2026-27 Runnin’ Utes roster.
Fifth-year seniors
- Don McHenry
- James Okonkwo
- Babacar Faye
McHenry and Okonkwo have been asked to do a lot for Utah this season, and both have answered that bell.
McHenry is the team’s second-leading scorer, averaging 17.3 points per game, and has been a spark plug along the perimeter for the Utes.
Okonkwo, meanwhile, brings plenty of energy inside and helps establish the tough-mindedness that Jensen is looking for in the post.
Both would have been valuable assets for a second year in a Utah uniform, but their eligibility will be up at the end of the year.
Faye’s Ute debut never happened, though. He was injured before the season, and it leaves a question mark on where his career will take him next.
He had last season cut short by injury as well, but in those 10 games at Western Kentucky, he looked as if he’s turned a corner in his development.
If the 6-foot-9 Faye utilizes a medical redshirt and sticks around, he could be a valuable interior piece for Utah, one of the linchpins the Utes were expecting to have during the 2025-26 season.
Juniors
- Terrence Brown
- Keanu Dawes
- Seydou Traore
- Josh Hayes
- Jacob Patrick
The biggest question for Utah when the offseason hits is will Brown and/or Dawes stay for their senior seasons?
They’ve both been foundational pieces for this year’s squad, and one would assume that with another year in the system, the pair would flourish under Jensen — known for his player development skills — and a staff of accomplished assistants.
Brown’s scoring prowess that he showcased previously at Fairleigh Dickinson has translated to the high-major level, even if there are times when opposing defenses have slowed him and forced him into lower shooting percentages.
Brown is averaging 20.8 points on the year, fourth-best in the Big 12, and is still shooting at a 44.9% clip.
The biggest point of improvement for Brown is rounding out his game — he’s averaging 3.9 assists, 2.2 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game.
“Terrence needs to have more of a well-rounded, complete game, not just scoring,” Jensen said. “He’s got to do it with his defense and passing and he’s gotten better at that.”
Dawes, meanwhile, was expected to build off a promising end to his sophomore season under Jensen’s tutelage
There have been some lulls, at times, but overall Dawes has been one of Utah’s top performers game in and game out.
He’s averaging a near double-double at 12.7 points and 9.1 rebounds, all while shooting 57.9% from the floor and being more willing to add a 3-point shot to his repertoire.
Jensen has pushed Dawes to be more vocal and assertive, a challenge for the soft-spoken big man — though there are sparks of that in terms of being more confident in his game.
“He’s getting more comfortable, not as comfortable as I’d like ... because he’s capable,” Jensen said. “He’s the third guy (along with Brown and McHenry) that will relieve some of the pressure on the rest of us.
“It’s not his nature, but we need him. He needs to for his crew, and we need him to be aggressive.”
Ideally, Brown and Dawes will stay in Salt Lake City and continue to provide a talented duo for Jensen’s staff to build around.
Traore, meanwhile, has been a mainstay for Utah this season, starting 23 games. While he’s had moments when his impact has faded, Traore can get going offensively and provide strong defense at times.
If Traore stays in Salt Lake City, he could be a solid rotational piece again for his last collegiate season while fine-tuning his consistency and impact.
Hayes has had his moments. When Okonkwo missed the first few games of the season due to NCAA transfer rules, Hayes stepped into the starting lineup.
He can get overwhelmed at the high-major level at times, but he has also provided moments of competitiveness and tough minutes.
Patrick was showing real promise as an international player from Germany, but an injury sidelined him after his first start 10 games into the year.
Not having Patrick available has hurt Utah on both ends of the floor — it’s one of several injuries that’s limited the flexibility of the Utes’ roster.
While the level of competition has taken a clear step up (or even two or three) since Patrick was injured, one has to wonder if Utah could have won another game or two with Patrick available. He was that promising as a 6-foot-6 wing.
Sophomores
- Jerry Huang
- Alvin Jackson III
Neither Huang nor Jackson have played much this season, and it’s TBD if they’ll stick around with the program.
