BYU Announces Jake Toolson’s Return To Program

PROVO, Utah – Reports of former UVU and BYU guard Jake Toolson’s return to BYU have been confirmed in an announcement by the university.

Toolson will move back to BYU as a graduate transfer after gathering WAC Player of the Year honors with UVU last season. He previously began his collegiate career with BYU and transferred to UVU after the 2015-16 season.

He was coached by BYU head coach Mark Pope when Pope was an assistant with the Cougars and followed Pope to UVU when he got the head coaching job in Orem. Now, Toolson is following Pope once more.

Pope couldn’t be any more excited to have Toolson on the BYU roster for next season.

Excited to have @jtoolgoinham back at BYU!!#BYUhoops #GoCougs pic.twitter.com/T4cNyEX7VF

— BYU Basketball (@BYUbasketball) May 24, 2019

“I’m out of my mind hyped! I’ve been incredibly blessed to have the honor of coaching Jake Toolson for the last several years,” Pope said in a press release. “I’ve watched him grow from a talented young player to one of the most efficient offensive threats in the country. As one of the most highly sought-after grad-transfers in America, Jake turned down the likes of Duke and Virginia to come here and put on a BYU uniform. As the reigning WAC Player of the Year and an All-American, and most importantly a great teammate and leader, Jake is going to leave his mark at BYU – in the locker room, in the classroom, in the community and on the court.”

In February, Toolson told KSL Sports that his first stint at BYU was so challenging that he briefly lost his love for basketball.

“That was some of the most difficult times of my life,” said Toolson on his final days as a Cougar in 2016. “It was really hard because that was the school that I always wanted to play for.”

Now, Toolson will get a chance to finish his college career where it all began.