No. 1 college hoops recruit picks BYU over bluebloods

In a bit of surprise to some recruiting pundits, A.J. Dybantsa, the top college basketball recruit in the class of 2025, announced his commitment to BYU during Tuesday's episode of ESPN's "First Take."

The 6-foot-9 Dybantsa chose the Cougars over North Carolina, Kansas and Alabama, his other three finalists.

A mix of McGrady and Gilgeous-Alexander? Yikes!

Here's a look at the skills and talents he'll be bringing to Provo, Utah. To all you badass Big 12 teams, look out, although it will be for just one season as he informed all of those programs that he intends to be a one-and-done player.

Major kudos to new BYU coach Kevin Young, who was an assistant with the Philadelphia 76ers and Phoenix Suns before being named BYU basketball's top boss in April.

“Obviously with Coach Kevin Young there, my ultimate goal is to get to the NBA, and he coached my all-time favorite player Kevin Durant and had high praise about him,” Dybantsa said. “I went on my visit, and the head coach down to the analytics guy, then the analytics guy all the way down to the dietician is all NBA staff, even the strength guy. If it’s all NBA, and I’m trying to get to the NBA, I think it’s going to be the best development for me.”

"If it's all NBA, I'm trying to get to the NBA, I think (BYU's) going to be the best development program for me."

This is the biggest recruiting commitment in the history of BYU sports.

Here are some reactions to the huge news.

BYU has not had an NBA Draft pick since Jimmer Fredette went No. 10 overall in 2011.

Dybantsa already has NIL deals with Red Bull and Nike and there are plenty of rumors out there of how much he'll receive for his one year at BYU. Some estimate it at between $7-9 million.

Dybantsa began his high school career at St. Sebastian’s in Massachusetts, where he was name the state's player of the year. He then moved to Prolific Prep in Napa, California, for his sophomore season before settling in at Utah Prep Academy and reclassifying up from the 2026 to the 2025 high school class.

Young is quickly becoming a, ahem, basketball coaching god at BYU -- he might already be in line for a contract for life, if they can keep him -- as this is his second five-star recruit to join the Cougars in Provo. Egor Demin, a 6-foot-9 guard from Russia, who is considered a possible top-5 pick in next year's NBA Draft, is having an excellent freshman season.

So, congrats BYU fans -- and that hurts to write coming from a University of Utah grad -- but enjoy these two future NBA talents while you can.

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