AJ Dybantsa Commits to BYU Over Alabama

Since head coach Nate Oats' arrival in 2019, the Alabama men's basketball program has seen profound success that the rest of the college basketball world could not have predicted to occur in such a short span.

This was most apparent this past season as the Crimson Tide's journey to its first-ever Final Four brought in the No. 2 recruiting class in the country along the way. This trend continued into the 2025 class as three four-star prospects have already committed and signed but Alabama fell just short of proving to be the ultimate threat in the recruiting trail on Tuesday morning.

AJ Dybantsa, the nation's No. 1 overall recruit in the 2025 class, committed to BYU over Alabama, Kansas and North Carolina on ESPN's First Take. He would've been the highest rated commit in the history of Crimson Tide hoops, beating out 2017 point guard Collin Sexton, who was followed by small forward Brandon Miller, point guard JD Davison and current Alabama small forward Derrion Reid. But that is no longer the case.

Last season, Dybantsa played at Prolific Prep in California, where he was teammates with the aforementioned Derrion Reid and fellow Alabama freshman big man Aiden Sherrell. Now, he's playing his senior year for Utah Prep, which was likely a factor in his decision to commit nearby at BYU

Dybantsa is not only considered to be the top overall player in the rising senior class, but he's also regarded by many draft analysts to be the best current NBA prospect. He's a 6-foot-9, 200-pound small forward who's incredibly skilled as a scorer and boasts a wingspan of over 7-feet.

Alabama had been high on Dybantsa's list of schools for quite some time as he placed the Crimson Tide among his top-7 on Aug. 15 and chose quite the weekend to come to Tuscaloosa for an official visit, as the football team defeated Georgia at in perhaps the best game of the entire CFB season on Sept. 28––meaning he got an elite taste of the fanbase. Most recently, Alabama landed in his final four on Dec. 5.

A big part of Dybantsa keeping Alabama in mind while narrowing down his offers was due to the recruiting efforts of the Crimson Tide's head assistant coach.

"I was coached by [current Alabama assistant coach] Preston Murphy as a freshman when I was with Expressions in the EYBL," Dybantsa said after announcing his top-7. "We spoke with coach Nate Oats and he feels the Brandon Miller comparisons are real. I watched Miller in college, he has a lot of Paul George in him. He's one of the better young players in the NBA. If Victor Wembanyama wasn't in the draft, Miller could've been the Rookie of the Year and No. 1 pick in 2023. Their play style fits my game."

Dybantsa would've been Alabama's fourth member of its 2025 recruiting class, but for now, guard Davion Hannah and forwards London Jemison and Amari Allen are the future of Tide Hoops. Nevertheless, the fact that Oats, Murphy and the program were in contention for Dybantsa, truly tells how much Alabama has grown.