On Tuesday, the top high school basketball recruit in the Class of 2025, AJ Dybantsa, made his college commitment on ESPN’s First Take. The dynamic 6’9 forward is expected to be the top pick in the 2026 NBA Draft — although, there’s still a long way to go before we get there — and had offers from top programs across the country, like Kansas, UNC, and Alabama.
However, those schools were not considered the favorites for Dybantsa’s services, as he also had an offer from BYU and made the move this year to play at Utah Prep, seemingly signaling his preference. Sure enough, when it came time for the reveal, Dybantsa unzipped his jacket to reveal a BYU shirt and donned a BYU hat — with Dybantsa saying he told BYU’s staff he was committing two weeks ago.
While it wasn’t a shock to those that had followed Dybantsa’s recruitment, to the general basketball fan, it was a stunning decision given the other programs in the mix and begged the question: why BYU?
Well, the answer is fairly simple. For one, they ponied up with the most money in NIL, with a reported package worth more than $5 million, per CBS Sports’ Matt Norlander.
Breaking: Top-ranked prospect AJ Dybantsa has committed to BYU. Compelling development for CBB. The Mass native is regarded by NBA scouts as a generational-type scorer. Sources told CBS Sports Dybantsa's NIL deals will exceed $5 million, making it the richest NIL package for a college athlete ever.
— Matt Norlander (@norlander.bsky.social) 2024-12-10T15:46:37.369Z
For a guy whose name is already established, he doesn’t need a blue-blood program’s platform to get his name to NBA scouts, who have been watching him play for years already. As such, he can go to the place that offers him the most money, which in this case was BYU, and NBA scouts will follow to Provo and other Big 12 cities to watch him play.
Beyond the money, Dybantsa highlighted BYU coach Kevin Young’s connection to the NBA, as he was an assistant coach in the league with the Sixers and, most recently, with the Suns where he coached one of Dybantsa’s favorite players, Kevin Durant. As Dybantsa noted on First Take, it’s not just that Young is an NBA guy, but that the entire staff is built out with folks with NBA experience.
It’s far from the first time we’ve seen a highly touted recruit end up at a school that’s not exactly known as a basketball factory, but it certainly seems like in the NIL era we are going to see more players considering programs beyond the traditional powers if a school’s collective can put together a massive NIL deal. After Rutgers landed Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey, it’s now BYU getting AJ Dybantsa, and the message to those big programs is simple: get your money up.