University of Utah men's basketball received a commitment Wednesday, this one providing the Runnin' Utes another piece along the wing.
Small forward Kendyl Sanders committed to Utah, announcing the move on social media shortly after Dinos Trigonis first reported his decision.
Sanders is a 6-foot-6 forward who played at St. Bernard High in Playa del Ray, California, in the Greater Los Angeles area. Last year, he joined the IMG Academy post-grad program in Florida and averaged 14.2 points and 8.1 rebounds per game, according to Trigonis .
He is rated a three-star prospect and the No. 59 small forward in the 2025 class by 247 Sports .
Sanders also held offers from San Francisco, UC Irvine, UC Santa Barbara, Northern Illinois and NJIT, according to 247 Sports.
Sanders, whose father Yamen played collegiately at USC in the early 1990s, played under Tony Bland at St. Bernard. Bland is now an assistant at Washington under former Utah State coach Danny Sprinkle .
The Utes still have nine scholarship spots to fill during an offseason of change that's seen Alex Jensen named head coach and the majority of the team hit the transfer portal .
Forward Keanu Dawes is the lone key figure from last year's team who is set to return — he withdrew from the transfer portal days after entering it two weeks ago. Dawes averaged 8.3 points and 6.4 rebounds as a sophomore during the 2024-25 season.
Utah has also added two transfers — Fairleigh Dickinson guard Terrence Brown and Akron forward James Okonkwo — and also returns forward Ibi Traore.
Guard Alvin Jackson, who played at Salt Lake Community College last season, signed with the team last November as part of its 2025 recruiting class.
