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Another key Utah player has reportedly entered the transfer portal

The Utah basketball program’s roster turnover as it transitions from Craig Smith to Alex Jensen in the head coach chair is reportedly continuing. On Saturday evening, college basketball recruiting …

Utah Utes forward Keanu Dawes (8) puts up a 3-pointer shot during a first round game of the Big 12 Championship between the Utah Utes and the UCF Knights at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri, on Tuesday, March 11, 2025. The Utah Utes were knocked out of the championship by the UCF Knights, with a final score of 87-72.

Utah Utes forward Keanu Dawes (8) puts up a 3-pointer shot during a first round game of the Big 12 Championship between the Utah Utes and the UCF Knights at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri, on Tuesday, March 11, 2025. The Utah Utes were knocked out of the championship by the UCF Knights, with a final score of 87-72. | Brice Tucker, Deseret News

The Utah basketball program’s roster turnover as it transitions from Craig Smith to Alex Jensen in the head coach chair is reportedly continuing.

On Saturday evening, college basketball recruiting analyst Sam Kayser reported that forward Keanu Dawes is entering the transfer portal after one season with the Runnin’ Utes.

The 6-foot-9, 220-pound Dawes transferred to Utah last offseason after his freshman season at Rice. The move made a lot of personal sense for Dawes, as he lived in Utah until he was 9 and is the nephew of former BYU forward Derek Dawes.

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This season, Keanu Dawes played in 30 of 32 games with one start — Utah’s lone contest of the Big 12 Conference tournament, against UCF.

In mostly coming off the bench during the season, he averaged exactly eight points, 6.3 rebounds and exactly one assist in 18.3 minutes per game.

His best game of the season came in that game against UCF, when he tallied 21 points, 15 rebounds, two assists and two steals.

Though he’s been solid in two collegiate seasons now, he hasn’t quite lived up to the expectations he had has a top 150 recruit in the entire country in the Class of 2023 out of Houston, Texas.

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When Dawes opted to stay home and sign with Rice out of high school, he was also considering Utah, BYU, Texas A&M, Texas and Oklahoma State.

Dawes becomes the ninth Runnin’ Ute — and fifth main rotation player — to enter the transfer portal in recent weeks as the team gets ready to begin play in the College Basketball Crown tournament.

The list is as follows:

  • Keanu Dawes

  • Miro Little

  • Jake Wahlin

  • Lawson Lovering

  • Hunter Erickson

  • Joul Karram

  • Ayomide Bamisile

  • Jayden Teat

  • Brandon Haddock

Source: Utah News