Who would've thought BYU football could be a recruiting tool this season? While Kalani Sitake is preparing his team for a battle with the Arizona Wildcats, Kevin Young will be showing top recruits AJ Dybantsa and JJ Mandaquit--teammates at Utah Prep and on the U17 Team USA squad--around campus on their official visits to BYU.
JJ ➡️ AJ 💥
— AJ Dybantsa Muse (@Dybantsa_Muse) October 8, 2024
The Utah Prep duo is set to visit BYU this weekend 🤩 pic.twitter.com/XVrz0qhHHQ
Positioning for the favor of the nation's top recruits is largely unfamiliar territory for BYU basketball. The only recent examples before KYU entered the picture was when LDS talents like Frank Jackson and Jabari Parker considered taking their talents to Provo, before deciding on a year with Coach K and the Duke Blue Devils.
This year, though, the best recruit in the 2025 class, AJ Dybantsa, is reportedly favoring BYU basketball as his landing spot for what's expected to be a one-and-done stint as a collegiate hooper before jumping to the NBA.
Much like Cooper Flagg, Dybantsa is described as a generational talent and the early prize of his draft class. To have non-LDS talent of this caliber considering BYU is a huge deal for this program, and it doesn't take a genius to understand that this unprecedented era is thanks to the Kevin Young effect.
BYU's recruiting pitch only grows stronger if they can convince JJ Mandaquit, Dybantsa's teammate who is likewise considering a stay in Provo on his way to a professional career. Fortunately for the Cougars, Mandaquit has BYU firmly in the running to land his services.
Though I doubt the outcome of this week's football game will significantly impact Mandaquit or Dybantsa's decision, but seeing a passionate stadium of 65,000 fans go nuts for a top-15 BYU football team could leave a positive final impression for these players' official visits.
We'll need Cougar Nation to show up big time for this weekend's clash with Arizona. The future of BYU basketball may depend on it (if you'll forgive my hyperbole).