Former UK basketball player Collin Chandler commits to a new school
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- Former UK basketball player Collin Chandler commits to BYU from the NCAA transfer portal.
- Chandler spent two seasons in Lexington playing for the Wildcats.
- Chandler will continue his college career at BYU playing for coach Kevin Young.
Former Kentucky basketball guard Collin Chandler has found his new college home.
Chandler committed to BYU out of the NCAA transfer portal Saturday. The commitment was reported by 247Sports.
Chandler entered the portal earlier in the week with a “do not contact” tag. That designation meant coaches couldn’t initiate contact with Chandler, but he could contact schools.
A 6-foot-5 guard from Farmington, Utah, which is located less than an hour north of BYU’s campus in Provo, Chandler spent two seasons playing for Mark Pope at Kentucky.
On Thursday night, Chandler released a statement about his decision to enter the portal.
“I am so grateful to Coach Pope, the assistant coaches and staff, my teammates, and the University of Kentucky and BBN for the last 2 years,” the statement read. “You welcomed me into your family with open arms, were patient with me, and supported me every step of the way. You helped me grow so much — not just as a player, but as a man. You will always be family to me. I am returning home and excited for the work and challenges ahead.”
Chandler was highly touted as a high school prospect, finishing the 2022 cycle as the No. 33 overall recruit in the country, according to 247Sports. Chandler was originally committed to play for Pope at BYU, but Chandler took a two-year Mormon mission following his prep career.
After Pope became Kentucky’s head coach in April 2024, Chandler was the first player to commit to Pope in Lexington. That Mormon mission meant Chandler’s college career didn’t begin until the 2024-25 season.
Chandler’s freshman year was a struggle, but he emerged late in that campaign as a 3-point shooting threat who benefitted from increased in-game reps. Then, Chandler took a big leap forward as a sophomore.
This past season, Chandler appeared in all 36 of UK’s contests, making 31 starts and posting per-game averages of 9.7 points, 2.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.2 steals. Chandler was the Wildcats’ third-leading scorer for the 2025-26 season.
Chandler’s distance-shooting ability was a particular strong suit. He shot 41.0% on 3-pointers for the season — making 73 of 178 attempts from long range — and led the Cats in both 3-point shooting percentage and total 3-pointers made.
Now, Chandler is taking his talents back home to Utah to play for head coach Kevin Young and the Cougars. As of Saturday morning, Chandler is ranked as the No. 40 player in the transfer portal, according to 247Sports.
BYU has recently emerged as a major player in the college basketball landscape.
After Pope left BYU to become Kentucky’s coach, the Cougars hired Young, a longtime NBA coach who most recently was the associate head coach for the Phoenix Suns. Young took his first BYU team in the 2024-25 season to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.
This past season, BYU dedicated significant NIL and revenue-sharing resources to secure the services of AJ Dybantsa, the top recruit in the 2025 class and the potential No. 1 overall pick in this summer’s NBA draft. Dybantsa delivered, averaging an NCAA-best 25.5 points per game along with 6.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists.
But the Cougars’ postseason ceiling was lowered after star senior guard Richie Saunders suffered a season-ending ACL injury in February. BYU earned a 6 seed in the 2026 NCAA Tournament, but the Cougars were upset in the first round by 11 seed Texas.
BYU is set to bring in another five-star recruit next season with small forward Bruce Branch III, who is ranked by 247Sports as the No. 6 prospect in the 2026 recruiting class.
The Cougars’ incoming group of players for next season also includes four-star high school small forward Dean Rueckert, junior college combo guard KJ Perry, former NBA G League center Abdullah Ahmed and unranked high school power forward Will Openshaw.
Seven players from the 2025-26 Kentucky team have entered the transfer portal this offseason. As of Saturday afternoon, three of those players have committed to new programs. In addition to Chandler, senior guard Denzel Aberdeen has committed to Florida and sophomore forward Andrija Jelavic has committed to Ohio State.
This story was originally published April 11, 2026 at 12:11 PM.
