BYU is getting one of the nation’s biggest recruiting prizes on campus this week.
Five-star wing AJ Williams, ranked No. 5 in the 2027 class by ESPN and 247 Sports, is set to begin a visit to Provo on October 15, according to Brandon Jenkins of 247 Sports. For Kevin Young and his staff, it’s another shot at landing a high-end prospect as they keep pushing the program toward the NBA pipeline Young laid out when he first took the job.
That pitch has real weight now. In Young’s opening address as head coach, he said he wanted BYU to become the best place to prepare young men for the NBA. Since then, Egor Demin, AJ Dybantsa, and Richie Saunders have all been drafted into the league.
Williams fits the kind of player BYU has been chasing. The 6-foot-7 wing from Eagle’s Landing Christian Academy brings size, athleticism, scoring ability at all three levels, and defensive upside. He was previously the No. 1 player in the 2028 class before reclassifying to 2027, a move he announced in early August.
And the production backs up the hype. Last season, Williams averaged 31.8 points and 12.7 rebounds per game. In the Region 2-4 tournament championship game, he put up 53 points and 18 rebounds, then followed that with a 52-point outing in the semifinals the night before.
That kind of output is why he’s projected to be a lottery pick in the 2028 NBA Draft.
There are also some natural ties here. Williams played for Team CP3 at Peach Jam on the EYBL circuit this summer, and Chris Paul’s connection to Kevin Young matters too - Paul played for the Suns while Young was an assistant there, and the two have a good relationship. Williams is also from Georgia, as is Young, while assistants Tim Fanning and John Linehan both spent several years coaching in the state.
BYU’s pursuit of Williams has been going on for a while. The staff offered him a scholarship in early July, back when he was still in the 2028 class, and he quickly became a top priority.
His list is already trimmed down to 10 schools: Arkansas, Auburn, BYU, Duke, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Illinois, Kentucky, Mississippi State, and North Carolina. He has already taken official visits to Auburn, Mississippi State, and Georgia, and now BYU gets its turn.
There’s some momentum coming into the visit, too. Last month, 247 Sports recruiting analyst Eric Bossi said BYU is viewed as the current leader in Williams’ recruitment.
What happens next remains open-ended. There is no exact timetable for a decision, though it is possible Williams could commit before the early signing period, which runs from November 11-18, 2026.
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Now the Cougars have to decide whether Moa is ready for the kind of physical test Notre Dame usually brings. His status for the game is still being evaluated, and BYUs staff is weighing not just whether he can suit up, but whether he can handle the load in a matchup where every healthy body in the backfield could matter. [Read more 🡒]
BYU Red Zone Failure Just Got Even More Frustrating
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Aaron Roderick had already taken responsibility for a failed fourth-down call earlier in the game, which only sharpened the focus on how fragile the communication was in those moments. Iowa State also dealt with headset problems in the third and fourth quarters, according to head coach Jimmy Rogers, but for BYU the lasting frustration is how a breakdown in the huddle helped turn a promising drive into another missed chance. [Read more 🡒]
BYU Basketball Visibility Just Changed In A Big Way
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The womens program will also get some shine, with two nationally televised games on the schedule and added coverage expected around the Big 12 Womens Basketball Tournament on ESPN platforms. For everything else, ESPN+ will still carry the overflow, but the broader takeaway is clear: BYUs basketball season is set to be much easier for fans to find, and that matters in a league where visibility can shape the conversation around both programs. [Read more 🡒]