Is Rob Wright to BYU an imminent move as Baylor star enters transfer portal? Exploring rumors about Cougars' massive $3.5M NIL power play

NCAA Basketball: Baylor at Utah - Source: Imagn

Baylor star guard Rob Wright entered the transfer portal after the season and immediately became one of the most coveted players among top teams this offseason.

He had an immediate impact as a freshman, averaging 11.5 points, 4.2 assists, 2.1 rebounds and 1.0 steals per game. He started 21 of the team's 35 games this season.

His stellar freshman performance earned him All-Big 12 honorable mention honors. However, Wright decided not to stay with the Baylor Bears for more than a season as he entered the transfer portal.

Although the deal has not been officially confirmed by the Cougars, Wright has reportedly signed a $3.5 million NIL deal to join BYU next season. This report came from insider Grayson Grundhoefer on Tuesday.

"A source close to the situation tells me that Rob Wright to BYU is a done deal and the NIL amount is $3.5 million."

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Wright joins BYU at a time when the backcourt is suddenly wide open. Despite a strong season where the BYU Cougars reached the Sweet 16, the team dealt with several backcourt departures this offseason. Egor Demin, Dallin Hall and Elijah Crawford are all leaving the team either to enter the transfer portal or the NBA draft.

UPDATE: Rob Wright's move from Baylor to BYU has now been finalized, per Joe Tipton of On3. Although the final NIL package was not officially revealed, the Cougars' latest guard addition will look to replenish the rotation after Egor Demin's NBA Draft announcement and Dallin Hall's transfer portal move.

Rob Wright's decision to leave Baylor came as a surprise to the team

Rob Wright only entered the transfer portal on Monday, and he already appears set to join the BYU Cougars.

This move came as a surprise to the Baylor Bears, as they were under the impression that he planned to remain with the team. The Bears reportedly said no to several elite players in the portal with the assumption that Wright was returning.

ESPN's Myron Medcalf reported this information on Monday:

"Baylor guard Robert Wright, an all-Big 12 honorable mention this season and a member of the league's all-freshman team, will enter the transfer portal, sources told ESPN. Wright averaged 11.5 PPG and 4.2 APG this season."

"The team had been under the impression that Wright had planned to remain at Baylor before his surprising decision. The Bears said no to multiple elite players with the assumption that Wright had planned to stay, sources told ESPN."

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Rob Wright is a player with professional upside and is joining a BYU program that has strong NIL backing and is positioned to be a contender in future seasons. He is joining strong incoming young talent like No. 1 recruit AJ Dybantsa.

This move leaves the Bears in a bad spot as they will need to scramble to replace him in the portal.

About the author

Alexander O'Reilly is a journalist at Sportskeeda from Kingston, Ontario with over seven years in the field at companies including SenShot, RVBlogger, Monarch Media, WordAgents, GSeC LLC, and IGC.

His favorite college team is Duke, and his favorite sporting memory was Duke winning March Madness in 2010. JJ Redick was Alex's favorite college player when he was young but more recently, Caleb Williams gets the nod. As the Chicago Bears are Alex's favorite NFL team, this was a perfect match.

Alex's proudest moment came when he was interviewed by a radio station in Ottawa on his opinion on recent moves by the Ottawa Senators, which gave him a confidence boost and the knowledge that he could succeed as a writer.

Aside from sports, Alex likes to spend his time playing games. He is also very passionate about running and strives to improve at the half and full marathon distances.

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Edited by Victor R. Lopez M.