Former Butler big chooses Utah State basketball in transfer portal
May 12, 2026, 5:31 PM | Updated: May 13, 2026, 2:49 pm
LOGAN, Utah – The Utah State Aggies have added an important defensive piece in fifth-year senior Connor Turnbull.
Turnbull spent two seasons (2022-24) with the Butler Bulldogs before playing two years with the Evansville Purple Aces. He was named the 2024-25 Missouri Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Year.
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✍️ 𝓢𝓲𝓰𝓷𝓮𝓭
Welcome to the @USUBasketball family @ConnorT2022!
🔗 >> https://t.co/5WCu5A2eql pic.twitter.com/KLbxR2CBF3
— USU Men’s Hoops (@USUBasketball) May 12, 2026
Turnbull joins AJ Bates, Solomon Callaghan, Will Hornseth, and Collin Mulholland as D1 transfers.
USU and first-year head coach Ben Jacobson have also added Ace Reiser, Bron Roberts, and Sean Felts from the junior college level.
Mullholland (6’11”), Roberts (7’0″), and Turnbull give the Aggies a deep, long, and versatile frontcourt in the 2026-27 campaign. 6’10” Zach Keller was the tallest Utah State regular last season.
Who is Connor Turnbull?
Turnbull was a Missouri Basketball Coaches Association Class 6A All-State player as both a junior and senior at Fort Zumwalt North H.S.
He currently holds school records for career rebounds, single-season rebounds, career blocks, and single-season blocks.
The 225-pound rim-running forward signed with Butler, playing 22 games as a freshman. He averaged 2 points in 5.5 minutes a night, while shooting 44 percent from the field and 47 percent from deep.
An elbow injury limited Turnbull to nine games as a sophomore. He blocked 16 shots in 105 minutes of action, including a six-block game against East Tennessee State.
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NEWS: Evansville transfer, Connor Turnbull, has committed to Utah State, his agent Jake Cohen of Iconic Sports Management tells DraftExpress.
The 2025 MVC DPOY averaged 2.4 blocks per game (including a career-high 9 rejections against WKU) while battling injuries this season. pic.twitter.com/EE1RM1jcG6
— Jon Chepkevich (@JonChep) May 12, 2026
Turnbull transferred to Evansville for the 2024-25 season.
He went on to average 1.9 blocks a night, good for second in the MVC. His 61 total stuffs were 31st in the nation.
The St. Paul, Missouri, native averaged 9.2 points and 4.3 rebounds a night in 32 games with the Purple Aces as a junior.
Injuries struck again last season, limiting him to eight starts and 10 games. Turnbull averaged 11.5 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 2.4 blocks.
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Brian Preece is a sports.ksl.com insider covering Locals in MLB and the Salt Lake Bees. Follow Brian’s Bees and Beehive baseball here. Find Brian on X, Instagram, and BlueSky at @bpreece24.
