Promising Utah freshman enters transfer portal

Kendyl Sanders, a 6-foot-9 forward who stepped up for Utah amid injuries to the team's frontcourt, has entered his name into the transfer portal, according to Verbal Commits' database.

It's a somewhat surprising move from Sanders, who took on a significant role for the Runnin' Utes after their projected starting center, Babacar Faye, went down with a season-ending injury in September.

Taking a redshirt year was on the table for Sanders, a former three-star recruit from IMG Academy (Florida), though Faye's absence thrusted him into limelight unexpectedly. Considering the circumstances, Sanders performed admirably as Utah's backup big, averaging 5.2 points and 3.1 rebounds in 20 minutes per contest.

Sanders played in all 32 games for the Utes, who finished the first season of the Alex Jensen era with a disappointing 10-22 record (2-16 in Big 12 play). Sanders wasn't necessarily a major part of the team's offensive scheme, though he did show promise as a floor-spacing big man while knocking down 40.3% of his 3-point attempts.

With Sanders in the portal, Utah is set to lose its top seven scorers from this past season. Five of those departures are by way of transfer. A couple of starters in Don McHenry (17 ppg) and James Okonkwo (2.9 ppg, 5.4 rpg) have exhausted their eligibility.

In total, 10 players from the 2025-26 Utah squad are essentially free agents on college basketball's open market. Sanders is one of five departing frontcourt players, joining Keanu Dawes (12.5 ppg, 8.8 rpg), Josh Hayes (2.8 ppg), Ibrahima Traore (1.3 ppg) and Jahki Howard (1.3 ppg). The Utes are also set to lose a couple impactful guards on the perimeter, including Terrence Brown (19.9 ppg) and Seydou Traore (9 ppg).

That leaves just Obomate Abbey (2.5 ppg), Jacob Patrick (7.2 ppg), Lucas Langarita (2.6 ppg) and Jerry Huang as eligible returners who played in at least five games in 2025-26. Faye, a 6-foot-9 forward who transferred in from Western Kentucky, is expected to have eligibility as well.

Given the hits Utah's frontcourt has taken since the portal opened, Faye could be in line to serve a meaningful role for the Utes in 2026-27. In his final season with the Hilltoppers, which was also cut short due to injury, the Senegal native averaged 15.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and 1.1 steals across 10 games. He shot 53.7% from the field and 80.4% at the free-throw line.

Sanders, the No. 62-ranked small forward in the class of 2025, chose Utah over competing offers from Northern Illinois, San Francisco and UC Irvine, among others.