PROVO, Utah – BYU’s Collin Chandler was named to the Naismith Starting 5 – Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Top 20 Preseason Watch List on Tuesday morning.
BYU is one of six schools to have a player on the men’s and women’s preseason watchlist, as Chandler is joined by junior Delaney Gibb.
Chandler is one of four players from the Big 12 represented, with West Virginia’s Finley Bizjack, Arizona’s Caleb Holt and Iowa State’s Killyan Toure joining the junior on the preseason watchlist.
| 2027 Naismith Starting 5 - Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Top 20 Preseason Watch List | |
| Name | School |
| Denzel Aberdeen | Florida |
| Matt Able | North Carolina |
| Alijah Arenas | USC |
| Finley Bizjack | West Virginia |
| John Blackwell | Duke |
| Miles Byrd | Providence |
| Collin Chandler | BYU |
| Quentin Coleman | Illinois |
| Mason Falslev | Utah State |
| Austin Goosby | Texas |
| PJ Haggerty | Texas A&M |
| Caleb Holt | Arizona |
| Trey McKenney | Michigan |
| John Mobley Jr. | Ohio State |
| Braylon Mullins | UConn |
| Tyler Perkins | Villanova |
| Trent Perry | UCLA |
| Killyan Toure | Iowa State |
| Seth Trimble | Louisville |
| Jeremiah Wilkinson | Arkansas |
Chandler, a 6-foot-6 transfer from Kentucky, averaged 21.0 points per game in BYU’s exhibition victories over Nebraska and UNLV, where he shot 50.0 from the field, 40.0 from 3-point range and 82.4 from the free throw line.
just @collinchand13r things 🙂↕️ https://t.co/G6UDFEIMex
— BYU Men's Basketball (@BYUMBB) October 25, 2026
He scored a team-high 23 points in the Cougars 89-77 victory over the Runnin’ Rebels on Saturday, where he went 5-of-9 from the field, 4-of-8 from behind the arc and 9-of-12 from the free throw line. He also had five assists as BYU overcame a 12-point first-half deficit to defeat UNLV in their first trip to the Thomas & Mack Center since 2011.
During his two seasons in Lexington, Chandler appeared in 61 games, including 31 starts for the Wildcats, where he averaged 6.4 points, 2.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.0 steals per game. He shot 41.9 percent from the field, 39.6 percent from three and 84.0 percent from the charity stripe.
As a sophomore in 2025-26, he averaged a career-best 9.7 points per game, shooting 41.0 percent from 3-point range. He knocked down a team-high 73 3-pointers en route to scoring in double figures 19 times, highlighted by a career-high 23-point performance against Vanderbilt, where he went 6-of-8 from behind the arc.
About the Jerry West Award
The annual Jerry West Award, named after the late Class of 1980 Hall of Famer and 1959 NCAA Final Four Most Valuable Player, celebrates its 13th year by highlighting the top shooting guards in Division I men's college basketball.
In late January, the watch list of 20 players for the 2027 Jerry West Award will be narrowed to 10, and then in late February, to just five. In March, the five finalists will be presented to West's family and the Hall of Fame’s selection committees, where winners will be selected. The selection committees are composed of top men’s college basketball personnel, including media members, head coaches, sports information directors and Hall of Famers.
The winner of the 2027 Jerry West Award will be presented on a to-be-determined date, along with the four other members of the Men’s Starting Five.