$7 million NIL reportedly lured AJ Dybantsa to make BYU commitment per NCAAB insider

Five-star prospect AJ Dybantsa announced his decision to stay in Utah and join the BYU Cougars Tuesday during a segment of ESPN's "First Take." He reclassified from the class of 2026 to the class of 2025 and decided to join the Cougars over offers from the Alabama Crimson Tide, the North Carolina Tar Heels and the Kansas Jayhawks.

New York Times Sports analyst Adam Zagoria revealed on X Dybantsa was lured to BYU by a hefty financial package worth $7 million.

"I'm told AJ Dybantsa's NIL number was close to $7 million," Zagoria tweeted.

AJ Dybantsa reveals why he chose the BYU Cougars

Dybantsa was highly sought after and is the No. 1 player in the 2025 recruitment class per 247Sports. He is the highest-rated commit in BYU's history.

During his appearance on the "First Take," the prospect revealed why he chose to join the Cougars over the other blue-blood programs.

"I mean a lot stood out on my visit, obviously coach Kevin Young there. My ultimate goal is to get to the NBA and he coached one of my favorite players, my favorite player of all time (in) Kevin Durant. And he had high praise about him," Dybantsa said.

"Head coach all the way down to the analytics guy, all the way to the dietitians (it's an) all NBA staff, even a strength coach. So I mean, if it's all NBA and I'm trying to get to the NBA, I think it's going to be the best development program."

BYU coach Kevin Young also released a statement after Dybantsa's commitment.

"We’re so excited to welcome AJ and his family to BYU," Young said. "We’ve been able to build a great relationship with him and his family and can’t wait to have them all in BYU blue. AJ is a generational talent. He’s a great young man who has a strong appetite to be the best player he can be.

"His versatile skill set and playmaking will seamlessly fit into our style of play. This is a great day for BYU basketball."

It's a new era for Cougars fans, headlined by Young, who succeeded Mark Pope when he departed to the Kentucky Wildcats. Now, BYU has a commitment of the highest-rated prospect in the country.