BYU Secures No. 1 2026 Hoops Recruit With $7 Million NIL Deal

A school’s legacy carries a heavy weight during the recruitment of high school prospects. But in the NIL (name, image, and likeness) era, money has become the great equalizer—and BYU proved that Tuesday.

AJ Dybantsa, the No. 1–ranked high school player in the 2025 class, announced his commitment to the Cougars on ESPN’s First Take. He chose BYU over UNC and Kansas—two college basketball bluebloods that have won 10 national championships combined—and Alabama, which made the Final Four last year.

The Cougars’ NIL offer to Dybantsa is close to $7 million, according to basketball insider Adam Zagoria, a deal that flirts with the potential $10 million deal Bryce Underwood, the top-ranked quarterback in the 2025 class, may receive to decommit from LSU in favor of Michigan. But Dybantsa is expected to declare for the NBA draft after one year in school. If he receives $7 million for one year, it would be the highest annual NIL figure ever reported.

The 6-foot-9 forward, who grew up in Massachusetts, is already playing in the state. In the summer, he transferred from Prolific Prep in California to Utah Prep in Hurricane—about 260 miles south of BYU’s campus in Provo, Utah.

BYU has been lurking as a potential NIL powerhouse in men’s basketball, particularly after the school hired Kevin Young as head coach in April. Young, who was an assistant coach with the Sixers and Suns from 2016 to 2024, was once the highest-paid assistant coach in NBA history (more than $2 million a year) before moving to the collegiate ranks. 

Young’s presence as head coach was the first thing Dybantsa cited when ESPN asked about his decision to choose BYU.

“A lot stood out during my visit. Obviously, coach Kevin Young’s there. My ultimate goal is to get to the NBA, and he coached my favorite player of all time, Kevin Durant,” Dybantsa said. He also added that the Cougars were full of staff members with NBA experience.