The vibes are high around the BYU Basketball program after a thrilling 67-64 victory over Clemson in Madison Square Garden. AJ Dybantsa’s performance in particular in NYC has national media buzzing about his skills and BYU’s overall team as a national title contender.

After six straight games away from Provo, BYU now has four games at home to close out the non-conference slate before Big 12 play begins January 3 at Kansas State. All these games should be comfortable wins for BYU, but it will be a chance to give some of the bench guys run as BYU looks to solidify some depth heading into Big 12 play.

Below I touch on topics around personnel, recruiting, and bench outlook.

Abdullah Ahmed and KJ Perry are about to join the program. Could we see them play this season?

G-League big man Abdullah Ahmed and #1 JUCO player KJ Perry both signed with BYU during the early signing period in November. Each player will be a mid-year addition as they enroll in school for Winter Semester.

KJ Perry is the #1 JUCO player in the 2026 class and a dynamic guard who can play either guard spot. Perry chose BYU over offers from Kansas, Oregon, TCU, SMU, NC State, Cincinnati, Cal, Arizona State, and several others. He is a 6-foot-3 combo guard that can play either guard spot. This past year as a freshman, Perry averaged 17.5 points and 2.8 assists on 50% shooting from the floor and 35% from three. Perry averaged over 4 free throw attempts per game and 76% of his field goal attempts were from two, backing up the tape that his game is built first on using his explosiveness to get to the rim.

With Nate Pickens and Dawson Baker out for the year, BYU’s guard depth is hurting. Perry would have a chance to play significant minutes. However, Perry must redshirt this season. Perry’s agent told me that he must redshirt this season due to some NCAA academic rules and will be eligible to play the 2026-2027 season for BYU as a redshirt sophomore. He gets to Provo this week and will be able to participate in practices and be part of the team.

Ahmed is a different situation than Perry. Ahmed committed to BYU last month over Houston. He is a 6-foot-10 Center with a 7-feet-2.5 inch wingspan who is a rim runner on offense and rim protector on defense. Last season for the Westchester Knicks in the G-League, Ahmed averaged 4 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks in 18 minutes per game.

Ahmed told me when he signed the initial plan for him was to redshirt, but recent BYU injuries have changed that conversation. BYU’s injuries are in the backcourt, but Ahmed could have a real role this season. Khadim Mboup is BYU’s most steady bench performer and has given great minutes as the backup five to Keba, but his most natural long-term position is at the three or four spot. Having Ahmed play this season would allow Khadim to slide down to those positions and give BYU a real identify off the bench. While shooting and ball handling is a real question off the bench, BYU could have a big, long, and athletic bench core with Ahmed, Mboup, and Diomande. BYU has most struggled against teams with big front courts, and Ahmed would help shore up that weakness if he played this season.

One source close to Ahmed told me that Ahmed plans to play this season, and he has been telling people the same. I have not confirmed with BYU if the plan is to play Ahmed, but things may be trending that way. Ahmed has been in Provo for several weeks, and sources close to the program tell me Ahmed has looked very impressive and will be a real contributor for BYU when he does play. Fall Semester ends December 17, meaning Ahmed would be eligible to play December 19 against Abilene Christian. That would give him two games to play before Big 12 play, and he’d be able to participate in 20 of BYU’s 31 regular season games.

What Could BYU’s bench look like?

Ahmed joining the rotation would be a nice boost to BYU’s rotation. While BYU doesn’t need to rely on their bench nearly as much as last season due to the top end talent on the roster, BYU will still need some production. These next four games will be important for KY to give bench guys some run and for fringe players to gain confidence. One player BYU could really use more from is Tyler Mrus. Mrus was brought in to hit shots and he just hasn’t done that yet. Last year for Idaho Mrus hit 73 threes and shot 38% from distance. Against BYU last season he scored 17 points on 4-8 shooting from three. The ability for him to shoot is there, and he will have good looks with BYU’s big three drawing so much attention. I anticipate BYU to give him some good run over these next 4+ games, but at some point if he’s not hitting shots then I think BYU needs to allocate those minutes to Dominique Diomande.

Alexsej Kostic is another player BYU will really want to see more these next few games. Kostic wasn’t expected to play much this season, but injuries have given him the opportunity to be a spot up shooter and secondary ball handler. Kostic being able to hit shots off the bench would also nice boost for BYU.

Recruiting Update: Where does BYU stand on final 2026 targets?

BYU has already signed Dean Ruekert, Will Openshaw, Abdullah Ahmed, and KJ Perry as part of the 2026 class, but BYU still has targets in the 2026 class. Below are two I am watching.

Wadley is a 4-star guard and top 50 player in the 2026 class. He currently preps at Compass Prep in Arizona. Wadley took an unofficial visit to BYU with his high school teammate DeMarcus Henry just before Thanksgiving when their team had games in Utah. Cal is considered the frontrunner, but I am watching BYU late here in the process. Wadley is a talented scorer who can score off the dribble and hit from outside.

If BYU doesn’t fully go after Wadley, it may be because of the next player here.

Branch was the #1 player in the 2027 class until he recently reclassified to the 2026 class. The 6-foot-7, 5-Star wing is now the #6 player in the 2026 class according to 247 Composite rankings. Branch currently plays at Prolific Prep in Florida, but played at Perry HS in Gilbert, Arizona last year and is from Arizona.

BYU has made Branch a top priority and sources tell me Kevin Young and BYU’s staff is in a full-court press to land Branch. Kevin Young’s use of AJ Dybantsa and development of Egor Demin and Richie Saunders are really resonating with Branch. Branch is a knockdown shooter and a very talented scoring wing who could challenge to be the #1 pick in the 2027 NBA Draft. He will need to get stronger and add more refinement to his game, but he is a high-end shooter and scorer who could be the top option for BYU if he were to sign.

Industry sources tell me BYU, Louisville, USC, and Kansas are some of the top schools to watch. I am also keeping an eye on Arizona, who is the hometown school and where his Perry HS teammate Koa Peat plays, as well as Duke if they enter his recruitment. Branch’s recruitment is expected to extend months into 2027 and things could change drastically over the coming months, but multiple sources tell me that BYU should be considered the early favorite for Branch. Kevin Young’s scheme is a main driver here, and Branch’s familiarity with the LDS Church from his time in Gilbert doesn’t hurt either. Perry HS has release time seminary, meaning there are lots of LDS kids at the school.