The vibes are high around the BYU Basketball program after a thrilling 67-64 victory over Clemson in Madison Square Garden. AJ Dybantsa\u2019s performance in particular in NYC has national media buzzing about his skills and BYU\u2019s overall team as a national title contender.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Below I touch on topics around personnel, recruiting, and bench outlook.<\/p>\n
Abdullah Ahmed and KJ Perry are about to join the program. Could we see them play this season?<\/p>\n
G-League big man Abdullah Ahmed<\/a> and #1 JUCO player KJ Perry <\/a>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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n With Nate Pickens and Dawson Baker out for the year, BYU\u2019s guard depth is hurting. Perry would have a chance to play significant minutes. However, Perry must redshirt this season. Perry\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Ahmed told me when he signed the initial plan for him was to redshirt, but recent BYU injuries have changed that conversation. BYU\u2019s injuries are in the backcourt, but Ahmed could have a real role this season. Khadim Mboup is BYU\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n 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\u2019d be able to participate in 20 of BYU\u2019s 31 regular season games.<\/p>\n What Could BYU\u2019s bench look like?<\/p>\n Ahmed joining the rotation would be a nice boost to BYU\u2019s rotation. While BYU doesn\u2019t 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\u2019t 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\u2019s 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\u2019s not hitting shots then I think BYU needs to allocate those minutes to Dominique Diomande.<\/p>\n Alexsej Kostic is another player BYU will really want to see more these next few games. Kostic wasn\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n Recruiting Update: Where does BYU stand on final 2026 targets?<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n