Did BYU basketball ever really have a chance at reclassifying big, and 6'11" four-star prospect Theo Edema?
After being roped in to his top four finalists at the final moment, Kevin Young's team was suddenly thrust into the spotlight as a team with the potential to latch onto a powerful, bruising borderline 7-footer to hold down the paint in Provo.
Still without a starting center (Khadim Mboup would be forced to fill in the spot if the season started today, which is just not going to happen for a team with expectations like this year's Cougs. All due respect to last season's x-factor), BYU's recruiting push to fill the starting 5 has taken them across the globe in the hunt for Marcio Santos from Brazil, Michael Ruzic from Croatia, and Luigi Suigo from Italy.
But finding a potential reclassifying prospect like Edema was a fascinating proposition for a team so desperate to round out the roster while good options are still available. Theo Edema is the second reclassifying big man the Cougars have whiffed on this season after reaching the final round of said players' recruitment. The first was Obinna Ekezie, who committed to Louisville to pair up with former Jayhawk Flory Bidunga.
Edema will lace up for Rick Pitino and St. John's.
NEWS: 4⭐️ Theo Edema has committed to St. John’s and will reclassify to 2026, he told @Rivals. ⁰⁰The 7-foot center is the No. 33 overall recruit in the 2027 class, per Rivals. https://t.co/j1DBE3x7wR pic.twitter.com/fa61SwzU9t
— Joe Tipton (@JoeTipton) May 17, 2026
As mentioned earlier, BYU was in Edema's final four, despite not appearing on the prospect's 247 Sports recruiting page at the time. BYU is known for their deep NIL pockets, so their late inclusion could have been a tactic to swell NIL offerings from other programs he had his sights set on. It's also entirely possible that Kevin Young's NBA boot camp promotion struck a chord with Edema, a player who is a top-50 prospect in the 2027 class, and likely to be rated less favorably among the more experienced class of '26.
BYU basketball is far from hopeless in their search for a starting big, but Kevin Young is certainly feeling the pressure to complete the roster with players capable of delivering a better end-result than last year's AJ Dybantsa-led squad that finished 10th in the Big 12 Conference and was a first-round exit in the NCAA tournament.
With the returning Rob Wright III running the show at point guard and 5-star Bruce Branch III assuming Dybantsa's place, there's potential for a special season in Provo, but only if the roster is properly balanced. That begins by nailing down a starting center.
But you know that by now, don't you?
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