The NIL money is apparently flowing in Provo.
Potential 2026 No. 1 NBA Draft pick AJ Dybantsa chose BYU over college basketball heavyweights Alabama, Kansas and North Carolina in a program-changing moment Tuesday thanks to a Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) offer in the $5 million-$7 million range, according to varying reports.
The “enormous” NIL package is believed to be record-setting, according to CBS.
It’s not every day that BYU wins a recruiting battle for ESPN’s No. 1 recruit with two of the sport’s bluebloods and another emerging power, but NIL has changed everything.
As long as schools have money, they can contend for top names and that’s exactly what BYU did to land Dybantsa for what surely will be his lone season before he heads to the professional ranks.
Dybantsa, a 6-foot-9 wing who plays for Utah Prep, described his game as a mix of former Rockets and Magic star Tracy McGrady and current Thunder superstar guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
The Massachusetts native won the state’s Gatorade Player of the Year award last year before transferring to Utah Prep, and he averaged 22.6 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.0 assists in this year’s Peach Jam.
While the NIL certainly played a large role in his decision, the phenom also touted first-year BYU coach Kevin Young and his NBA history as an alluring factor.
Young served as a 76ers assistant coach from 2016-20 before joining the Suns in 2020, where he coached Dybansta’s favorite player in Kevin Durant and Devin Booker.
“I went on my visit, head coach all the way down to the analytics guy, analytics guy all the way to the dietician is all NBA staff, even the strength coach,” Dybantsa said on ESPN’s “First Take” on Tuesday after announcing his decision.
“So if it’s all NBA, I’m trying to get the NBA. I think it’s going to be the best development for me.”
