Cougs Daily

BYU Basketball Brought in Three Former Opponents Via the Transfer Portal

Casey Lundquist

Baylor point guard Rob Wright plays against BYU in the Marriott Center
Baylor point guard Rob Wright plays against BYU in the Marriott Center / BYU Phot
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Ever since BYU was eliminated from the NCAA Tournament, BYU head coach Kevin Young and his staff have been working around the clock to put together the 2025-2026 BYU basketball roster. The Cougars have added five players from the transfer portal since the end of the season.

BYU had a chance to watch three of the five transfers in person last season. Three of the transfers played against BYU in the Marriott Center last season, and all of them had success against the Cougars.

1. Rob Wright - Baylor

Five-star transfer Rob Wright was one of the highest-rated transfers in the portal. After a standout true freshman season at Baylor, Wright entered the portal and committed to the Cougars.

Wright was awesome for Baylor against BYU, especially in clutch moments. Wright was a big reason why Baylor sent the game to overtime. He finished with 22 points on 6/12 from the field and 2/4 from three. He also got to the free throw line eight times. His ability to create off the dribble created problems for BYU's defense.

2. Nate Pickens - UC Riverside

Nate Picken
Nov 30, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; UC Riverside Highlanders guard Nate Pickens (11) celebrates after dunking the ball against the UCLA Bruins in the first half at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

UC Riverside Nate Pickens is the most recent addition to BYU's 2025-2026 roster. Pickens averaged 9.8 points per game last season and he shot 39% from three. Against BYU, he had 18 points on 6/10 shooting and he was 3/4 from three.

Pickens nearly helped UC Riverside pull off the upset in a 86-80 loss.

3. Tyler Mrus - Idaho

Sharpshooter Tyler Mrus came into the Marriott Center and scored 17 points while shooting 4/8 from three. Mrus was the leading scorer for Idaho in their loss to BYU. Mrus will be a shooting specialist for this BYU basketball team.

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Casey Lundquist
CASEY LUNDQUIST

Casey Lundquist is the publisher and lead editor of Cougs Daily. He has covered BYU athletics for the last four years. During that time, he has published over 2,000 stories that have reached more than three million people.