The college basketball landscape shifted on Tuesday morning when AJ Dybantsa committed to play college basketball at BYU.
Widely considered the top high school player in the country for the Class of 2025, he is currently the projected No. 1 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. He was the top recruit uncommitted after Cameron Boozer announced his intentions to play for Duke.
Dybantsa chose to play for Brigham Young over Kansas, North Carolina, and Alabama. He will suit up next season in Provo after transferring to Utah Prep from Prolific Prep in California for his final year of high school hoops.
The 17-year-old, 6-foot-9 forward has won gold medals for Team USA at the FIBA U17 World Cup and FIBA U16 Americas Championship.
He will play for Kevin Young, a former Phoenix Suns assistant, at BYU. He is the first five-star recruit in the modern recruiting era of program history. It is expected he will sign a massive NIL deal potentially worth around from $5 million to $7 million.
Dybantsa, who said he plays like Tracy McGrady and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and considers himself a point forward, intends to contend for a college championship in the NCAA.
He could potentially join Egor Demin as back-to-back lottery picks for BYU, which would likeely change the trajectory of the program forever.
