PROVO — At a table on the set of ESPN’s “First Take,” the No. 1 overall recruit in the Class of 2025 sat across from Stephen A. Smith and Shannon Sharpe as he made a life-changing and program-altering commitment to Brigham Young University .

Led by first-year head coach Kevin Young, the Cougars beat top-four teams Alabama, Kansas and North Carolina, as well as the rest of the country, to secure the consensus top recruit for the first time in program history.

Smith was confused but did his job like the veteran reporter he was before signing a multimillion-dollar contract with the world leader in sports.

He asked Dybantsa why he chose BYU, what was special about Young and his staff and his NBA goals. He then asked why BYU when he had the chance to play in a historic blue blood like North Carolina, home of Michael Jordan, where he can face arch-rival Duke every year in one of sports’ biggest exhibitions.

“Who said I couldn’t play Duke at BYU?” Dybantsa was expressionless at the thought.

It’s true. Times are changing in college basketball, and when BYU signed the 6-foot-9 jumbo winger from Brockton, Massachusetts, through Utah Prep in Hurricane, the Cougars signaled they were changing with them.

Perhaps the biggest surprise in Tuesday’s revelation that Dybantsa had chosen BYU wasn’t the commitment itself; It was because the Cougars had already signed the highest-rated recruit in the program’s history in the NCAA’s early signing period a month earlier – and then kept quiet about it.

Dybantsa, whose parents met with Young in April when the first-year college head coach was still working with BYU and his former employer’s participation in the NBA playoffs, is a generational prospect for most programs who is capable of with him changing the fortunes of every school. Blend of size, skill and passing ability that was on display when Utah Prep defeated top-ranked Link Academy at the 5th Fight National Hoopfest in Pleasant Grove.

But at BYU, his legend could be even greater. He’s immediately the biggest candidate to sign with the Cougars since the 6-foot-2 Shawn Bradley, and in an age of social media, brand building and name, image and likeness, even that comparison may no longer be the case aptly.

But by signing Dybantsa, BYU sent a message: The Cougars are ready to compete in men’s basketball, right now.

Social media is abuzz with estimates of Dybantsa’s zero package deal with BYU, with estimates ranging from $4 million to $7 million. A source familiar with the situation warned KSL.com that these estimates are high, adding that total NIL compensation is not the same as school-based compensation.

Whatever the number, Dybantsa could be worth it. In an informal CBS Sports poll of about two dozen NBA coaches and scouts who rated Dybantsa, Duke freshman Cooper Flagg and Tyran Stokes – the top 2026 recruit who is already considered the No. 1 pick in the 2027 NBA Draft , rated the Utah Prep senior received more votes than Flagg and Stokes combined.

Specific numbers are not important in the case of Dybantsa, who already has a $4 million contract with Nike and recently signed with Red Bull, a company valued at over $20 billion. Perhaps the biggest takeaway is that BYU has put itself in the same neighborhood as the Tar Heels, Jayhawks and Tide, among others, in terms of NIL and recruiting.

“The only thing I can really say about the NIL is that they made it pretty clear that all the finalists were operating within the same structure and the same scenarios,” Young said, adding that he was not aware of the reported numbers. “That was pretty obvious when we got serious about things in this area.”

It is also clear that BYU operates differently in the halls of the Marriott Center Annex than ever before. Young brought in a diverse staff that included college basketball veterans Chris Burgess and Brandon Dunson, G League and overseas experts Will Voigt and Tim Fanning, and former Big East legend John Linehan. But that’s only part of the picture.

He also named Justin Young, his older brother and founder of national basketball recruiting service Hoop Seen, as the Cougars’ recruiting director.

Young retained strength and conditioning coach Michael Davie, who was with the Milwaukee Bucks for eight seasons, and added licensed nutritionist Danielle Lafata, who worked for the Phoenix Suns, Phoenix Mercury, Arizona Coyotes and Arizona Cardinals after her time with the San Francisco worked Giants organization for six years, including World Series victories in 2012 and 2014.

Dybantsa himself even singled out the entire staff in his commitment – from head coach to assistants to strength coach and beyond – as well as four-star recruits Xavion Staton and Chamberlain Burgess, who also make up the Cougars’ 2025 signing class.

“People come around our employees and see that they are just good people; no agenda, everyone rowing in the same direction,” Young said. “Everyone brings something unique to the table, in terms of experience, in terms of expertise, and that doesn’t just apply to the coaching team.”

“I think that people who are really serious about getting better recognize that and want to take advantage of it.”

Maybe it’s just the beginning.

“There are people who are non-committal and still have BYU on top,” Dybantsa told ESPN. “When they come, I’m not selfish; I can play with anyone in the country. I think my game suits everyone.”

“If they come, we will win a natty together. But when I’m on my solo route, I’m on my solo route.”