Utah basketball’s roster comes into focus after a whirlwind 12 hours

A considerable jump from last year

Utah signed seven transfers before the 2025-26 season but finished No. 88 in EvanMiya’s incoming transfer rankings and No. 331 in overall transfer activity. That class included one four-star and six three-star additions, with Babacar Faye rated as its top incoming player, who Utah was also able to bring back this season.

The 2026 class is smaller but carries much more credibility.

Utah’s current group ranks No. 27 among incoming transfer classes and No. 30 in overall portal activity. Holcombe is listed as a five-star transfer, while Campbell and Burch give Jensen two additional players with strong statistical profiles.

Last year’s class was largely built to fill out a roster during a coaching transition. The timing of the change put Utah months behind other programs, resulting in the taking of a handful of flyers last year. This class looks more like an attempt to define one.

Jensen and general manager Wes Wilcox needed more positional size, defensive versatility, playmaking and shooting. They did not solve every problem, but each addition addresses at least one of those priorities.

Transfers In

Transfers Out

Did Utah replace what it lost?

Utah’s portal departures were substantial.

Ten players committed elsewhere, with three more still listed in the portal at the time of the ranking. Keanu Dawes, Utah’s highest-rated departure, transferred to Kansas, while Terrence Brown left for North Carolina. Other losses included Seydou Traore, Elijah Moore, Jacob Patrick, Jakhi Howard, Josh Hayes and Alvin Jackson.

Dawes represents the most significant individual loss. His 5.15 Bayesian Performance Rating trailed only Holcombe’s 5.51 among the incoming and outgoing players. Brown also carried a positive 2.96 rating and had proven capable of producing at the high-major level.

Utah did not replace the departures one-for-one. It reconfigured the roster around a smaller, more substantial transfer class.

The Utes also supplemented those five transfers with Alec Anigbata, Fynn Schott, Zati Loubaki, Jaxon Johnson, Styles Clemmons and David Katoa. Schott and Loubaki add frontcourt options, Anigbata and Johnson bring length at forward, and Clemmons and Katoa give Utah two young guards to develop.

From among that group, Anigbata, Loubaki, and Schott each seem capable of being fairly positive contributors this season. Those three matching or exceeding the impact of departed players like James Okonkwo, Seydou Traore, or Kendyl Sanders seems reasonable.

The question is how quickly the newcomers can become functional Big 12 contributors. The roster offers more developmental upside, but Utah needs the top of its transfer class to deliver.

Jackson Holcombe is a two-way producer

Holcombe is the player with the clearest path toward becoming one of Utah’s most important pieces.

EvanMiya gives the former Utah Valley guard an A overall grade, placing him in the 97th percentile nationally. He ranks in the 94th percentile offensively and 98th defensively, the profile of someone who can influence games without dominating the ball.

Holcombe also projects in the 97th percentile in steal rate, 96th in scoring volume and 89th in assists. His size, activity and defensive instincts should allow Jensen to use him across several perimeter assignments.

The concern is shooting. Holcombe’s projected 29.1% from three falls in the fourth percentile, while his 65.3% free-throw projection is also below average. He compensates by finishing well inside the arc, where he is projected to shoot 56.3%.

Holcombe does not need to become a knockdown shooter, but he must make enough open attempts to preserve Utah’s spacing. Even with that limitation, he projects as the class’s best player and perhaps the most complete transfer Jensen has added.

RELATED: Utah basketball officially signs Austrian big man Fynn Schott

Trey Campbell gives Utah a needed offensive connector

During the process of trying to get Yaacov cleared, the staff needed contingency plans that could replace at least some of the playmaking, shooting and offensive intelligence it expected from the Israeli guard. Campbell became the choice to help fill that void.

The Northern Iowa transfer carries an A-minus overall projection, ranking in the 95th percentile. He is projected to shoot 37.1% from three, good for the 91st percentile, while also grading in the 95th percentile as a playmaker and 90th in assist rate.

Campbell is not a direct replacement for Yaacov, who was expected to have a significant role initiating Utah’s offense. But he addresses several of the same functional needs. He is not merely a stationary shooter. He can move the ball, attack a shifting defense and keep possessions connected without hijacking them. That has value in an offense expected to emphasize spacing, screening and quick decisions.

