Up until Sunday, the short list of players from the Utah men's basketball program set to enter the transfer portal didn't feature any of Alex Jensen's main rota
Then, reports surfaced early Sunday morning that Keanu Dawes, the versatile 6-foot-9 wing who led the Runnin' Utes in rebounding, will test his value on the open market, potentially creating a massive hole for Jensen and his staff to fill in the aggregate.
Dawes, who transferred from Rice to Utah ahead of the 2024-25 campaign, played a vital role on both ends of the floor as he took a major step along his developmental path. He started all 32 games and logged 30.8 minutes per contest, in which averaged12.5 points, 8.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists while shooting 54.6% from the field, 31.7% from 3 and 72.4% from the free-throw line. Jensen made it known early on in the season that he'd like Dawes to be more aggressive as a scorer than he had been in the previous two years. It's safe to say Dawes heeded his coach's wishes; he put up double-figures in the scoring column 25 times, including three 20-point games, and attempted a career-high 8.5 field goals per game. His best game of the 2025-26 campaign came Feb. 7 at Kansas, when he scored 22 points on 10-of-13 from the field and snagged 12 rebounds in 31 minutes. Dawes' improved scoring touch, along with his tenacity on the boards and his versatility, helped make the Utes competitive in a lot of game they would've otherwise been outmatched in. It should be noted that retaining Dawes for his senior year is still on the table for Jensen and company. This time last year, Dawes entered his name into the portal before withdrawing just days later to return to the Utes. Not to mention, Dawes grew up in Utah until he was 9 years old. He's also the he nephew of former BYU forward Derek Dawes. He attended Houston Stratford High School and committed to Rice while ranked by 247Sports composite as a four-star prospect in the 2023 class. Dawes became the fourth player from the 2025-26 Utah squad to announce their portal intentions ahead of the official 15-day window for players to change schools, which is set for April 7. Jahki Howard, Elijah "Choppa" Moore and Alvin Jackson III had already made their departures public by the time Dawes' portal entry was reported. NEWS: Utah’s Keanu Dawes will enter the transfer portal, agents Brandon Grier and Rob Murphy of Equity Sports told DraftExpress.Cole Forsman has been a contributor with On SI for the past three years, covering college athletics. He holds a degree in Journalism and Sports Management from Gonzaga University.
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