A former guard for Kentucky basketball, has settled into a new college. Using the NCAA transfer site on Saturday, he committed to BYU. 247Sports reported on the pledge. Earlier this week, he accessed the gateway while wearing a “do not contact” tag. Because of that categorization, he was able to get in touch with schools but not coaches.
A 6-foot-5 guard from Farmington, Utah, which is less than an hour north of BYU’s Provo campus, played under Mark Pope at Kentucky for two seasons. He made a statement regarding his choice to use the portal on Thursday evening.
“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.”
He was a highly anticipated high school prospect; according to 247Sports, he finished the 2022 cycle as the nation’s No. 33 overall recruit. After his prep career, Chandler embarked on a two-year Mormon mission, despite his initial commitment to play under Pope at BYU. Chandler was the first athlete to pledge to Pope in Lexington upon his appointment as head coach of Kentucky in April 2024. Chandler’s collegiate career didn’t start until the 2024–2025 season because of the Mormon mission.
Chandler had a difficult rookie season, but as the season came to an end, he showed promise as a 3-point shooter and benefited from more playing time. Then, as a sophomore, Chandler made significant progress. Chandler played in all 36 of UK’s games this past season, starting 31 of them and averaging 9.7 points, 2.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.2 steals per game. During the 2025–2026 season, Chandler was the third-highest scorer for the Wildcats.
One of Chandler’s strongest points was his ability to shoot from a distance. He led the Cats in both 3-point shooting percentage and total 3-pointers made during the season, shooting 41.0% on 3-pointers (making 73 of 178 long-range tries).
Chandler is now returning home to Utah to play for the Cougars and head coach Kevin Young. According to 247Sports, Chandler is now ranked as the 40th player in the transfer portal as of Saturday morning. Recently, BYU has been a significant force in college basketball. Young, a seasoned NBA coach who most recently served as the associate head coach for the Phoenix Suns, was hired by the Cougars after Pope left BYU to become the head coach of Kentucky. In the 2024–25 season, Young led his first BYU team to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16.
In order to sign AJ Dybantsa, the top recruit in the 2025 class and a possible No. 1 overall choice in this summer’s NBA draft, BYU committed substantial NIL and revenue-sharing resources during the previous season. Dybantsa performed admirably, averaging 3.7 assists, 6.8 rebounds, and an NCAA-high 25.5 points per game. However, standout senior guard Richie Saunders’ season-ending ACL injury in February reduced the Cougars’ chances of making the postseason. In the 2026 NCAA Tournament, BYU was seeded sixth, but Texas, ranked eleventh, defeated the Cougars in the opening round.
Bruce Branch III, a small forward who is ranked No. 6 in the 2026 recruiting class by 247Sports, will be another five-star recruit for BYU next season. 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 are among the players joining the Cougars for the upcoming campaign.
This offseason, seven members of the Kentucky squad from 2025–2026 have registered on the transfer site. Three of those athletes have committed to new programs as of Saturday afternoon. Along with Chandler, sophomore forward Andrija Jelavic has committed to Ohio State, and senior guard Denzel Aberdeen has committed to Florida.
