BYU five-star transfer wasn’t chasing NIL, wanted NBA enviroment under Kevin Young.

Robert Wright III was sold on BYU even before he got to Provo. While many following the program were shocked he took a spot with the Cougars, it wasn’t driven by NIL. Deseret News reporter Jay Drew recently explained Wright’s thoughts behind transferring to BYU

“I kinda just thought that coming to BYU and being around guys who have seen the NBA at the highest level and just what they are building and everything, it is just, I didn’t want to pass that up,” Wright said. “It didn’t really have too much to do with NIL.”

The former All-Big 12 honorable guard is coming off his freshman season at Baylor. He averaged 11.5 points, 4.2 assists, and 1.0 steals per game while shooting 41.4% from the field and 34.2% from beyond the arc in 35 games for the Bears. NIL money wasn’t the driving force, but it didn’t hurt either.

Wright reportedly pulled in $3.5 million to join Dybantsa and the Cougars. He’ll play with the top recruit in the nation with a bright NBA future in 2026, along with Tater Tot King Richie Saunders and Keba Keita. Two key pieces from BYU’s Sweet 16 run with Egor Demin testing the NBA waters.

“There were a lot of ups and downs, just on the basketball side,” Wright told Drew. “I had a lot of fun at Baylor. I appreciate their fanbase and everything like that. But I just felt like I was ready for something different … It wasn’t personal.”

Wright and Dybantsa have history together in a few circles. They’re both top recruits separated by a year and will now make BYU a force in the new era of college basketball. Add in Kevin Young and his NBA-style coach staff and the sky is the limit in the Big 12 and beyond.