The top player in the 2025 class is transferring to Utah Prep. Should BYU make an offer?

It's not every day that the best player in a recruiting class ends up in Utah, and he may be arriving at the perfect moment for Kevin Young's BYU basketball program.

Now, before you get all up in arms about how a player on the level of Dybantsa would never entertain an offer from BYU, I ask for your patience as I lay out the facts of this situation. I immediately acknowledge that my implicit bias as a Cougar fan has likely clouded my vision and recent recruiting successes have me drunk with optimism, but I'll do my best to be as objective as possible and refrain from wearing my blue goggles for this article.

Fact #1 - AJ Dybantsa is the best player in the 2025 class

While high school rankings have never been completely accurate if used for forecasting a player's career on the higher levels of hoops, Dybantsa is the consensus top player in the 2025 recruiting class. He's a 6'9" small forward with fearless aggression at the rim and a beautiful jump shot that hits from any spot on the court.

His burst and verticality allow Dybantsa to swallow up any defenders foolish enough to challenge him at the rim, and his dunking ability makes for an impressive mixtape.

When he locks the ball into his shooting pocket, the defender is a dead man. Hand in his face? Bucket. Fadeaway jumper? Cash. Turnaround from the baseline? Forget about it. Highly athletic and tremendously skilled players like Dybansta are always highly sought after, and this is the case with the top player in the class.

Spin - Kevin Young is not afraid of rejection.

Young has proved this several times already during his short time with BYU: he is not afraid to offer the top prospects in the country, because he sincerely believes Provo has much to offer for players hoping to play NBA basketball. In the 2025 class alone, he's already offered a 5-star recruit and a handful of 4-stars. Young is quite literally aiming for the stars.

Fact #2 - BYU has connections to Utah Prep

Beyond sharing residency in the Beehive State, Kevin Young has already offered talent from Utah Prep, the academy that will house Dybansta for his senior season of hoops. JJ Mandaquit, a 4-star point guard at Utah Prep, has a scholarship offer from Kevin Young already, and could give him a leg up on the competition, depending on how open Dybansta is when considering his offers.

Spin - Much of this is still hypothetical

Mandaquit hasn't committed to BYU, and for all we know, the team could be a longshot to land him. Leaning on their pending scholarship offer to bolster an offer to the nation's top prospect could blow up in BYU's face.

Fact #3 - Kevin Young is focused on building an NBA pipeline at BYU

In order to do this, he'll need to bring on NBA-level talent. No disrespect to the previous style of recruiting from BYU, but recruiting efforts in the past always felt as though they had been advised by Jafar--obsessively searching for the "diamond in the rough". To build a legitimate NBA launchpad at BYU, Young is aiming high, and nothing is higher than the top player in a class.

Spin - Dybantsa's interest in BYU is likely minimal

Dybantsa will be playing in Utah, but that doesn't mean that BYU has any greater hope in landing his talents than they did before. On top of that, when building a college program, fit is also an important aspect in establishing a formula for winning basketball. The honor code is an obstacle for most non-LDS players across the country, and I'd be shocked to learn that he's willing to deal with an extra wrinkle when he could just focus on basketball at a top program nationally.

So, should BYU make an offer to Dybantsa? I can't really say. I don't believe that he'd seriously consider an offer from Kevin Young and his staff, barring an unbelievable 2024-25 season from the Cougars and a few more high-profile signings. Young has been ambitious in his early time with the team, but to offer a player on Dybantsa's level could be a waste of everyone's time.

Of course, Kevin Young's hot start has optimism at an all-time high among Cougar fans. You never know if you never try, and with a few extra connections tied between Dybantsa and the state of Utah, this could be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity... maybe just give it a chance?

Oops, how'd these blue goggles get here?

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