The Utah Valley Wolverines have lost a combined five conference games in the past two years.
Utah Valley finished 15-1 en route to a WAC regular season title in 2024-25. The Wolverines followed that up with a 14-4 record in the final year of WAC play en route to a second straight regular season title.
Head coach Todd Phillips has had a bevy of stars come through Orem over the past two seasons. Carter Welling, WAC Player of the Year Dominique Nelson and Tanner Toolson in 2024-25.
Trevan Leonhardt and Jackson Holcombe in 2025-26. Leonhardt will most likely be the starting point guard at Nebraska in 2026-27. Holcombe will most likely be the starting three at Utah in 2026-27.
All five of these players got hefty paydays from Power 4 schools. Welling ended up at Clemson. Nelson ended up in Ames, Iowa to play for Iowa State. And Tanner Toolson ended up at TCU playing for Jamie Dixon.
Players having big years, earning a big paycheck from a Power Conference team. It is the norm in college athletics, especially for mid-majors.
However, Todd Phillips and the Wolverines have continued to win at a high clip.
Entering his fourth season as the Utah Valley head coach, Phillips might have the most returners he has had since taking over ahead of the 2023-24 season.
Isaac Davis, Sherm Weatherspoon IV, Braden Housely, Tyler Weaver, Tyler Medaris, and Isaac Hawkins all return. All of them, outside of Medaris, played significant minutes in 2025-26. Medaris played sparingly but was a key piece of Utah Valley’s 104-101 double overtime win over Utah Tech to end the regular season and clinch the outright regular season title.
The biggest piece to return…and especially if he is healthy…is guard AJ Dixon.
The 6’5 guard out of Western Illinois didn’t play a minute for Utah Valley in 2025-26. Dixon was dealing with a hip issue. It has been a lingering issue that kept Dixon from playing a game for the Catamounts in 2024-25.
However, according to all reports, Dixon is healthy and going to be THE GUY for the Wolverines in 2026-27.
At 6’5, 205 pounds, Dixon is a little bigger, and a little stronger than his predecessor Trevan Leonhardt. The other key component is Dixon is more of a scorer compared to Leonhardt’s ability to be a distributor.
Prior to transferring to Western Illinois, Dixon averaged 16.2 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 2.7 assists at Triton College. Dixon led the Trojans to a 34-3 overall record and a trip to Hutchison, KS for the NJCAA National Championship Tournament.
Now, with all that said, Todd Phillips and his staff went out and got some key pieces to the puzzle of continued success.
Utah State guard Jordy Barnes is now in Orem and in the green and white. Utah Tech guard/forward Tanner Davis is now in the Wolverine green.
Barton Community College guard Sebastian Muchitsch also signed with the Wolverines. Muchitsch averaged 12.4 points and 7.6 rebounds at Barton CC in 2025-26.
Size may be an issue again for the Wolverines.
However, Todd Phillips has two 6-10 freshman that might have a say in things. Deng Deng out of Juan Diego High School and Jovan Nekic out of Serbia add length and size to the Wolverines roster.
Utah Valley begins a new journey in 2026-27 as it heads into its first year in the Big West.
If you watched in 2025-26, Utah Valley beat up on a UC Irvine in Orem. And a few weeks later, the Wolverines beat up on UC Santa Barbara at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City.
The Wolverines will also face former WAC foe Cal State Bakersfield again. The Wolverines and Roadrunners have had some epic battles when they were both in the WAC.
So, to have a roster full of key pieces returning, can Utah Valley have another big season? Perhaps a season that ends with a win in the Big West Tournament in March?
One good thing about the move to the Big West is the Wolverines no longer have to play in the Orleans Arena. You all know the curse and the story…the Wolverines just can’t win the big one at Orleans Arena. They have been close the past two years but GCU broke their hearts in 2025 and Dominique Daniels Jr. broke their hearts in 2026.
With all the returners, including three starters, and a point guard primed for a breakout since he hasn’t played a game in two years, Utah Valley could be primed for big season in its first season in a new home.
If history tells us anything, it is that Todd Phillips can coach. The wins continue to come. And they will continue to come in 2026-27 for the Wolverines.
