AJ Dybantsa, the top recruit in the Class of 2025 and potential No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, is transferring to BYU.

The 6-foot-9 forward officially announced his commitment to BYU on Tuesday, choosing the Cougars over Alabama, North Carolina and Kansas. Dybantsa is the first five-star recruit ever to commit to BYU (according to 247 Sports), and cites first-year coach Kevin Young’s NBA connections as a key reason for his decision to play college basketball in Provo.

“At BYU, the entire staff from the head coach down came from the NBA,” Dybantsa told ESPN. “Head coach Kevin Young coached my favorite player in KD (Kevin Durant) and Devin Booker. They both had a lot of good things to say about him. We watched clips of both of them.”

“Coach Young’s NBA background played a big role in my decision. He came from the NBA. He coached NBA players. You can’t get any closer to my goal.”

As part of his commitment to BYU, Dybantsa received a name, image and likeness (NIL) contract worth approximately $7 million, college basketball insider Adam Zagoria reported. For reference, Duke star Cooper Flagg has the highest reported NIL value among current men’s college basketball players at $2.9 million, per On3.

Dybantsa, a Massachusetts native, recently moved to Utah prior to his senior season and elected to finish his high school career at Utah Prep in 2024-25. He previously played at Saint Sebastian’s School in Massachusetts and Prolific Prep in California, where he won the Massachusetts Boys’ Basketball Gatorade Player of the Year as a freshman.

Between his stints at Saint Sebastian’s School and Prolific Prep, Dybantsa shined as a 16-year-old at the Nike Peach Jam in July 2023. He led the event in scoring (25.8 points per game) and moved up from the Class of 2026 Vintage 2025 a few months later. He scored 23.1 points per game at this year’s Peach Jam event, helping the Oakland Soldier reach the championship game.

Dybantsa will bring his scoring prowess to a BYU program that recently underwent a program overhaul. Young replaced Mark Pope after he left for Kentucky in the offseason, hiring the former Phoenix Suns assistant coach as his replacement. BYU is off to a 6-2 start under Young and its first full recruiting class is currently ranked 11th by 247 Sports.

“It feels really good that it’s been announced,” Dybantsa told 247 Sports. “When I came to visit, everyone at BYU was screaming my name and hoping I would come, so I think they will be happy. I’m just ready to officially be a cougar.”

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