One of the cornerstones of Utah’s 2024 roster has now hit the transfer portal.
Deivon Smith, the Utes’ point guard who surpassed Jason Kidd’s Pac-12 triple-double record, is in search of a new home.
He averaged 13 points a game, seven assists and six rebounds in his lone season in Salt Lake City.
If Smith does not return to Utah, he will move onto his fourth school. He started at Mississippi State before leaving for Georgia Tech and then Utah. Head coach Craig Smith made Deivon Smith the team’s primary ball handler last year, something he hadn’t done at his previous two stops.
After sitting out most of the non-conference schedule — while awaiting a transfer waiver — Smith became one of the better Pac-12 guards. That drove up his NIL market his offseason.
Smith was set to be a foundational piece to Smith’s 2024 roster. Fellow point guard Rollie Worster entered the transfer portal and signed with Nebraska.
Now, Utah needs to find an answer at point guard as it moves to the Big 12.
Smith is the fourth Utah player to hit the portal this offseason. Beyond Worster, Utah also saw Wilguens Exacte Jr. and Luka Tarlać explore their options.
Some of the losses were offset by Utah picking up Rice transfer Keanu Dawes. He was recruited by both BYU and Utah out of high school but decided to stay close to home in Houston his first year. He was one of the better freshmen in the American Athletic Conference in 2023.
Mason Madsen is also coming to Utah from Boston College, where he averaged eight points a game. He has played in 114 games in his four-year career, which began at Cincinnati.
Gabe Madsen will return to Utah for his final college season, too.
