The BYU basketball bankroll seems to know no bounds. The Cougars are racking up top talent in both the transfer portal and at the high school level in hopes of continuing recent success.
The program went to the Sweet 16 in Kevin Young’s first season as head coach. He’s sparing no expense in his attempts to take the Cougars to the top.
Young arrived in April of last year. He immediately began constructing a competent roster. That included bringing in Egor Demin, a player expected to go in the first round of the upcoming NBA Draft. He then started looking ahead to the future.
Young landed the top overall prospect in the 2025 recruiting class. AJ Dybantsa signed with the Cougars in November. He’ll suit up in Provo next season.
NIL rumors swirled around his recruitment. A $7 million price tag was reported by media outlets, with a base salary of $5 million to go along with endorsements
Utah Jazz brass was said to have written a blank check for Dybantsa’s services. Whatever it took to get his signature, they were willing to pay.
AJ Dybantsa denies those NIL rumors.
The forward competed in the McDonald’s All-American Game last week. While there, a fan asked him directly about the $7 million reports. Dybantsa says the rumors are false.
He insists that he hasn’t received that much, though he’s still likely near the top of college basketball when it comes to NIL worth. Dybantsa showed out at the All-American Game, racking up 17 points on 58% shooting.
AJ Dybantsa denies being written a $7 million check by BYU basketball donors. Still, there’s no doubting the program’s deep pockets. On Wednesday, they continued to hand out cash for recruiting talent.
Rob Wright committed to BYU basketball…
For a rumored $3.5 million! Wright previously played for Baylor. He leaves Waco after his freshman season.
In that lone campaign, the guard averaged 11.5 points and 4.2 assists per night. He’ll look to build upon those totals as a sophomore, and he could have more talent around him to make that goal more attainable.
Kevin Young was hired by BYU for a number of different reasons. One was coaching success and experience in the NBA. Another was his outlook on NIL.
“If you show me a school whose donor bases don’t deserve credit, I’m all ears. That’s just what it is. People make a lot of that in today’s landscape. But I think anymore, that’s the starting point…
“One of the reasons I wanted to come to BYU was because of the fan base, donor base, and base in general. I know a lot of people have school pride, but I think BYU is unmatched, quite frankly, just in terms of how much people love the school, what it stands for, and the amount of alumni that have come out of BYU who are extremely successful.”
-Kevin Young
BYU is not afraid to spend. Donors have the money to make a difference. They’ve shown time and again a willingness to open up their wallets.
The investment paid dividends in Year 1 with Kevin Young. There could be a larger return with what’s shaping up to be a pricey 2025-26 roster.