Huang has been a walk-on with Utah since the 2023-24 season, while Jackson transferred to the U. from Salt Lake Community College.
Freshmen
- Kendyl Sanders
- Obomate Abbey
- Lucas Langarita
- Ibi Traore
- Colin McHaney
At times, Sanders and Abbey, who’ve played extensive minutes for Utah this season, have shown flashes of their potential.
Sanders earned more minutes than expected because of the Faye injury, and he’s shown the capability to grow long-term under Jensen’s staff if he sticks around.
“I’m feeling more confident coming in here. I want to be able to help the team as much as possible,” Sanders said in early January as Big 12 play going rolling.
“Whatever that is, defense, rebound and scoring, whatever they need. I want to be able to contribute.”
So, too, has Abbey, albeit to a lower level than Sanders.
Fans didn’t see much of Langarita — just a few minutes against BYU — before the mid-year addition from Spain was hurt, but it was enough to whet some appetites.
Langarita has an intriguing skill set that could prove beneficial once he gets on the floor.
Traore has earned sporadic minutes after an injury last year lingered into this season — the former Oregon signee has played just 39 minutes this season, and while he has desired measurables, it’s unclear what his future holds.
McHaney is a midseason walk-on addition who has yet to play.
Left the program in-season
- Elijah “Choppa” Moore
- Jahki Howard
Both Moore and Howard came to the Utes as four-star transfers, but both are no longer with the program.
This has to be one of the bigger disappointments of the season, as outside expectations — and probably plenty internally — were that both Moore (from Syracuse) and Howard (Auburn) would play big roles for the Utes in the 2025-26 season.
Instead, their time in Salt Lake City was merely a footnote on the year.
Signed to play at Utah next season
- Styles Clemmons
- Zati Loubaki
- Simeon Suguturaga
- Jaxon Johnson
- David Katoa
Utah’s signing class has some intrigue with it. There’s an Overtime Elite player, the No. 2 rated JUCO talent and three locals, including two who are spending two years serving missions for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints before stepping on campus.
Clemmons, a point guard, is rated the No. 187 prospect nationally in the 2026 recruiting class by 247 Sports.
The three-star talent averaged 5.8 points and 3.1 assists per game during the regular season for City Reapers at Overtime Elite, and he’s someone who could have upside as he develops at the next level.
Loubaki is rated the No. 2 JUCO transfer in this year’s class by JUCOrecruiting.com.
Trinity Valley lists Loubaki as a guard/forward/center, and that kind of versatility will be valuable to the Utes if they find a big who can also handle the ball. Plus, at 6-foot-9, he provides another piece for Utah to lean on in the paint.
Suguturaga is in his final season at Orem High, where he is averaging 17.9 points as a senior. He started off his career at Mountain View High, and at 6-foot-4, adds some height to the backcourt.
Perhaps most interesting out of this group will be how Johnson and Katoa fit into Jensen’s system.
Both were Craig Smith signees prior to their missions, but Utah has included both as a part of its 2026 class.
Johnson is rated Utah’s highest-rated recruit in 247 Sports’ history — he had a composite rating of 0.9662 coming out of Alta High as a 6-foot-8 power forward.
Johnson could provide versatility as a face-up 4 for the Utes, as well as rotate into the 5 spot when Utah wants to go small.
The question is, will he have mission legs next year and require a season to get back into form, like most post-mission players do?
“He shoots the ball with deep range and a soft natural touch that gives him gravity spacing the court, playing pick-and-pop, and in other types of screening action,” 247 Sports scout Adam Finkelstein wrote of Johnson in 2023.
“... He does have some length, in large part because of fairly broad shoulders, that, along with his intellect for the game, should help him compensate on the defensive end.”
Katoa, meanwhile, excelled at Layton High and Utah Prep (previously RSL Academy) prior to his mission, and is likely to be a depth piece for Utah in the upcoming year.
He stands 6-foot-4 and should add valuable depth while being given the chance to develop.
