PROVO, Utah – BYU’s Robert Wright III has been named a preseason All-American by the Blue Ribbon Yearbook.
Wright III is the only Big 12 player named to the first team in college basketball’s premier preseason publication. The 6-foot-1 guard is joined by Florida’s Thomas Haugh, Michigan State’s Jeremy Fears Jr., UConn’s Braylon Mullins and Vanderbilt’s Tyler Tanner.
The Wilmington, Del. native returns for his second season in Provo after averaging 18.1 points, 4.6 assists and 3.5 rebounds per game in 2025-26 while shooting 46.7 percent from the field, 41.0 percent from 3-point range and 82.1 percent from the free throw line. He knocked down a career-high 57 3-pointers, none bigger than his buzzer-beater at Madison Square Garden to defeat Clemson in the Jimmy V Classic.
He scored in double figures in 32 of his 35 starts, including 13 games with 20 or more and two games with 30-plus. He was named Dickie V’s National Player of the Week on Feb. 16, 2026, after averaging 34.5 points per game in wins over Baylor and Colorado. In the overtime victory over the Buffaloes, Wright III scored a career-high 39 points, going 12-of-16 from the field, 4-of-4 from behind the arc and 11-of-13 from the charity stripe.
ROBERT WRIGHT III vs Colorado
— BYU Men's Basketball (@BYUMBB) February 15, 2026
39 PTS | 5 REB | 4 AST pic.twitter.com/rkIdmw3dFs
Wright III had a pair of point, assist double-doubles, highlighted by a 10-point, 11-assist performance in BYU’s 98-70 victory over No. 23 Wisconsin at Delta Center in Salt Lake City. The 28-point margin of victory is the third-highest against a ranked opponent in program history.
He earned All-Big 12 Third Team recognition after averaging 20.4 points, 3.9 assists and 3.8 rebounds per game in league play. He scored 20 or more points in the final four games of Big 12 play, including a 27-point performance in the Cougars' win over No. 10 Texas Tech on Senior night.
Wright III and the Cougars kick off the 2026-27 season on Friday, Oct. 16, when they host Nebraska at the Marriott Center in an exhibition. Tip time and TV information will be announced at a later date.