What Kendyl Sanders' transfer portal departure means for Utah basketball moving forward

Utah transfer Kendyl Sanders has committed to Mississippi State for the 2026-27 season, according to reports.

The 6-foot-8 forward and former three-star recruit spent his freshman year serving as a backup center for the Runnin' Utes, averaging 5.2 points and 3.1 rebounds while shooting 40.3% from the field in 20 minutes per contest. His length and ability to spread the floor were the traits that served him best at Utah, which was down a key player in Babacar Faye, the Western Kentucky transfer who missed all of the 2025-26 season due to injury.

Sanders stepping in and contributing right away was somewhat of a surprise, considering Alex Jensen and the coaching staff might've used a redshirt year on him had it not been for Faye's absence. However, given the status of Utah's frontcourt at this stage of the offseason, retaining Sanders for his sophomore year would've created quite a logjam at the position.

New-look frontcourt takes center stage

In totality, Utah will have a new-look roster for the 2026-27 season after 11 players entered the portal and another two (Don McHenry and James Okonkwo) exhausted their eligibility, leaving just Lucas Langarita as the only returner who logged minutes for Jensen's first-year squad (Faye is back as well as a sixth-year player).

The Utes' roster renovations began well before the offseason, with commitments from junior college transfer Zati Loubaki and Austrian forward Fynn Schott coming during the regular season and Overtime Elite guard Styles Clemmons in September. The finalization of the 2026 recruiting class, which included a couple of mission returnees in 6-foot-8 wing Jaxon Johnson and 6-foot-4 guard David Katoa, plus 6-foot-4 Orem, Utah, native, Simeon Suguturaga, in November signaled a massive roster overhaul was ahead.

The 2026 transfer cycle confirmed Utah needed to bring in fresh talent for Jensen's second season at the helm, and over the course of two weeks, he and his staff filled the holes created by their departing players.

In the frontcourt specifically, Utah snagged Weber State transfer Malek Gomma, a 6-foot-8 Seattle native who put up 8 points and 6.9 rebounds per game with the Wildcats last season. He's more a bruiser in the paint, and differs from Utah's other frontcourt addition, Schott, who plays with a bit more finesse in the paint.

Schott, a 19-year-old with FIBA experience, was quite productive during the 2027 World Cup European qualifiers, where he averaged 17 points, 13 rebounds and 2.5 assists in two appearances with the Austria national team. His rebounding prowess is exactly what the Utes need given their struggles on the glass this past season.

Utah's frontcourt does feature a new blend of skillsets, though it could still use some size and potentially even some 3-point shooting if the Utes can afford it. There's still a couple of roster spots open, giving Jensen and company some room to work with as they look to finalize their roster. Getting a 7-footer who can defend the paint and rebound should be at the top of their priority.

NEWS: Utah transfer Kendyl Sanders has committed to Mississippi State, he tells @247Sports https://t.co/58PHBSySK8 pic.twitter.com/GCB2vDPwci
— Dushawn London (@DushawnLondon1) April 22, 2026

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