2025 top prospect Dybantsa commits to BYU
AJ Dybantsa, the No. 1 prospect in the 2025 ESPN 100, announced his commitment to BYU during an appearance on "First Take" on Tuesday.
Dybantsa, a 6-foot-9 wing, picked the Cougars over Alabama, Kansas, and North Carolina. He's the highest-rated recruit in the program's history.
The 17-year-old is playing his high school ball at Utah Prep and is seen as the likely top selection in the 2026 NBA Draft.
The Cougars enticed the touted prospect in part with a record-setting name, image, and likeness package, reports Matt Norlander of CBS Sports. Its value is approximately $7 million, according to college basketball insider Adam Zagoria.
BYU's first-year head coach Kevin Young also significantly influenced Dybantsa's decision. The 43-year-old Utah native was an assistant coach for the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers and Phoenix Suns for several seasons and received positive reviews from a couple of his former players.
"At BYU, the whole staff from the head coach on down came from the NBA," Dybantsa said on First Take, per ESPN's Jeff Borzello and Paul Biancardi. "Head coach Kevin Young coached my favorite player in (Kevin Durant) and coached Devin Booker. Both had a lot of good things to say about him."
A native of Massachusetts, Dybantsa is also familiar to USA Basketball. He helped the organization win a seventh consecutive gold medal at the FIBA Under-17 World Cup in June as part of a talented squad that featured fellow five-star recruits Cayden and Cameron Boozer. He was also on the Team USA roster that won gold at the 2023 FIBA Americas Under-16 tournament.