Why Collin Chandler is set to leave Kentucky Wildcats for BYU Cougars

Chandler, a Utah native, is now expected to return home and play for the BYU Cougars, according to On3’s Joe Tipton and Pete Nakos, along with KSR’s Matt Jones. At this point, it’s about as much of a sure thing that Chandler winds up playing for the Cougars as you’ll find in today’s wild world of college sports.

So, why is Chandler leaving Kentucky for BYU?

Money, of course, but the amount of money is what’s going to surprise you.

Chandler, who averaged 9.7 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.3 assists this season, was believed to be asking for $3 million for his services next season.

And while Matt Jones didn’t confirm this number outright, he basically did with his report that Chandler was asking for a number that would have been the second-highest(!) payday any Wildcat has gotten.

For context, Otega Oweh was believed to have made north of $3 million this past season on a roster reportedly worth $22 million. Others like Jayden Quaintance and Jaland Lowe were believed to have made north of $2 million.

In other words, for Chandler to make around what Oweh made and more than anyone else is simply too much, and it would explain why Kentucky declined to match whatever BYU is offering him.

Sure, Chandler could develop into a player worthy of that type of money, but he’s simply not there right now, and Kentucky can’t afford to pay guys based on projections and potential. Not after how disastrous this past season went.

It’s unfortunate that things went like this, but in today’s gunslinger world of NIL, there’s always the risk of a school lurking in the shadows willing to wildly overpay for players. That happened here, and now Chandler is leaving Mark Pope with a greater need for 3-point shooting heading into a critical Year 3.

Chandler made plenty of great memories in Lexington with memorable clutch plays in wins over LSU, Tennessee (twice), and Ole Miss. However, there were far too many moments when opposing defenses completely shut him down, including the NCAA Tournament, where he went 3/14 from 3-point range across two games and scored just 11 total points.

There’s also the home factor for Chandler, who is originally from Utah, so he’ll be getting to return home for the remainder of his college hoops career to play in front of friends and family.

All told, good on Chandler to get that kind of life-changing payday. With good money management, he’ll be set for life by the time his college career is over if he’s making around $3 million per year.