Top 2026 5-star small forward is on an official visit to BYU as we speak

The campus of Brigham Young University is becoming something of a hotbed for big-time basketball recruits since the hiring of head coach Kevin Young. Young, a former NBA assistant coach, promised upon arriving in Provo that he would turn the BYU basketball program into the premier location to develop players for competing in the NBA.

He wasted no time in making good on his promise, immediately landing five-star recruit Egor Demin from Russia in his first year and then adding potential number one pick AJ Dybantsa the following season. Demin was selected eighth overall in the NBA Draft after his freshman year in Provo. Dybantsa projects to be a future All-NBA talent.

How strange is it that so few are surprised to learn that a top-five prospect from the 2026 recruiting class is currently taking an official visit to BYU?

Bruce Branch III was the top-rated player in the 2027 class before (much like AJ Dybantsa and Cooper Flagg) reclassifying to graduate a year earlier. A five-star recruit in the 2026 bunch, Branch is a 6-foot-7 small forward out of NBA factory Prolific Prep, where players like Yves Missi, Gary Trent Jr., and most notably, Darryn Peterson laced up in high school.

Branch is a shooter, hitting nearly 40% of his three-pointers on five attempts per game. Much like Dybantsa, he's comfortable putting the ball on the floor, exposing mismatches in the post, and smoothly elevating to put the ball in the basket. With a high release point and a confident stroke, Branch projects well as a catch-and-shoot threat with self-creation upside. His addition would be tremendous for continuity as BYU hopes to maintain their current national standing after the departures of Dybantsa, Saunders, and Keita at the end of the season.

Multiple sources indicate BYU is an early favorite in the sweepstakes to land Branch, who also has interest from programs like Kansas, Louisville, and USC. His interest is currently listed as "warm" toward BYU on 247 Sports, and his trip to Provo is the forward's first official visit to any school in the country.