Summer AAU circuits are coming to an end this week with Nike’s Peach Jam — one of the top events of the college hoops recruiting calendar — takes place this week in North Augusta, South Carolina. Kevin Young and BYU assistants are in attendance, watching 2026 targets and getting a better feel for the 2027 and 2028 classes. Peach Jam should largely solidify BYU’s 2026 recruiting board as coaches narrow down the targets they really want to hone in on these next few months.
The 2025 class was absolutely
loaded at the top with potential NBA Stars — AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson, Cam Boozer, Mikel Brown, and Nate Ament all have high NBA upside and each one would have been the top player in the 2026 class. The 2026 class is widely considered to be a weak class at the top according to most NBA scouts and college coaches. There will be high impact players this class and many multi-year guys, but coaches may be looking more to the transfer portal next season to try to fill in the top players in the class.
With that said, I could see BYU honing in on guys that are multi-year players — who are certainly still talented — but relying more on the transfer portal to try to replace top contributors such as AJ Dybantsa, Richie Saunders, and Keba Keita.
Below are some of the 2026 guys I am tracking. This is not an exhaustive list.
Dean Rueckert — 4-Star Wing
Rueckert has been on BYU’s radar for years. The Timpview HS product comes from a BYU family and has built a great relationship with Kevin Young. BYU made Dean’s top 5 last month along with Utah, Stanford, Clemson, and Washington. He initially had set up his official visit for the weekend of September 6, but his dad told me he bumped that up to July 28-29.
The timing of the visit is notable. July 1-27 is a recruiting dead period, meaning no in-person contact between coaches and players can happen with the exception of the sanctioned evaluation periods (such as Peach Jam). Another dead period runs August 4-20, so Dean was intentional on setting his BYU official visit as soon as the dead period ends and get it in before the August 4 one begins.
I have BYU as the favorite for Dean, and the official visit later this month could make things official. Dean has been undecided on his mission plans.
Austin Goosby — 4-Star Wing
Like Rueckert, Goosby also set his BYU official visit last month. He set the visit for September 26-28. Most services have Goosby ranked slightly higher than Dean. Goosby is a top 40 recruit according to 247 while Dean is rated 63rd overall by 247 composite. Austin is LDS has family on his mom’s side that live in Utah and cousins that attend BYU.
Austin and his family have been super impressed with Kevin Young, but this one is gonna be a tough battle. Austin’s brother is an offensive lineman at Texas and the family is a Longhorn family. Duke has also recently got involved, and they are a real threat in his recruitment too. BYU coaches have recruiting Austin hard, and he would be a big addition if the Cougs can land him.
Anthony Felesi — 4-Star Wing
Felesi is entering his second year at Utah Prep. A top 50 player in the 2026 class, Felesi is very familiar with BYU’s staff and program. Prior to Utah Prep, Felesi attended Orem HS. Felesi took an unofficial visit to BYU last March with Utah Prep teammate AJ Dybantsa during the West Virginia hoops game, and I talked to him after that about his experience. Anthony told me that his Utah Prep teammates AJ Dybantsa and Xavion Staton were in his ear non-stop about coming to BYU.
Anthony is planning to take an official visit to BYU. He told me last month he will take an official to BYU, he just hasn’t finalized dates for his visits yet. He took an unofficial visit to Houston, and the Coogs are a school to watch. UCLA, Louisville, Oregon, Villanova, and several other schools have also offered. Anthony is a physical wing/guard who can really defend and knockdown shots. It’s no surprise Houston is pursuing Anthony — he fits the mold as a physical guard who can also score on the offensive end.
Jalen Montonati — 5-Star Forward
Rated a 5-star recruit by 247’s composite rankings, BYU hasn’t been on Jalen quite as long as the aforementioned players on the list. Jalen preps in Oklahoma and is the son of former Oklahoma State basketball player Brian Montonati. BYU offered Jalen in May and he immediately became one of BYU’s top targets. A 6-foot-7 forward, Jalen’s strength is his ability to stretch the floor and hit shots. Jalen is different than other guys on this list in that his clear strength is moving without the ball and knocking down shots. He’s not a huge threat to blow by guys off the dribble and is a little bit in between a 3 and 4 defensively, but he’s a committed defender. He hasn’t announced a visit date with BYU, but BYU has been on him hard and I expect he will find his way to Provo for an official visit.
Anthony Thompson — 5-Star Forward
A top 10 player in the class, Thompson is a 6-foot-8 lefty with high-end shot-making ability. He has a 7-foot-2 wingspan that gives him a high release that is nearly unblockable. Thompson has star potential with his ability to score the ball off the dribble.
BYU made his top 15 in April, but his recruiting has been largely quiet. BYU had coaches in South Carolina last weekend watching him, and Kevin Young has been in consistent communication with him. Anthony has said he may take upwards of 8-10 visits, and BYU has a chance to be one of those. It’s too early for me to say who a favorite is, but Anthony could be a building block for BYU as a lead scorer if he were to come to Provo.
KJ Perry — JUCO PG
Perry is arguably the top JUCO prospect in the 2026 class. His recruitment took off last week after a huge performance at the JA48 in Richmond, VA and he’s seen offers poor in since. KJ tweeted about his BYU offer Thursday, and also has offers from TCU, NC State, SMU, Cal, and several others. A 6-foot-3 point guard is an athletic point guard who can really score the ball and create off the dribble. BYU has not really dabbled in the JUCO ranks since Kevin Young became coach, so this offer shows BYU thinks highly of KJ as a player. BYU has offered 5-star point guards Brandon McCoy and Derron Rippey Jr, but Perry’s recent offer suggests BYU is not in deep on those guys.
Junior County — 4-Star Guard
Junior plays at Wasatch Academy and for Utah Prospects AAU Team. He is a top 50 player in the 2026 class and is being pursued by schools such as UConn, Houston, and Purdue. One source close to Junior told me in June that Junior isn’t very interested in BYU. At this point I expect him to go out of state and BYU to put more of their focus on other guards/wings.
Arafan Diane — 4-Star Center
This big man class isn’t as strong as others, but Diane is arguably the best big in the 2026 class. The 7-foot-1 Center originally from West Africa is fairly new to the game of basketball but has advanced offensive skill considering how new to the game he is. He is very active on the boards and has the ability to score with his back to the basket. BYU offered Diane a month ago and it’s early to say how involved BYU will actually be, but this will be worth monitoring if BYU can get an official visit.
Jamyn Sondrup — 4-Star Center
BYU offered the 6-foot-10 big man from Springville, Utah last summer. Things can always change, but I get the sense that BYU won’t pursue Sondrup too hard. He’s taken visits to Purdue and Washington, and I’m told those are two schools to watch.
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