BYU Hoops Recruiting Notebook: Official visit from AJ Dybantsa and Mandaquit

BYU football is on the rise with a 5-0 start, No. 14 national rankings and FOX's Big start to lunch I'm coming to Provo this weekend, but it's an incredibly important time for basketball on the recruiting trail.

AJ Dybantsa – the No. 1 recruit in the 2025 class – and his 4-star Utah Prep teammate JJ Mandaquit are both taking their official visits to BYU this weekend. Sources close to both players confirmed to me that nothing has changed and that they are actually coming to visit.

Below is the latest information on both players, as well as some other players BYU is seeking.

Latest on AJ Dybantsa and JJ Mandaquit

This is the biggest recruiting weekend in BYU basketball history. AJ Dybantsa is a potential generational basketball talent. No matter where he goes, next year he's expected to score more than 20 points per game in his only college season and be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. He will compete for the Wooden Award in his one year of college.

His Utah Prep teammate JJ Mandaquit is no slouch. “Mandaquit is the No. 51 player in the 2025 class” was Kevin Young’s first offer for 2025 when he accepted the job. Mandaquit is one of the best point guards in his class and can be a staple for multiple years no matter what school he chooses.

Dybantsa originally planned to take his official visit to BYU in September, but changed his visit to fit Mandaquit, sources tell me. During a Utah Prep trip to China in August, Mandaquit's family asked the Dybantsas to postpone their visit until October to accommodate JJ's, to which the Dybantsas agreed.

AJ and JJ will make their decisions independently, but their connection is a story that national media outlets aren't covering in Dybantsa's recruitment. Both players are close. They played together on Team USA the last two offseasons and are high school teammates at Utah Prep. AJ recently said the reason he attended Utah Prep was to play with JJ Mandaquit. BYU is the only school to have both players as finalists.

JJ Mandaquit currently has finalists from USC, Louisville, Cal, Hawaii, Tennessee, Creighton, Washington and BYU. His father told me that he should shorten his final list of schools to three or four after completing his visit, which was scheduled to take place next month. Of his finalists, BYU and Creighton are my two favorites right now.

BYU is currently the last official visit scheduled by AJ Dybantsa. He has already taken officials to Auburn, Kansas State, Kansas, North Carolina and Alabama. He canceled his official visit to Baylor last weekend. One wildcard I'm keeping an eye on is Oregon. AJ will likely receive a massive Nike contract when he enters the NBA. If Phil Knight decides to make AJ an unbeatable zero offer, they could enter the conversation. That hasn't happened yet to my knowledge, but if AJ takes an official with him to Oregon, this race could change.

This isn't coming from AJ, but as it stands now, I believe BYU, Kansas State and Alabama are the three schools ahead of the rest. BYU does a lot of NIL, but Kevin Young's NBA background is incredibly attractive to AJ. Kansas State is one of the biggest NIL bets with BYU, and Alabama is a real threat with Nate Oats and assistant Preston Murphy, who coached AJ's AAU team. Nate Oats coached Brandon Miller at Alabama and views AJ as a similar player who can fit into his system.

BYU has some really unique things planned for this visit. A source close to AJ and JJ told me he's looking forward to the “special” things BYU coaches have planned for this weekend. BYU knows this weekend could change the trajectory of the program, and they're making sure every detail is perfect so they can land the pitch.

Shameless plug – if you want a prediction from me about where AJ will end up, as well as a full preview of the BYU basketball season, you can buy that The BYU Basketball Ultimate Preview Guide for $10.

Nate Ament

Ament, a newer recruit, is the highest-rated player in his class. The 1.90 meter tall striker isn't quite as polished as the other top players in his class, but his ability is probably as high as anyone else's. Ament probably won't have as much of an impact in college next season as top players like AJ, Caleb Wilson, Cameron Boozer or others, but some scouts believe he's the only player who could challenge AJ for the No. 1 pick in the draft 2026 due to its advantage. Ament has great feel and potential as a scorer and ball-handler.

BYU assistants recently watched him in person, and sources tell me he spoke on the phone with Kevin Young and that KY's NBA experience is intriguing. Sources say he has spoken with BYU coaches about a possible visit, something to watch for in the next few weeks.

Xavion Staton

I wrote about Xavion in more detail last week. Xavion just completed his official visit to Stanford and still has visits to UNLV and BYU before announcing his decision on November 4th. I like where BYU stands for Xavion.

Caleb Wilson

BYU continues to recruit the 5-star forward. BYU visited Caleb at his home in Atlanta last month and tried to invite him to visit campus.

Chamberlain Burgess

I reported earlier this month that Chamberlain was taking an official visit to BYU the weekend of October 26th. Burgess is a 4-star player in the 2025 class and plans to serve an LDS mission before enrolling at a school of his choice.