BYU Cougars flex recruiting muscle with blockbuster Ryder Lyons, AJ Dybantsa commitments

When ESPN's Myron Medcalf wrote astir nan BYU Cougars men's hoops programme signing nan nation's No. 3 recruiting class, led by No. 1 wide imaginable AJ Dybantsa, he whitethorn person landed connected nan diversion department's unofficial mantra. 

BYU ace booster and Focus Services CEO Paul Liljenquist made a declaration that has rung existent good beyond nan signing of mega-recruit Dybantsa.

"You're not going to outbid us," Liljenquist said. 

It would beryllium overly simplistic to connect those words straight to Tuesday's committedness from Folsom (California) five-star backmost Ryder Lyons.

But it's not a bad spot to start.

There's a elemental truth successful nan NIL era, peculiarly erstwhile it comes to five-star quarterbacks and imaginable NBA lottery picks.

Money talks. 

And unless you're consenting to walk that money, it's going to beryllium difficult to triumph those recruiting battles.

Dybantsa's November committedness gave nan Cougars their first-ever five-star hoops recruit. But not conscionable immoderate five-star recruit.

MORE: Why AJ Dybantsa picked BYU complete Alabama, others

The 6-foot-9, 210-pound all-world imaginable is viewed arsenic nan apt No. 1 prime successful nan 2026 NBA Draft.

That committedness reportedly costs betwixt $5-7 million, according to Yahoo! Sports.

On nan gridiron, extracurricular of a trio of commitments from much than 20 years agone - nan infancy of modern recruiting - BYU's highest-rated committedness came via Pine View (Utah) four-star tight extremity Brock Harris this April.

If nan commitments of Dybantsa and Harris were a sign, snagging Lyons complete nan likes of Ohio State, Oregon and USC connected Tuesday was a rallying cry.

BYU is simply a awesome subordinate successful nan modern world of assemblage recruiting.

Sure, it helps importantly that Lyons is simply a personnel of nan LDS church, a group that makes up astir 98-99 percent of BYU's student body. But location person been elite LDS athletes earlier who person turned down nan Cougars for what they deemed to beryllium much prolific diversion opportunities. 

Kalani Sitake and his coaching unit merit in installments for presenting Lyons and his family pinch a imagination for his future.

Perhaps "Zach Wilson 2.0," but pinch overmuch much NFL success. 

However, it can't beryllium ignored that Yahoo! Sports has reported Lyons was offered a important NIL woody attached to nan Cougars - 1 that acold exceeded that of Oregon aliases nan different awesome contenders. 

If true, it's further grounds that BYU is NIL locked and loaded. 

MORE: Florida State QB gives Alabama bulletin committee worldly pinch ferocious message

Securing some nan nation's astir celebrated hoops enlistee and nan nation's apical uncommitted backmost successful nan span of 7 months is simply a connection for immoderate assemblage diversion department. But it's wholly uncharted territory for BYU, and these days, we person an knowing of what that apt means. 

Getting conscionable 1 of those student-athletes would person been a historical triumph for nan school. Landing some - pinch an elite tight extremity imaginable successful betwixt - speaks volumes astir wherever BYU is and wherever they spot themselves going.

Dybantsa will deed nan tribunal for nan Cougars successful nan upcoming season, while Lyons is scheduled to statesman an LDS ngo successful January, efficaciously making him a 2027 prospect.

In some sports, nan early is agleam for BYU.

And it's clear nan modern world of recruiting suits nan schoolhouse - and its boosters - conscionable fine. 

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• Oregon poised to onshore 5-star enlistee Immanuel Iheanacho