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AJ Dybantsa’s college career is likely over.
In the aftermath of No. 6-seed BYU’s upset loss to No. 11 Texas on Thursday, Dybantsa was asked by reporters about his future.
He said he wants to talk over the decision with his family, particularly his mother, Chelsea, and hopes to make his choice in “the next couple of weeks.”
“She’s kind of the big boss,” Dybantsa said of his mom. “Just talk to her and see what she says.”
The comment comes after Dybantsa floated the idea earlier this month that he might stay in college for his sophomore year.
“They can assume. I ain’t say anything,” Dybantsa said on the “Deseret Voices” podcast.
More than likely, Dybantsa will declare for the 2026 NBA Draft.
ESPN has him going No. 2 in its latest mock draft, while Sports Illustrated and Bleacher Report, among others, project him to be the No. 1 overall pick.
For a while, it seemed like Kansas’ Darryn Peterson was the front runner to go No. 1, but injury and commitment concerns make Dybantsa and Duke’s Cameron Boozer likely choices, too.
Dybantsa’s performance against Texas won’t hurt either.
He potentially ended his collegiate career with a sensational effort, pouring in 35 points and 10 rebounds for his second double-double of the season.
After Dybantsa scored 14 of BYU’s first 25 points, Texas head coach Sean Miller even admitted the Longhorns couldn’t contain him on the game’s telecast.
Dybantsa’s performance marked the first time a freshman scored 35 points in his March Madness debut.
He went a flawless 12-for-12 from the charity stripe, despite Miller saying he wanted to limit Dybantsa’s free throw attempts.
“We tried a lot of different things. And again, he had 35,” Miller said.
Despite his heroics, no one else on BYU came to play. Dybantsa was the Cougars’ only player with over 14 points and five rebounds in Texas’ 79-71 victory.
The Longhorns, meanwhile, led the rebounding battle, 40-31, and had four of their five starters scoring in double digits.
Dybantsa finished his superb freshman season averaging 25.5 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists while shooting 51 percent from the field.
He scored at least 20 points in 28 games, ranking second in BYU and Big 12 history.
“I think I’ll look back in 20 years and just have a lot of joy (knowing) that I was able to be a part of his story,” BYU head coach Kevin Young said of Dybantsa postgame. “There were moments in tonight’s game that he looked like an NBA player.”
Now, it’s time for Dybantsa to make the near-inevitable decision to leave.
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