By SAM LANCE & ADAM ZAGORIA
A.J. Dybantsa, the No. 1 prospect in the 2025 class, has found his college home. The 6-foot-9, 210 pound forward out of Utah Prep and the Oakland Soliders Nike EYBL AAU program, chose the BYU Cougars on Tuesday morning via ESPN’s First Take.
Dybantsa becomes the highest-rated prospect and first ever five-star to choose the Cougars, passing Egor Demin, the standout freshman and No. 16 overall prospect in the 2024 class.
Sources told ZAGSBLOG Dybantsa’s NIL figure was close to $7 million.
“A lot stood out on my visit,” Dybantsa said during his announcement. “Obviously coach Kevin Young there, my ultimate goal is to get to the NBA. And he coached my favorite player of all-time Kevin Durant. He had high praise about him. So I went on my visit, head coach all the way down to the analytics guy, analytics guy all the way down to the dietician, was all NBA staff. So if it’s all NBA — I’m trying to get to the NBA — I think it’s going to be the best development for me.”
Dybantsa is projected the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NBA draft by multiple outlets.
“A.J. has the attitude, skill, toughness and intelligence to be a high level NBA player,” said Don Showalter, USA basketball’s junior national team coach. “A.J. simply loves the game much like Kevin Durant. His attitude is how can I get better! A.J. will have an immediate impact with any NBA team that drafts him!”
BYU now has three 2025 signees in Dybantsa, four-star center Xavion Staton and four-star power forward Chamberlain Burgess. Dybantsa signed in the early period from Nov. 13-20. What a class Young has built.
“We’re so excited to welcome A.J. and his family to BYU,” Young said. “We’ve been able to build a great relationship with him and his family and can’t wait to have them all in BYU blue. A.J. is a generational talent. He’s a great young man who has a strong appetite to be the best player he can be. His versatile skill set and playmaking will seamlessly fit into our style of play. This is a great day for BYU basketball.”
In his most recent action, Dybantsa dropped 28 points against 2025’s No. 2 overall prospect and Kansas commit Darryn Peterson. Utah Prep ended up coming up short, 76-70.
Over the summer, Dybantsa helped 17U Team USA win a gold medal in Turkey. He also led his Soldiers team to the Peach Jam championship game. He averaged 23.1 points through eight games, the most of any player. The Soldiers fell to the Boozer twins and Nightrydas Elite, 71-62 in the title game.AJ Dybantsa tonight against Prolific Prep:
— B/R Hoops (@brhoops) December 8, 2024
28 PTS | 8 REB | 6 AST | 4 STL pic.twitter.com/rSUMHncd3U
Per On3, Dybantsa currently has an NIL Valuation of $2.8 million. The elite forward currently has a deal signed with Red Bull and Nike. The Nike deal is up soon. “The Nike deal ends in June,” Ace previously told ZAGSBLOG. “So by the time we go to college, he’s going to be a free agent.” BYU is a Nike sponsored program. Dybantsa plans to be a one-and-done and said his game is like a mixture of Tracy McGrady and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Winning a national title is his goal at BYU. “With the team we have coming in, it’s definitely possible,” Dybantsa said.AJ Dybantsa, the #1 ranked rising senior was GOING OFF at Peach Jam! 🚨👀
— SLAM HS Hoops (@SLAM_HS) July 23, 2024
🔥 23.1 PPG
🔥 5.3 RPG
🔥 2.4 APG@ADybantsa @NikeEYB @Soldiers_Salute pic.twitter.com/hWhpgUevkT
Follow Sam Lance on Twitter Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter Follow ZAGSBLOGHoops on Instagram And Like ZAGS on FacebookIt’s not hypothetical. pic.twitter.com/vx4SLEhHDZ
— BYU Men's Basketball (@BYUMBB) December 10, 2024
