The No. 1 basketball recruit in the 2025 class has reportedly moved up his decision timeline after seeing the first week-plus of the college basketball season unfold.
[autotag]AJ Dybansta[/autotag], widely considered one of the best high school prospects in the past decade, recently told ESPN he expects his decision to come sometime in December.
“We are ahead of where we thought we would be. 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,” Dybantsa said in an interview with ESPN.
The 6-9 wing forward is currently projected to stay in his home state of Utah, joining BYU. However, Auburn is among six other schools, including SEC rival Alabama and possible Maui Invitational opponent North Carolina, on Dybantsa’s radar.
The Hurricane, Utah native last visited the Plains on March 2. Although the consensus top recruit in the 2025 cycle has made trips to BYU, Alabama, North Carolina, Kansas, and Kansas State more recently, Auburn remains in the mix because of the lack of front-court options going into next season. The 17-year-old’s most direct path to big minutes could be with Bruce Pearl’s Tigers. Dybansta’s decision may ultimately come down to which school he feels will help him develop his play style the best.
Speaking further with ESPN, the projected NBA lottery pick said he and his family are keeping a close eye on the way his prospective schools are coached.
“We are observing how the coaches manage their teams, how they react when they have a lead or are behind, how they run their offense, and whether their overall play style matches what they’ve communicated to us,” Dybantsa said.
If Dybansta were to commit to the Tigers, he’d join recently committed guard Kaden Magwood and four-star slasher [autotag]Simon Walker[/autotag] as the foundation of next season’s class.
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