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The identity of the 2026-27 Utah men’s basketball squad has come into focus as Alex Jensen and his staff have replenished their roster with new talent to fill in the holes and voids created by the many portal departures the team experienced over the past few weeks.

By the time the transfer portal closed Tuesday night, 11 players from the 2025-26 squad had entered their names into college basketball’s free agency pool, creating a blank slate for the second-year head coach of the Runnin’ Utes to work with as he attempts to turn things around from a disappointing 10-22 showing in his first season at the helm. Utah also lost a couple of key players due to eligibility exhaustion in Don McHenry and James Okonkwo, ensuring that an entirely new starting five would be in play for the upcoming season.

As such, Jensen and company got to work in the portal and recruiting trails. Utah brought in three transfers to play on the perimeter in Jackson Holcombe (Utah Valley), Taison Chatman (Ohio State) and TJ Burch (Wright State), and added one of the top European prospects in Noam Yaacov to potentially start at the point guard spot. Those additions — plus 2026 signees Styles Clemmons, Simeon Suguturaga and David Katoa — will look to gel with the Utes’ lone returning guard, Lucas Langarita, in the backcourt.

Utah also welcomes German forward Alec Anigbata, French wing Zati Loubaki and former four-star recruit Jaxon Johnson as part of its 2026 class. A couple of bigs in Fynn Schott and Weber State transfer Malek Gomma will mix with Babacar Faye, who missed all of last season due to injury, in the Utes’ frontcourt.

With just a couple of roster spots available, it would appear Utah is close to finalizing its 2026-27 team. And while Jensen and general manager Wes Wilcox have retooled their squad admirably, there’s still a noticeable need they should look to address: A true center with favorable size and length.

Right now, the tallest player on the Utes’ roster is between Faye and Loubaki (both are listed at 6-foot-9). There are four other players hovering around that height in Anigbata, Gomma, Johnson and Schott (all at 6-foot-8), but none of the returners or newcomers stand at 6-foot-10 or taller. Not to mention, not all of those players are true centers — some profile as wings more so than anything else (Loubaki, Anigbata and Johnson, notably).

It also wouldn’t hurt the Utes to have a rim-runner who has experience playing at the Division I level. Currently, Faye is the only frontcourt player who fits that bill.

Given Utah struggled to keep opponents off the glass and convert in the paint on the offensive end last season, acquiring a bonafide center to deter opponents at the goal and provide a legitimate presence on the boards would help put a bow on the Utes’ roster revamp for next season.

Prior to when the portal opened on April 7, there were three centers Utah could’ve reasonably targeted: Anton Bonke (Charlotte), Ben Defty (Boston College) and Chol Machot (College of Charleston). All three are 7-footers who can defend at serviceable levels. Bonke and Defty are also solid post scorers, while Machot uses his athleticism to pose as a matchup nightmare on the wing.

The good news for the Utes: Two of those players are still available in the transfer market (Bonke committed to Michigan State shortly after this post published). The bad news, though, is that they’re essentially in the next tier of portal centers down from Massamba Diop and Moustapha Thiam, which means every big man-needy school, except for the two that land Diop and Thiam, could turn their focus to the next group of centers available when the two bigs of note are off the board.

That said, it’d probably cost Utah a pretty penny to bring in a starting-caliber center out of the portal. With essentially everyone trying to copy Michigan’s title-winning blueprint, the market for big wings and lengthy centers is most likely through the roof at this point. And since a majority of the top power forwards and centers have already committed, the pool of players Utah could snag to compete in the Big 12 right away is dwindling by the day.

Regardless, the Utes need to be better in the paint if they’re to be more competitive in the Big 12 next season. In 2025-26, Utah ranked No. 318 nationally in 2-point field goal defense allowing opponents to shoot 54.6% from inside the arc, and were No. 166 in blocks per game (3.4). Jensen’s group also converted just 51.5% of its attempts from inside the arc and were No. 14 in the conference in rebounding margin (-1.4 per game).

If those figures change for the better in 2026-27, it’ll be because the Utes’ frontcourt had the required size, length and toughness to hang with the rest of the Big 12.

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After months of floating above 50% approval in Utah during his second term, President Donald Trump’s job approval rating dropped underwater in the Beehive State in April, driven largely by flagging support among Republicans and religious voters.

A new Deseret News/Hinckley Institute of Politics poll conducted by Morning Consult shows that more than half (54%) of Utah voters disapprove of Trump’s job performance, outweighing the 44% of voters who said they approve.

That’s a major swing from last month when it was almost the opposite: In March, 51% of Utah voters said they approved of Trump’s job performance compared to 46% who disapproved.

It’s the first time in recent memory the president has had such a pendulum swing in the state. But that swing appears to be unique to Utah as national polling did not show a dramatic shift in either direction among Republicans or religious voters.

Both groups, though, had a major drop in Utah.

