In Photos: $4,100,000 NIL valued AJ Dybantsa shares his best shots from Redbull X Men's Health magazine photoshoot 

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BYU Cougars signee AJ Dybantsa is one of the most anticipated recruits in recent years. Alongside Kansas' Darryn Peterson, he is viewed as one of the top two recruits in the nation. Media outlets are split, with ESPN ranking Dybantsas No. 1 and 247Sports placing Peterson in the No. 1 slot.

Regardless, there is a lot of anticipation around Dybantsa's college debut. As a top prospect, Dybantsa has already received a lot of attention for NIL deals, amassing an estimated NIL value of $4.1 million. One of his biggest deals is with Red Bull.

On Friday, Dybantsa posted three photos to his Instagram from the Red Bull X Men's Health magazine photoshoot. In the photos, Dybantsa is shirtless and making basketball moves.

Heading into his first, and likely only, college season, AJ Dybantsa will be expected to help bring the BYU Cougars on a deep run in March Madness. When a player is as highly rated as Dybantsa, he is rarely expected to play more than one college season.

That is the case for Dybantsa, who is expected to be one-and-done in the NCAA before declaring for the NBA draft. He is joining a BYU team that reached the Sweet 16 in March Madness this past season. However, the team has not advanced beyond the Sweet 16 since reaching the Elite Eight in 1981.

Darryn Peterson edges out AJ Dybantsa in early 2026 NBA mock drafts

The 2025 NBA draft came and went on Wednesday and Thursday. The NBA drafted its next class of stars, including Duke's Cooper Flagg. While most of the NBA's focus is on the players set to start their careers this coming season, there are some who are already looking ahead to 2026.

In the wake of the draft, both Sports Illustrated and CBS Sports conducted mock drafts on Friday morning. Unfortunately for AJ Dybantsa, both media outlets project Darryn Peterson to be the first pick in 2026, followed by Dybantsa.

While early projections favor Peterson, that is not the end of the world for Dybantsa. These two players are viewed by most draft experts as close in talent. As a result, who goes first will likely come down to which one has a better season.

Dybantsa has an advantage because he is playing for a team that had more success last season. While BYU reached the Sweet 16, Kansas only reached the first round. However, the Jayhawks are only a few years removed from a national championship.

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About the author

Alexander O'Reilly

Alexander O'Reilly is a journalist at Sportskeeda from Kingston, Ontario with over seven years in the field at companies including SenShot, RVBlogger, Monarch Media, WordAgents, GSeC LLC, and IGC.

His favorite college team is Duke, and his favorite sporting memory was Duke winning March Madness in 2010. JJ Redick was Alex's favorite college player when he was young but more recently, Caleb Williams gets the nod. As the Chicago Bears are Alex's favorite NFL team, this was a perfect match.

Alex's proudest moment came when he was interviewed by a radio station in Ottawa on his opinion on recent moves by the Ottawa Senators, which gave him a confidence boost and the knowledge that he could succeed as a writer.

Aside from sports, Alex likes to spend his time playing games. He is also very passionate about running and strives to improve at the half and full marathon distances.

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