BYU basketball is in uncharted waters as a program under new head coach Kevin Young. In Young's vision of the future, he dreamt of creating the perfect spot for NBA prospects to develop their talents before making the next step toward the highest level of basketball. In order to get that done, that meant the level of talent in Provo, Utah had to improve.
As you're likely well aware by now, it has improved drastically. Almost overnight, the Cougars went from facing a long and difficult rebuild to becoming a real contender to shake up the structure of power in the Big 12 conference.
To play against the toughest competition, BYU had to secure genuine talent, and with the additions of NBA projected players like Egor Demin and Kanon Catchings, the Cougs are ready to make some noise in the strongest basketball league in the NCAA.
With no intention of slowing down, Kevin Young is making moves at the top recruit of the 2025 recruiting class: AJ Dybantsa. When Dybantsa was announced to be joining Utah prep for his senior season, some were quick to observe BYU's recent behavior and draw a line between the two parties.
When Dybantsa announced his top 7 schools, he had only visited two: Auburn and Brigham Young University. BYU has been rumored as a frontrunner in the sweepstakes to land the services of one of the most promising talents in the rising generation of hoopers, and seeing the Cougs in the conversation is exciting to say the least.
Vanquish the Foe's Robbie McCombs broke the news on Dybantsa's visit details. He said:
"Dybantsa will take an official visit to BYU October 11-13, the same weekend as the BYU-Arizona football game in Provo. It is his last scheduled official visit."Vanquishthefoe.com
Will the football team pull off some magic and beat Arizona to draw the admiration of Dybantsa? Probably not, but any recruit worth their salt would be crazy to judge the validity of a school's basketball program on a football game result.
𝗡𝗘𝗪𝗦: 2025's No. 1 ranked player AJ Dybantsa has locked in six official visits:
— Brandon Jenkins (@BJenkins247) August 15, 2024
• Aug. 30: #KansasState
• Sept. 6: #Kansas
• Sept. 20: #NorthCarolina
• Sept. 27: #RollTide
• Oct. 4: #SicEm
• Oct. 11: #BYU
𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗗 https://t.co/VaXpPTKVc1 pic.twitter.com/ZThwLJMlSJ
BYU has some stiff competition in front of them, and going last could be a disadvantage if another school claims the spotlight when he takes an official visit elsewhere. But with the last slot on his recruiting tour, the Cougars have a chance to make a significant and lasting impact when Dybantsa weighs his options.
Traditionally, BYU may not have the same level of pizzazz as the likes of Kansas, UNC, Baylor, etc., but the momentum behind the Cougs suggest that they're only a few years away from being a real force in the college basketball sphere.
Will they secure Dybantsa's commitment? As much as I'd love to make a strong prediction now, I don't feel comfortable projection where I think he'll land at this point. All I know is that BYU is a real contender to land the best player in the '25 class, and I that's enough to make me feel invincible.