Utah basketball lands first transfer commitment of 2026 cycle from local standout

Jackson Holcombe, a 6-foot-7 guard who helped Utah Valley achieve back-to-back 25 win seasons, will continue his collegiate career in the state of Utah with Alex Jensen and the Runnin' Utes.

Jensen and company received their first portal commitment of the 2026 cycle Tuesday as Holcombe announced his pledge to Utah in an Instagram post. The South Carolina native and Timpanogos High School (Utah) standout is set to join the Utes as a redshirt junior after spending the past three years with the Wolverines program.

The acquisition is a big one for Utah, which entered the second week of the portal window in need of backcourt depth following Terrence Brown's decision to transfer and Don McHenry exhausting his eligibility as a fifth-year senior. Jensen and his staff are far from done with their roster renovations, though landing Holcombe, a four-star transfer and top-25 available shooting guard on the open market, according to 247Sports, is a nice start.

Holcombe was a key player for Todd Phillips and Utah Valley this past season, putting up 16 points, 7 rebounds and 2.2 steals while making 5.9 field goals per game — all of which were team-highs. He also second in assists (3.6 per game) and blocked shots (1.3 per game). His efforts earned him first-team All-Western Athletic Conference honors and WAC All-Defense recognition at the end of the season.

Perhaps the only area Holcombe struggled in was 3-point shooting. He was 6-of-37 from behind the arc, equating to a 16.2% conversion rate on 1.1 attempts per contest.

Holcombe's lack of shotmaking didn't seem to hinder his scoring ability, though, considering he finished with 20 or more points 10 times as a redshirt sophomore, including a 27-point outburst in Utah Valley's 79-78 loss to George Washington in the NIT. He also tallied eight double-doubles, all by way of scoring 10 or more points and grabbing 10 or more rebounds.

Given the state of Utah's roster, how Holcombe's skillset fits within Jensen's schemes remains to be seen. The Utes still have a ways to go in replacing their top eight scorers from last season's 10-22 squad, as 10 players sit in the portal and another two are set to depart due to expiring eligibility.

Snagging a two-way player of Holcombe's caliber is a solid portal win for Jensen and his staff, though. Holcombe's ties to the area as a former all-state player at Timpanogos High School, where he led the Timberwolves to a pair of regional championships and set the school record for most points scored in a single season, is a nice bonus for the community aspect.

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