Boise State’s ‘glue guy’ will not be returning to the men’s basketball team for the 2026-27 season.

A Boise State official confirmed the departure of guard RJ Keene, who spent the last five years with the Broncos, on Tuesday. Bronco Nation News first reported the departure after Keene posted a message to Instagram appearing to say goodbye to Boise State with the caption “The greatest 5 years of my life. Thank you Boise for everything.”

Keene had been pursuing a medical hardship waiver from the NCAA for a sixth year of eligibility and went through Senior Day prior to Boise State’s final home game, alongside Javan Buchanan, Dylan Andrews and Dominic Parolin. His departure ends one of the more unique Bronco legacies left by a player recruited by Leon Rice.

A 2,000-point scorer in high school in Texas, Keene sacrificed his scoring output while at Boise State to help the Broncos in other areas on the court, earning the moniker of “glue guy” from Rice.

Keene’s career-high in points came in his first game in a Bronco uniform, 11 points in a game against Vanguard in 2023-24 and over the past three seasons, he averaged 2.2 points per game.

But in each of the past two seasons, he’s averaged at least 4.5 rebounds per game and logged 114 assists and 55 steals. He started 35 games for the Broncos over the past two years.

Keene’s departure marks the first offseason move for the Broncos, who wrapped up the season with a loss to San Jose State in the first round of the Mountain West Tournament and did not appear in any postseason tournament for the first time since 2020.

The college basketball transfer portal window opens April 7, the day after the national championship game, so more departures could be coming in nearing weeks.

After Boise State’s loss in the Mountain West Tournament, Rice stressed the importance of being aggressive once the portal opens.

“We’re going to go out and get some dogs,” Rice said on March 11 in Las Vegas. “We’re hunting for them. This doesn’t sit well with any of us, and that’s our mission. That’s all I care about right now.”