BYU’s AJ Dybantsa Becomes College Basketball’s Top NIL Earner originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

BYU’s AJ Dybantsa is already turning heads before the 2025-26 college basketball season. As the No. 1 player in the country, he’s already projected as the top pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. But his moves off the court are just as good.

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Dybantsa saw a significant jump in his On3 NIL valuation recently. He moved up to $4.1 million and cracked the top five for the first time in his career. As it stands now, the 6-foot-9 power forward is only $200K away from Miami QB Carson Beck at No. 2 ($4.3M) and $100K from Ohio State receiver Jeremiah Smith ($4.2M). Arch Manning is firmly at the top with a valuation of $6.8 million.

However, Dybantsa is the top college basketball earner after landing deals with Nike and Red Bull. Dybantsa is on a contract with BYU to receive over $7 million this season, according to Adam Zagoria of the New York Times. An NIL offering he denied at the McDonald’s All-American Game.

Related: BYU Basketball Shows Interest in Rising International Star

BYU has picked up the pace on the NIL trail very quickly. One of the biggest contributors is Utah Jazz and Utah Mammoth owner Ryan Smith. But underneath it all is Kevin Young. The Cougars coach came to Provo after being an NBA assistant for the Phoenix Suns and Philadelphia 76ers. His detailed guidance and pro-ready approach is why Dybantsa decided to sign with BYU.

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Related: BYU Cracks ESPN’s Future Power Rankings Top 25

As the season quickly approaches, Dybantsa will be part of the most hype-filled year in BYU Basketball history. The Cougars projected starting lineup has many national outlets putting them as a national title contender and on a level playing field in the Big 12 with Houston, who is coming off a heartbreaking loss in the National Championship to Florida.

The upcoming season will be fun to watch as Dybantsa has already said he’s one-and-done before turning pro.

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 12, 2025, where it first appeared.

• The University of Florida can now pay athletes directly due to the House vs. NCAA settlement.
• Florida football and men’s basketball are likely to receive the majority of the $20.5 million allocated for athlete compensation.
• NIL deals exceeding $600 will be reviewed for legitimacy by a clearinghouse monitored by Deloitte.

The landmark House vs. NCAA Settlement, approved on June 6 by U.S. District Court Judge Claudia Wilken, opens the door for athletes to be paid directly by the University of Florida Athletic Association.

One of the main questions stemming from the recent approval of the House settlement is whether sports that don’t generate positive cash flow will be impacted.

With schools like Indiana now facing a new $20 million annual expense in the form of revenue sharing, cuts have to be made somewhere.

Around the nation going back five years colleges have been eliminating programs to ward off budgetary concerns.  Those instances have accelerated over the last year as schools have anticipated the House settlement.  Title IX, which requires schools to provide equal opportunities to male and female athletes, puts men’s sports at even greater risk.

Will IU be able to maintain all 24 of its varsity sports?  In a statement released Wednesday in response to the House settlement, IU AD Scott Dolson signaled it is Indiana’s intent to do just that.  But he also suggested continuing financial support from fans and alumni is critical to holding it all together.

Here’s the full statement Dolson e-mailed:

Dear Hoosier Nation,

Friday was a landmark day for college athletics. The U.S. District Court for Northern California granted final approval for a settlement in the House vs. NCAA litigation, paving the way for a new and exciting era of intercollegiate athletics. Our department has been anticipating and preparing for this settlement for an extended time, and we are excited that we can move forward with a new level of confidence about what our world will look like in the coming years.

As a passionate IU fan, you likely have questions about what the future looks like. While a lot has changed in the last several years, our quest remains the same – to bring you and fellow Hoosier fans to your feet as you cheer on your beloved IU programs as they pursue championships and provide us all with cherished experiences and memories.

With that in mind, I want to highlight a couple of things as we embark on this journey together.

First, IU Athletics’ core principles are our foundation, and they remain as solid as ever. We are committed to supporting student-athletes’ opportunity to excel academically, athletically, and personally. We want to see our students challenge themselves academically and earn their IU degrees. We want them to maximize their athletic abilities and compete for championships. And when their time in Bloomington is done, we want them to be well prepared to succeed in the next chapter of their lives, whether that is in athletics or in any other professional pursuit or journey.

Second, the successes that we can enjoy moving forward are inextricably linked with you, our passionate and dedicated supporters. IU Athletics is excited to support our student-athletes’ opportunities to the fullest in terms of both revenue sharing and NIL. We plan to do that while maintaining a broad-based athletic program that features 24 varsity programs with their own proud traditions. To make all of that happen, we need Hoosier Nation to rally together and propel our programs and student-athletes to the upper echelon in all areas on and off the field.

We can do this, but we need to do it together. Over the course of time, new challenges have always meant new opportunities for IU Athletics, and this is no different. We are Never Daunted, and with your support, we can and will build on our tradition of championship success in this new era of college athletics.

Scott Dolson
Vice President and Director of Intercollegiate Athletics

The Daily Hoosier –“Where Indiana fans assemble when they’re not at Assembly”

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