“What’s interesting about this particular poll is, yes (Trump’s) underwater — but it’s where that movement is coming from,” said Jason Perry, director of the Hinckley Institute at the University of Utah.

About 83% of Republican voters nationwide approved of Trump’s job performance, holding steady from the last Deseret News/Hinckley Institute national poll in February that found 86% of GOP voters in the same camp.

However, only 74% of Utah Republicans said they approved of Trump’s performance in April — a 10-point drop from the month before. Twenty-two percent of Utah GOP voters said they disapproved of his performance.

While it’s not clear what exactly caused the dip, there are several likely factors at play such as the Trump administration’s shifting strategy with the war in Iran, its inconsistent messaging on the war’s objectives, and the president’s recent social media posts, including a depiction of Trump as a Christ-like figure and his posts targeting Pope Leo XIV.

Iran war emerges as primary factor

The prime suspect in the case of Trump’s dwindling approval ratings in Utah is the war in Iran — which would explain why there was such a drastic drop among Utah voters in just the last month.

“The important thing to remember is, polls are just snapshots in time. And this poll came at a very interesting time, and one of the key driving forces here is the war in Iran,” Perry said. “In this survey, President Trump’s handling of this war is lower than his overall job approval, which shows that there’s a lot of division and a lack of support on that.”

In the last Deseret News/Hinckley Institute poll, the military action had only just begun, and the duration of the conflict and its impacts were still unclear. But now, more than a month later, the picture is vastly different, and Utah voters are increasingly unhappy with how the president is handling the war.

“When we ask specifically about Trump’s handling of the conflict, Utah voters give him even worse marks than his overall performance,” said Matt Monday, director of public affairs for Morning Consult, which administered the survey. “Given the war’s salience, we think it’s doing most of the work here.”

The numbers reflect that sentiment. When asked specifically about Trump’s handling of the conflict in Iran, only 41% of Utah voters say they approve — 3 percentage points lower than his overall approval rating in the state. A majority of voters (54%) say they disapprove.

Those numbers boost the theory of Iran’s influence on Trump’s falling approval in Utah, especially when paired with the fact that the only other Cabinet official who saw a downward turn in approval ratings since March was Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth — the main Trump administration official associated with the war.

About 40% of Utah voters said they disapprove of Hegseth’s job performance while 39% said they were in favor. Another 21% said they were unsure.

Trump loses support among religious voters in Utah

Another factor for Trump’s lower approval ratings in Utah stems from a loss of support among religious voters.

Those dwindling numbers could be from a “secondary theory,” Monday said: Trump’s social media activity. The most recent poll surveyed respondents between April 15-20 — two weeks after Trump issued an expletive-laden post on Easter Sunday, and just two days after posting a now-deleted AI image that depicted him as a Jesus-like figure.

Trump’s approval rating among religious groups took a dip after those posts, particularly in Utah. About 51% of Christians in Utah said they approve of Trump’s performance in the latest poll, a significant drop from the 63% who said the same in March.

That’s a far cry from national polling that showed 50% of Christian voters nationwide approved of Trump’s performance in April — a one-point increase from the last national poll in February.

The drop in support among Utah’s religious groups was especially prevalent among members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. While a majority of the demographic (54%) still approves, that’s a 9-point drop from the month before.

About 43% of church members said they disapproved of Trump’s job performance in April, up from the 35% who said the same in March.

“Utah voters, they tend to respond not just to policy, but they do respond to tone, particularly when it touches on things like religion or respect for institutions. That’s certainly what we saw in one big month,” Perry said. “You put all of these together into one, into really a small period of time, and it has had a direct impact on his approval rating here in the state of Utah.”

“Utah voters are patient,” he added, “but they do have a threshold.”

The poll surveyed 815 Utahns between April 15-20 and it has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points. The national poll surveyed 2,057 U.S. voters with a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points.

Ace Bailey participated in the 2025 Salt Lake City Summer League.

SALT LAKE CITY (April 21, 2026) – The 2026 Salt Lake City Summer League presented by America First Credit Union – a four-team, six-game event hosted annually by the Utah Jazz – will take place on July 4, 6, and 7 at the Jon M. Huntsman Center on the University of Utah’s campus, the team announced today. The Jazz will be joined by the Atlanta Hawks, Memphis Grizzlies and Oklahoma City Thunder in this year’s edition of the round-robin summer showcase. Now in its 11th year, the Salt Lake City Summer League is held in association with Delta, SeatGeek and the Utah Sports Commission.

“A staple of summers in Utah, Salt Lake City Summer League annually offers a unique opportunity to watch some of the NBA’s newest talent make their debut here in our community,” said Jonathan Rinehart, president of Salt Lake City Summer League and the Salt Lake City Stars (Jazz NBA G League affiliate). “From highly anticipated draft picks to developing veterans, the league showcases the next generation of basketball stars in a high-energy, fan-friendly environment.”

