There is good news coming from the transfer portal for Utah men’s basketball.
Keanu Dawes has reportedly withdrawn his name from the portal, according to On3’s Pete Nakos, just days after news first surfaced he had entered the transfer portal.
Utah forward Keanu Dawes has withdrawn from the transfer portal, @On3sports has learned.
— Pete Nakos (@PeteNakos_) April 2, 2025
Averaged 8.3ppg and 6.4 rebounds. https://t.co/uOWMfDSkh6pic.twitter.com/BQLTB2ysDS
If Dawes ultimately stays at Utah — the spring transfer portal window stays open until April 22 — it will be a huge win for the Runnin’ Utes program as it heads into the Alex Jensen era.
Jensen, who was named Utah’s new head coach after Craig Smith’s dismissal in February, will take over full-time once his time as an assistant coach with the Dallas Mavericks is fulfilled.
It’s likely Dawes would be a key building block for Jensen’s first team.
As a sophomore, Dawes averaged 8.3 points and 6.4 rebounds while shooting 61.4% for the Utes after transferring to the Salt Lake City school. He spent his rookie season at Rice.
Dawes ended the 2024-25 season strong, averaging 13.1 points and 10.0 rebounds over the Utes’ final six games, all of which were played under interim head coach Josh Eilert.
He averaged 26.1 minutes per game over the final six contests, an uptick from his 18.5 per game average on the year.
Dawes had four of his six double-doubles during the season in the team’s final six games, including career highs of 21 points and 15 rebounds in a Big 12 tournament loss to UCF.
He finished the year ranked 10th in the Big 12 in defensive rebounds, with a 4.5 per-game average.
