Utah State Signs Three Major Transfers in Busy Portal Day

Apr 22, 2025, 12:32 PM | Updated: 12:37 pm

From left to right, Zach Keller, MJ Collins, Kolby King. Photos courtesy of Scott G Winterton, Deseret News, Carly Mackler/Getty Images, Sarah Stier/Getty Images.

BY TANNER TRIPP

KSL Sports

LOGAN, Utah- Utah State head coach Jerrod Calhoun was a busy man yesterday as he and his staff added three valuable pieces to next year’s roster via the transfer portal as the Aggies look to build on the momentum of last season’s success.

The three new additions, all of whom are transferring from high-major programs, include Zach Keller from Utah, Kolby King from Butler, and MJ Collins from Vanderbilt, who is a four-star transfer and the 67th-ranked shooting guard in the portal.

Aggies land Garry Clark, Zach Keller, Kolby King, and MJ Collins. Busy day for Calhoun and staff. https://t.co/1vdkzmIPWM

— Scott Garrard (@ScottyGZone) April 22, 2025

Zach Keller

✍️ 𝐎𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐚𝐧 𝐀𝐠𝐠𝐢𝐞

Welcome to the family @ZachKeller19 🤘

➡️ https://t.co/DIZmgBab5Z pic.twitter.com/9EOJgseacH

— USU Men's Hoops (@USUBasketball) April 21, 2025

Zach Keller is a 6’10 center/forward and will be a senior next season.

Keller was a four-star recruit coming out of high school and was the No. 1-ranked player in Colorado. He started his college career at Wake Forest, where he only played in 44 games over two seasons.

After his sophomore year, Keller transferred into the Beehive State as a member of the Utah Runnin’ Utes. In Salt Lake, he appeared in 28 games but had no starts and had the lowest minutes per game average of his career.

While his opportunities weren’t bountiful at Utah, his offensive efficiency did see improvement during his stints. Zach’s field goal percentage jumped to 56.1% in 2025-25, 20 percentage points higher than any other year. He also shot 40% from three, with the majority of his chances from beyond the arc being catch-and-shoot.

Keller also did a great job of moving without the ball in his one year at Utah, finding many chances with backdoor cuts and diving toward the rim.

Kolby King

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A post shared by King (@kingkolby1)

Kolby King is a 6’2 point guard and will be a senior next season.

The Utah State Aggies will be Kolby King’s fourth team in as many years. Before arriving in Logan, King’s previous stops were St. John’s, Tulane, and then Butler.

King didn’t see much action his freshman year, only averaging 7.7 minutes per game for the Red Storm, but he broke out in his sophomore season after transferring.

Kolby played in 31 games for the Green Wave, starting in 23 of them. He averaged more than 27 minutes per game and 10.4 points. He was the fifth leading scorer on that Tulane team, but his productive season put him back in the Big East as a member of the Butler Bulldogs.

While his production did fall off a bit during his junior season, King still put together some impressive performances. Against SMU in November, he had 12 points and was 4-4 from three-point range. Then, to open league play, Kolby put up 16 on 6-10 from the field against No. 9 Marquette.

Kolby King’s quickness and creativity off the dribble give him an innate ability to create his own shot, whether that is a step-back three or a crossover into a drive to the basket.

MJ Collins

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A post shared by MJ Collins (@mjcollins2)

MJ Collins is a 6’4 shooting guard and will be a senior next season.

MJ started his college career at Virginia Tech before transferring to Vanderbilt, and has increased his stock over the last three years.

Collins will bring invaluable experience to Utah State, having played in more than 30 games in each of his three years in the ACC and SEC. This year, MJ was part of a Commodores team that had impressive wins over No. 6 Tennessee, No. 9 Kentucky, No. 14 Missouri, No. 12 Texas A&M, and No. 24 Ole Miss. Their performance in the best conference in college basketball last season earned them a No. 10 seed in the NCAA Tournament, where they fell in the first round to Saint Mary’s.

MJ averaged 7.4 points per game on 42% from the field in 2024-25. He is a threat from beyond the arc, mainly in catch-and-shoot situations, but the majority of his scoring comes around the rim, where he shoots 55%.

Collins also loves getting out in transition, where his athleticism allows him to outpace defenders to the hoop and catch lobs.

Transfer Portal Tracker For The Utah State Aggies

Since the end of the season, only four players have entered the transfer portal for Utah State, with notable confirmed returners Mason Falslev and Karson Templin choosing to forgo outside opportunities and stay in Logan. With just four departing transfers so far and eight days remaining in the current portal window, the only Mountain West teams with fewer exits are San Diego State and Nevada.