BYU Forward Noah Waterman Enters Transfer Portal

BYU had a late addition to the portal as Noah Waterman put his name in the portal. The deadline to enter the portal was May 1, but BYU players had until May 12 to enter due to the NCAA rule that players have 30 days to enter after their head coach leaves — Mark Pope was officially hired by Kentucky April 12. Noah officially informed Kevin Young Thursday night that he would enter the portal and submitted the necessary paperwork over the weekend.

A 6-foot-11 forward, Waterman has one year remaining after receiving a medical redshirt from his freshman season at Niagara granting him a sixth year of eligibility. If Waterman doesn’t return to BYU, he is the fourth scholarship player to enter the portal joining Marcus Adams Jr, Aly Khalifa, and Jaxson Robinson.

After one season at Niagara and two at Detroit Mercy, Waterman spent the last two seasons at BYU. A stretch four, Noah made a big jump from his first season at BYU, averaging 9.5 points and 5.4 rebounds on 37% shooting from three. He shot 57-154 from distance and scored in double digits in 15 games. He started all 33 games he played.

Noah’s departure at this point is no doubt a blow for BYU; he was not pushed out by the staff and had been planning to return to BYU until recently. Waterman was expected to start at the four and Kevin Young had high hopes for Noah. Noah likely will get a sizable NIL deal from a team, which was the main reason for his entrance into the portal. Sources tell me that a return to BYU is a potential option.

UCLA transfer Berke Buyuktuncel becomes an even bigger priority for BYU with Noah’s departure.