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Should Utah pursue Villanova transfer Bryce Lindsay?

Former Wildcats guard is reportedly hearing from the Utes
Cole Forsman|
Villanova Wildcats guard Bryce Lindsay.
Villanova Wildcats guard Bryce Lindsay. | Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

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Utah Runnin' Utes

To some degree, it feels like the college basketball transfer portal has been open for a couple of weeks now.

Technically, the 15-day window for the sport's "free agency" period began April 7. In reality, though, coaches and agents have been having conversations for the past several weeks, as social media began to fill with heartfelt goodbye posts from players who made their portaling intentions known prematurely so they can get a headstart on the open market.

That being said, Utah general manager Wes Wilcox and head coach Alex Jensen have had some time to formulate a game plan for retooling the Utes' roster.

Part of Utah's strategy to replace all five of its starters from the 2025-26 season may or may not have been revealed just over 24 hours into the portal cycle. A couple of reports linked the Utes to two guards from the power conference level: Northwestern's Jayden Reid and Villanova's Bryce Lindsay.

According to League Ready, Lindsay "is hearing from" Utah, as well as big-name brands like Louisville, Kentucky, St. John's and North Carolina. Those schools, plus several others from the Power 5 level, are reportedly interested in the Baltimore native after he put up 12.3 points, 2.1 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game with the Wildcats this past season.

Now, it's hard to exactly gauge how invested Utah is in bringing Lindsay to Salt Lake City for his final season of college hoops. The phrase "hearing from" doesn't exactly hint at much; it could simply mean the coaching staff reached out to Lindsay's camp for game film, or it's hinting at serious interest from Wilcox and company.

Bryce Lindsay's potential fit with the Utes

Considering the fact Utah is having to replace its entire starting backcourt from last season's squad, acquiring someone with the skillset and experience Lindsay posesess wouldn't be a bad place to start.

The 6-foot-3 guard's best attribute is his perimeter shooting. Opposing defenses have to know where Lindsay, a career 37.7% 3-point shooter, is at all times because he can knock down outside jumpers coming off the dribble or catch. This past season, he led Villanova with 78 made 3s on 219 attempts (35.6%), with six of those makes coming during his 25-point performance against Utah State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

The Wildcats' 86-76 loss to the Aggies happened to be Lindsay's first taste of March Madness, though he's hardly a novice. In three seasons thus far, including stops at Texas A&M and James Madison, the former three-star recruit from IMG Academy has played in 72 career games and made 44 starts (31 of which came at Villanova).

Lindsay's 3-point prowess and experience would serve Utah's backcourt well. His size at 6-foot-3 and 190 pounds isn't outstanding, though it would hold up against Big 12 competition. And based on the dynamic between him and Villanova's freshman phenom, Acaden Lewis, Lindsay is more of a combo guard than a true "point guard."

The area of Lindsay's game that Utah fans might hold some reserve for is his defense. While he's not undersized by any sense, he wasn't all that productive on that end of the floor last season (23 total steals, no blocked shots) and doesn't project to be a game-changer in that regard in 2026-27, either.

According to EvanMiya.com, Linday's projected defensive performance rating for next season is below 0 (-.14). For context, Don McHenry and Josh Hayes were the only Utah players who finished the 2025-26 campaign with a defensive performance rating below 0.

Considering how dreadful the Utes were defensively last season, Wilcox and Jensen should prioritize acquiring players who can make a positive difference on that end of the floor. That said, statistics and projections don't tell the entire story; Lindsay could be more serviceable than his numbers indicate.

Since Utah is in need of guard depth, snagging someone like Lindsay to play at the "2" would be a solid addition for Jensen's second-year squad — if he's surrounded by the right point guard.

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Cole Forsman
COLE FORSMAN

Cole Forsman has been a contributor with On SI for the past three years, covering college athletics. He holds a degree in Journalism and Sports Management from Gonzaga University.

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