Former BYU player Kennard Davis Jr. lands at SEC program
May 1, 2026, 1:16 PM
PROVO – Former BYU basketball wing Kennard Davis Jr. is getting closer to his home.
The St. Louis, Missouri native has transferred to the Missouri Tigers in the SEC. Davis Jr. announced the move on his Instagram page.
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“Let’s do it the right way. #committed,” wrote Davis on Instagram.
Potential No. 1 NBA draft pick, and former BYU teammate, AJ Dybantsa wrote on the post, “prouda u slime.”
Former BYU starter Kennard Davis Jr. commits to Missouri
Missouri finished with a 20-13 overall record last season, earning a 10-seed in the 2026 NCAA Tournament, before falling to 7-seed Miami (FL) in the round of 64.
Davis transferred to BYU from Southern Illinois University in the 2025 transfer portal cycle. He was a regular in BYU’s starting lineup this past season, starting all 32 games he played.
Davis finished with averages of 8.5 points, 2.7 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 1.1 steals this past season at BYU.
The 6-foot-6 wing was up-and-down with his three-point shooting in his one year at BYU, knocking down only 32% from beyond the arc this past season—a dip from the 37.9% he hit during the 2025 season with the Salukis.
When Davis was on, it was usually an indicator that BYU would come away with a win. BYU was 10-2 in games where Davis hit at least two 3-pointers or more. In the two wins in the Big 12 Tournament, Davis was 9-of-15; in the loss against Houston, he was 0-for-5.
Then, in the NCAA Tournament first round loss to Texas, Davis was 1-of-3.
After the loss to Texas, Davis, when asked by KSL Sports how he’d assess his year at BYU, said, “I feel like I made the right decision. It was ups and downs, obviously, but it’s a great coaching staff, great players. So I feel like everything was as expected.”
Davis recently entered his name on the early-entry list for the 2026 NBA draft. He has until 5 p.m. (EDT) on Saturday, June 13, to pull his name and play out his final collegiate season at Missouri.
Former BYU players in the 2026 transfer portal cycle
Davis was one of seven players with eligibility remaining on the 2026 BYU basketball team who entered the transfer portal last month.
Out of those seven players, Davis is the sixth player to find a new landing spot. Aleksej Kostic signed with Northwestern, KJ Perry committed to Fresno State, center Xavion Staton transferred to Oregon State, Dominique Diomande signed with Pitt, and center Abdullah Ahmed landed at UMass on Friday.
The only player who transferred that hasn’t found a new spot yet is Tyler Mrus.
Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for KSL and hosts the Cougar Tracks Podcast daily on KSL Sports YouTube and KSL NewsRadio (SUBSCRIBE). Harper also co-hosts Cougar Sports Saturday (12–3 p.m.) on KSL NewsRadio.
Follow Mitch’s coverage of BYU athletics in the Big 12 Conference on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram: @Mitch_Harper.
