The roster for BYU in 2025–2026 is getting more and more obvious every day. Although the Cougars will lose several important players due to graduation, the transfer portal, and the draft, the coaching has already made great strides in updating and strengthening the roster.

Kevin Young’s ability to sign high school recruits like A.J. Dybantsa has garnered national attention, but in what has become a more stressful procedure for college basketball each year, he must now use the transfer portal.

Even though BYU has already lost Elijah Crawford, Kanon Catchings, and Dallin Hall to the portal, they have already made rapid headway in finding replacements.

Dominique Diomande, a Washington transfer, has joined the Cougars, giving them another excellent potential prospect to complement Dybantsa. Diomande redshirted for the Huskies this past season after arriving from France in the middle of the season. Although he is still a young player, scouts will be watching him throughout the season because of his potential for NBA athleticism, finishing, and defence. Prior to joining Washington last season, Diomande averaged more than 16 points per game in the France-ProA U21 league.

The loss of Egor Demin in the backcourt leaves a skill set that is almost impossible to replace, but it looks like the Cougars have a solution in Rob Wright III, a former Baylor guard who is expected to join Provo next season. With an average of 11.5 points and 4.2 assists per game, the rookie gave a reliable presence to a Bears squad that was beset by injuries, and those stats can only improve in year two.

Raleigh’s First Round of the Robert Wright III NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament | Jared C. Tilton/GettyImages
Dawson Baker, who had many memorable moments during his second season at BYU, will play a lot of minutes in the backcourt alongside Wright. Baker, who is positioned to advance in 2026, is rather buried in the depth chart below Demin and Hall. He might start as the fifth starter for the Cougars, but he’ll probably be a valuable backup. In any case, Baker will be a significant contributor for the Cougars if he can maintain consistency even though he may not be an exceptional player. Expect the BYU coaches to add one or two more seasoned guards to the portal in addition to Baker and Wright.

The final three starters for BYU are very obvious, regardless of the backcourt’s eventual composition. Richie Saunders’ return immediately establishes the Cougars as a league and national contender. Saunders, a member of the All-Big 12 First Team, received a lot of accolades in March of last year and is still likely underappreciated.

The arrival of top prospect A.J. Dybantsa, the current favourite to be the first choice in the 2026 NBA Draft, is even more significant than him. Dybantsa will draw a lot of attention to Provo the next season with his exceptional athleticism and ability to score at all three levels, particularly the midrange.

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GettyImages/A.J. Dybantsa | ALTAN GOCHER
Keba Keita started 35 games at centre for BYU last season, so there’s no reason to doubt his ability to repeat. Keita offers some much-needed rim protection on defence in addition to being a consistent lob threat on offence.

Unfortunately, BYU will have to replace Keita’s frontcourt combination in Fousseyni Traore, but 4 star prospect Xavion Staton should be able to do exactly that. He will still be a vital member of the BYU big rotation even though his style of play is more akin to Keita’s than Traore’s. The Cougars should be well-rounded down low with the return of Mihailo Boskovic, who will be a senior due to his European experience. Even though he didn’t play as much as he should have last season, he did find a better rhythm towards the end of the season and should be much better now that he has had a full summer.

Rady Children’s Invitational by Mihailo Boskovic | Orlando Ramirez/GettyImages
Kevin Young will continue to be highly active in the transfer portal outside of these parts, hoping to contribute the experienced expertise they’ll need to advance. The person who most closely resembles the Mawot Mag game may be his primary objective. It would be a great addition to have a player who can start or come off the bench, defend no matter what, and occasionally make three-pointers. Though the defence will need to be strengthened, BYU is undoubtedly capable of going even further in the tournament the following year.

Between now and November, a lot might change, and BYU plans to pursue more transfers, foreign prospects, and even high school athletes who might be reclassified. Having said that, here are some potential new developments for BYU in the upcoming season.