Ranking Utah basketball's most important returning players for 2026-27 season

Looking at the three most important returners for Alex Jensen and company

Utah Runnin' Utes head coach Alex Jensen. | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

About 72 hours into the transfer portal being open for business, 10 players from the 2025-26 Utah squad had entered college basketball's free agency cycle, including three starters and several more reserves who were a part of Alex Jensen's first-year roster.

The remaining pieces: four scholarship players, but only two who logged any minutes during the 2025-26 campaign.

Needless to say, the Runnin' Utes will look much different by the time fall rolls around. In addition to their 2026 recruiting class, Jensen and his staff will likely round out the roster with some experience he and general manager Wes Wilcox acquire through the portal, given the amount of holes in the backcourt and frontcourt.

Still, the players Utah is on track to bring back have opportunities to be mainstays in Jensen's rotation. Let's take at a look at the three most important returners for Utah's 2026-27 roster.

1. Babacar Faye

Babacar Faye (5) during his time with the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers. | Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

2025-26 season: Did not play due to season-ending injury in September

Analysis: Who knows whether Babacar Faye's presence would've had a profound impact on how Utah's 2025-26 season played out had he not been sidelined due to injury. Given the Utes struggled on the glass and couldn't protect the paint effectively, one could surmise that the 6-foot-9 Western Kentucky transfer would've reinforced his team's interior defense and defensive rebounding had he been in the fold. Jensen and his staff will likely fill out the surrounding frontcourt with portal acquisitions over the coming weeks, but Faye's scoring production (152 total points across 10 games at Western Kentucky in 2024-25) and length put the Senegal native in a position to carve out a meaningful role regardless.

2. Lucas Langarita

Utah Runnin' Utes guard Lucas Langarita (11). | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

2025-26 season: 2.6 ppg, 1.2 rpg and 1.8 tpg in five games played; shot 45.5% from the field and 42.9% from 3 (1.4 attempts per game) in 12.4 minutes per contest

Analysis: Spanish guard Lucas Langarita arrived at Utah in December having competed at various levels on the international stage, including FIBA and professional ACB circuits in Spain. But like most college freshman, he experienced plenty of ups and downs in his first season. He committed nearly two turnovers per game and appeared to lack confidence in his decision-making — two aspects of his game that can be improved with more repetition. The Utes likely aren't done adding to their backcourt in the portal after acquiring 6-foot-7 Utah Valley transfer Jackson Holcombe, though it's possible Langarita's given an opportunity to play more minutes as a sophomore than he did in 2025-26 (if he can stay healthy) given his potential. However, the 6-foot-5 guard will have to show some improvements as a distributor and shooter if he's to carve out a significant role.

3. Obomate Abbey

Utah Runnin' Utes guard Obomate Abbey (21). | Michael C. Johnson-Imagn Images

2025-26 season: 2.5 ppg, 2.2 apg, 1.6 rpg in 31 games played; shot 28.3% from the field, 19.5% from 3 (1.3 attempts per game) and 81% from the free-throw line

Analysis: Obomate Abbey wasn't much of a scorer off the bench for the Utes as a freshman, though he did a lot of the dirty work on defense and was efficient as a passer (he led the team with a 1.94 assist-to-turnover ratio). He has the pieces to be a solid contributor, but he checks in at No. 3 on this list because Langarita's ceiling appears higher at the moment. Abbey's role in 2026-27 will depend greatly on what the portal provides the Utes in the way of backcourt players over the coming weeks and months.