No. 1 Recruit AJ Dybantsa Received Close To $7 Million, per Report
12/10/2024 11:22 AM
AJ Dybantsa, the No. 1 college basketball recruit in the 2025 class, surprised the hoops world Tuesday by announcing his commitment to BYU.
Dybantsa, a 6-foot-9 wing projected to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, picked the Cougars over Alabama, North Carolina and Kansas. He made his announcement on ESPN's "First Take," and said the BYU coaching staff's ties to the NBA was the deciding factor.
"At BYU, the whole staff from the head coach on down came from the NBA," Dybantsa said. "Head coach Kevin Young coached my favorite player in KD (Kevin Durant), and coached Devin Booker. Both had a lot of good things to say about him. We watched clips of both."
Of course, Dybantsa can't say this, but he had other reasons for his surprising commitment--seven figures worth of them. According to a report from college basketball insider Adam Zagoria, Dybantsa's NIL figure approached $7 million.
"I'm told AJ Dybantsa's NIL number was close to $7 million," Zagoria tweeted.
If that number is accurate, it's not all coming from BYU, but we're sure the Cougars are kicking in a large figure.
Dybantsa grew up in Brockton, Massachusetts and began his high school career at Saint Sebastian's, winning the state's Gatorade Player of the Year honor as a freshman in 2022-23.
From there, Dybantsa transferred to Prolific Prep in California, where he spent the 2023-24 season before moving on to Utah Prep in Hurricane, Utah for this year.
Originally the No. 1 recruit in the 2026 class, Dybantsa announced in October he was reclassifying to 2025, and he maintained his top billing despite moving ahead one year.
"The bottom line is this: Dybantsa controls his own future. There is no one in high school basketball with more potential than him and if he continues to raise the bar with each passing year he has an exceptional future in front of him," said 247Sports' Adam Finkelstein.
As a result of Dybantsa's commitment, look for Provo, Utah to become a major center of the college basketball and NBA scouting worlds in 2024-25.
Related: AJ Dybantsa, No. 1 Recruit In The Country, Announces His Commitment
