BYU Star Point Guard Rob Wright III Withdraws from Transfer Portal, Returns to BYU

Rob Wright is returning to BYU after spending some time in the transfer portal

Mar 11, 2026; Kansas City, MO, USA; BYU Cougars guard Robert Wright III (1) drives to the basket around West Virginia Mountaineers guard Chance Moore (13) during the second half at T-Mobile Center. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-Imagn Images | William Purnell-Imagn Images

Kevin Young and the BYU basketball program got their point guard back. On Wednesday, BYU star point guard Rob Wright III withdrew from the transfer portal and returned on BYU. Wright, who was one of the top players in the transfer portal, comes back to BYU for his junior season.

Wright was on a visit to Kentucky earlier this week. He had the chance to go start a new chapter and play for some of the biggest brands in the sport. Instead, he will return to Provo for another season.

Wright had a breakout season for BYU as a sophomore. He averaged 18.1 points per game, 4.6 assists per game while shooting 41% from three. As a freshman at Baylor, he averaged 11.5 points per game while shooting 35.2% from three.

Wright is now the lone returning starter that will be on next season's roster. He gives BYU some much-needed continuity going into Kevin Young's third season at BYU.

Wright was one of the best scoring point guards in the Big 12 last season. He has the ability to get into the paint at will with either his strength or quickness. However, he was not one of the better distributing point guards in the league. Kevin Young will try to surround Wright with high-level shooters on the roster. If he is successful, it should create more space for Wright to get into the paint and allow him to distribute to shooters around the perimeter.

If Wright can take another step forward in his development in 2026, he has the potential to average 20 points per game next season. Most importantly, in the opinion of this author, will be the chemistry of next year's team. Kevin Young will be introducing mostly newcomers on next year's roster. He will be tasked with getting next year's team to gel and play as a team better than they did the year before.

With Wright back on board, the core of BYU's roster is starting to come together. As of this writing, it's pretty safe to assume that Rob Wright III, Collin Chandler, and Bruce Branch will be in the starting lineup for BYU next season. That gives BYU a solid three to build around.

Next on the agenda will be to add some starting-caliber players in the frontcourt. BYU is currently without a center on the roster after losing Keba Keita to graduation, and losing Xavion Staton and Abdullah Ahmed to the transfer portal.

BYU still has five or six spots to fill via the transfer portal, so more transfer commitments are expected over the next few weeks. Getting Rob Wright back to BYU might be the biggest transfer pickup of them all.