"It'd be a shock if he doesn't go to BYU": NCAAB Insider makes a bold statement on No. 1 prospect AJ Dybantsa's recruitment

With plenty of recruits in the Class of 2025 committing to various programs, the No. 1 prospect, AJ Dybantsa, is taking his time. The Utah Prep player has received 29 offers and visited seven programs, according to 247Sports.

ESPN Big Ten gameday analyst and former NCAA basketball coach Josh Pastner discussed Dybantsa's landing spot on the podcast "Church Ball: A BYU Hoops Pod," stating that AJ Dybantsa will be heading to the Cougars:

"Hey, the No. 1 recruit in the country, AJ Dybantsa, I think he's going to BYU. Who'd have thought that? He's gonna end up at BYU. It'd be a shock if he doesn't go to BYU. The best player in the country! That's the commitment that BYU has made with Kevin Young and the NIL," Pastner said.

The 6-foot-9 small forward averaged 19.1 points, 9.6 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 2.5 blocks per contest for his previous school, St. Sebastian. In his senior year, Dybantsa has played two games so far for Utah Prep, averaging a double-double with 14.0 ppg, 14.0 rpg, 5.0 apg and 3.0 steals per game. The Brockton, Mass. native also earned the 2022-23 Gatorade Player of the Year.

For Team USA, Dybantsa is averaging 14.1 ppg, 4.1 apg and 3.9 rpgwhile shooting 58.7%. He helped the team win two gold medals in the FIBA Under-16 Americas Championship and the FIBA U17 World Cup in Turkey.

AJ Dybantsa also ranks at the top of the high school NIL rankings. With a $2.6 million NIL valuation, Dybantsa has a total social media following of over 500,000. He has two deals, including one with Nike that he signed on Jan. 17 and one with Red Bull that he signed on Oct. 15, giving him a significant edge in NIL valuation over Cameron Boozer, Darryn Peterson, Nate Ament and Bryce James.

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AJ Dybantsa moves up his college decision timeline

AJ Dybantsa's father, Ace Dybantsa, stated that his son will decide in February 2025 to honor Black History Month. However, while talking with ESPN's Paul Biancardi, AJ said he has adjusted the timeline:

“The original plan was to commit in February,” AJ said. “If I know where I want to go, why wait? It's probably going to be in December. I feel I will be ready by then.”

BYU leads the race to land Dybantsa, according to On3’s recruitment prediction machine, with a 69.2% chance.