Salt Lake City Summer League is an annual showcase of incoming rookies selected in that year’s NBA Draft. It also includes returning young roster players and select free agents competing to make NBA and G League regular season rosters.

With the Delta Center closed for renovations once again this summer, the Jazz are moving the event back to the Huntsman Center for the second straight season. Last year’s SLC Summer League at Huntsman Center featured the debuts of Utah’s No. 5 overall pick Ace Bailey and Philadelphia 76ers standout VJ Edgecombe (No. 3 overall).

Notable alumni of other past events include NBA All-Stars Jaren Jackson Jr. (2022-23 Defensive Player of the Year), Donovan Mitchell, Dejounte Murray, Ben Simmons, and Trae Young, as well as NBA champions Derrick White, Jayson Tatum, Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams. In addition to Bailey, recent Jazz participants include Keyonte George, Walker Kessler, Brice Sensabaugh, Isaiah Collier, Kyle Filipowski and Cody Williams.

General public tickets for single games and three-day passes will go on sale in May at SLCSummerLeague.com. Ticket information, a schedule of games, and the radio and television broadcast information for the Salt Lake City Summer League will be announced in the coming weeks.

The 41st annual NBA Draft Lottery will be held on May 10, and the NBA Draft will be on June 23 and 24. The league previously announced that the 2026 NBA Summer League will be held in Las Vegas from July 9-19, with all 30 NBA teams participating.

As the NBA Draft order currently stands, Salt Lake City Summer League could feature four 2026 lottery picks and seven first-round draft selections overall among the four participating teams.

The Utah Jazz announced the return of the Salt Lake City Summer League for 2026. Once again, it will be a four-team, six-game event hosted by the Utah Jazz. Here are the details:

It will inc

• It will be held at the Jon M. Huntsman Center at the University of Utah

• It will be held on July 4th, 6th, and 7th

• Tickets go on sale in May for the general public and can be purchased at SLCSummerLeague.com.

• It will be held at the University of Utah for a second time because the Delta Center will be closed for renovations.

This has the potential to be an electric summer league. Utah, Atlanta, and Memphis all have great odds to get top picks in the draft in the upcoming lottery. Even the Thunder have a shot at a top pick because they own the Clippers’ 12th pick. On top of that, it’s likely we’ll see Ace Bailey play again. It could be an electric atmosphere if the Jazz combine Bailey with one of the top players in the draft. That, of course, will be decided on May 10th in the upcoming draft lottery.

“It’s very irritating, and it messes with their thermoregulation, so it costs them a lot more energy, and then it can lead to a lot more mortality to especially the calves that were born last may or sometimes the adults if it gets really bad,” said Kent Hersey with Utah Department of Natural Resources.

With the 2026 NFL Draft right around the corner, it’s not hard to find mock drafts and positional rankings floating around the internet.

As such, we’ve created a similar list of our own and ranked the top Utah prospects expected to be drafted over the coming weekend.

Let’s take a look at the top four Utes who should be picked during the draft, which is set for April 23-25.

1. Spencer Fano

The Spanish Fork, Utah, native has been widely regarded as the Utes’ top 2026 prospect for almost a year now. Fano’s highly-efficient 2025 campaign, in which he didn’t allow a single sack across 350 pass blocking opportunities and was hailed as a consensus All-America and the Outland Trophy recipient, only strengthened his case for being a high draft pick.

The notion that Fano could move inside to play guard or center at the next level has added some intrigue to his NFL profile as well, and will likely lead to him being one of the first offensive lineman on the board on Thursday.

2. Caleb Lomu

Like Fano, Lomu didn’t allow a sack from his left tackle post this past season. The Arizona native also graded out as one of the top tackle prospects at the scouting combine, where Lomu finished No. 3 in production score, No. 4 in overall score and No. 5 in athleticism (Fano came in at No. 1 in all three categories).

Perhaps the only things keeping him from being talked about as a potential top-10 pick are his experience level (two-year starter in the Big 12, which isn’t known for elite pass-rushers) and how he handles power rushers at the next level as a taller, upright tackle.

3. Dallen Bentley

Bentley will probably have to wait until after the first day of the draft for his name to be called, given all the tight end talent in this year’s draft with Kenyon Sadiq and Eli Stowers leading the way. Still, the former Snow College product graded out as the fifth-most athletic tight end at the combine after posting a 4.62 time in the 40-yard dash, pairing nicely with the career-year he had with the Utes in 2025 (48 catches, 620 yards and six touchdowns). His route-running leaves room for growth, though his toughness and frame (6-foot-4, 253 pounds) are two qualities that’ll help him get picked over the weekend.

4. Logan Fano

If both Fano brothers hear their name called during the draft, it’ll likely be because a team picking in the later rounds liked Logan’s size, strength and ability to defend the run off the edge. His pass-rush game probably needs some refinement, though Logan’s toughness and quickness could help set the foundation for a nice career at the pro level.

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