HOOPS: 5-star AJ Dybantsa, No. 1 overall recruit in the country, has arrived in Auburn for official visit
Five-star AJ Dybantsa, who is ranked the No. 1 overall recruit in the 2025 class, has arrived in Auburn for an official visit, Auburn Live has learned.
Dybantsa arrived on campus late Friday night and is scheduled to stay until Sunday morning. It is his first visit to Auburn.
Dybantsa, who attends Prolific Prep in California, is listed and ranked as a small forward. However, the 6-foot-8, 185-pound athlete believes he’s better suited for the backcourt.
“(Auburn is) a guard school and I want to be a guard,” Dybantsa told On3’s Jamie Shaw. “If they can get me the guard skills that I want, it would be a good fit. I feel like I can playmake. If I can get a couple of people around me that can shoot and a couple of bigs, that could open up a lot more for everyone.”
Dybantsa already has taken an official visit to USC. He’s also considering visits to North Carolina and Kentucky, according to Shaw.
“I want to play in a winning culture,” Dybantsa said. “I like to win and don’t want to just go to the first round, I like to win. I’ll want to go into a family-oriented situation. And I am looking at development because I want to get to the next level.
“This decision will be with me, my mom, and my dad only. They’ve been with me since the beginning, so I’m going to keep it in the family.”
Dybantsa is the only official visitor expected in Auburn this weekend. Class of 2024 signee Tahaad Pettiford is in Auburn for an unofficial visit.
The Tigers host Mississippi State on Saturday. Tip is set for 3 p.m. CT.
Dybantsa’s ‘Personal Life’ from On3
Dybantsa earned the 2022-23 Gatorade Massachusetts Boys Basketball Player of the Year award following a freshman campaign at St. Sebastian’s School that saw him average 19.1 points, 9.6 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 2.5 blocks per game.
Dybantsa transferred to Napa (Calif.) Prolific Prep after his freshman year and announced in October that he was reclassifying to the 2025 class.
Latest intel on the 5-star’s recruitment
From On3’s Jamie Shaw…
The Buzz: AJ Dybantsa took an early official visit to USC. He has another set for Auburn. An interesting aspect of this recruitment is that it was just announced that Dybantsa signed a brand deal with Nike. USC is a NIke program. Another Nike program I am told to watch here is Kentucky. Dybantsa is from the same area as former Wildcat Terrence Clarke and speaks openly about possibly following his footsteps. Things have been kept pretty close to the vest here.
While the G-League Ignite, and other pro leagues, will be options, a source close to the recruitment told me that Dybantsa was leaning toward college. Continue to monitor the official visit schedule.