He also projects well defensively, landing in the 96th percentile, with strong marks in steals, foul avoidance and defensive court impact.

Rebounding is the notable weakness, but Utah is not adding Campbell to clean the glass. The Utes need him to stretch defenses, make intelligent reads and help redistribute the playmaking responsibilities that became available when Yaacov was ruled ineligible.

Campbell does not erase that loss, but as contingency plans go, Utah found a player whose profile fits remarkably well.

The context here is that Campbell’s eligibility is still up in the air. When Campbell committed to Utah, a July 31 preliminary injunction had granted fifth-year eligibility to him and athletes from the 2022 high school class who had exhausted four seasons of competition. The 10th Circuit stayed that ruling on Aug. 21, leaving Campbell—who is with the team—pursuing all available avenues to regain eligibility for the 2026-27 season.

TJ Burch brings defensive pressure and playmaking

Burch may be the class’s most disruptive defender. The Wright State transfer projects in the 99th percentile in steal rate, the 94th percentile in assists and the 94th percentile defensively. His overall grade lands in the 91st percentile.

Burch’s projected 35% shooting from three is respectable rather than elite, but it should be sufficient if he continues creating advantages off the dribble. His 23.4% assist-rate projection suggests he can organize possessions and relieve pressure from Utah’s other ballhandlers.

There are reasons for caution. His rebounding projection is poor, and his efficiency must translate from Wright State to the Big 12, where passing windows close more quickly and defensive mistakes tend to receive immediate punishment.

Still, Burch gives Jensen a guard who can pressure the ball, generate turnovers and create for teammates. Utah lacked enough players capable of changing a possession at its point of origin. Burch should help.

Taison Chatman supplies shooting upside

Chatman enters with a more modest overall projection than Holcombe, Campbell or Burch, but he addresses one of Utah’s clearest needs.

The Ohio State transfer is projected to shoot 37.7% from three, placing him in the 94th percentile. He also carries an 80.3% free-throw projection and grades well in offensive court impact.

The rest of the profile is less complete. Chatman projects as an average or below-average rebounder and playmaker, while his defensive projection lands in the 59th percentile. He will need to show he can hold up defensively and contribute when shots are not falling.

But shooting travels, and Utah needed more of it. Chatman does not have to become a primary creator. If he spaces the floor, attacks hard closeouts and competes defensively, he can provide an important rotation role.

Malek Gomma is a specialist with a valuable specialty

Gomma is the least heralded addition, but his rebounding gives him an identifiable path to playing time.

The Weber State transfer projects in the 95th percentile as a rebounder, including the 94th percentile on the offensive glass and 86th defensively. His projected court-impact grade lands in the 89th percentile despite more modest overall offensive and defensive marks.

His limitations are equally clear. Gomma projects to shoot 31% from three and only 50% from the free-throw line. He is not a floor-spacing big, and Utah will need to structure lineups carefully around him.

Still, there is value in knowing exactly what a player does well. Gomma rebounds. He creates extra possessions. He brings physicality. On a roster with more perimeter skill than last season, those contributions could be enough to make him useful in the right matchups.

The Bottom Line

The loss of Noam Yaacov is a substantial blow to Runnin’ Utes basketball. However, Utah’s roster construction beyond that still provides good indicators.

The transfers represent only one part of a much larger reconstruction. Anigbata, Schott, Loubaki, Johnson, Clemmons and Katoa give Utah another layer of size, skill and long-term upside. The portal additions should establish the top of the rotation; the rest of the incoming class will help determine its depth and eventual ceiling.

The contrast with last year remains encouraging. Utah moved from the No. 88 transfer class to No. 27 while bringing in fewer transfers. Then supplemented that group with six additional newcomers, three of which come with experience from the junior college and international ranks.

Steve Bartle is the Utah insider for KSL Sports. He hosts The Utah Blockcast (SUBSCRIBE) and appears on KSL Sports Zone to break down the Utes. You can follow him on X for the latest Utah updates and game analysis.

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