BYU forward AJ Dybantsa was named to the 2025-26 The Sporting News All-America First Team, according to an announcement on March 11. This recognition marks the first time a BYU player has earned first team All-American honors since Jimmer Fredette in the 2010-11 season.
The selection is significant as The Sporting News All-America team is one of four used in determining the NCAA consensus All-America squad. Dybantsa’s inclusion highlights his standout performance during the season and places him among top players such as Yaxel Lendeborg from Michigan, Darius Acuff Jr. from Arkansas, Cameron Boozer from Duke, and Joshua Jefferson from Iowa State.
Dybantsa currently leads the nation in scoring with an average of 25.2 points per game. In the opening round of the Phillips 66 Big 12 Men’s Basketball Tournament, he set a freshman record by scoring 40 points in BYU’s win over Kansas State. During that game, he also contributed nine rebounds, six assists, and three steals while shooting efficiently from both the field and free throw line.
Throughout his freshman year, Dybantsa has scored at least ten points in all 32 games played and is one of only ten NCAA Division I men’s basketball freshmen to reach 800 points in a season. His achievements include multiple high-scoring performances: twenty-five games with at least twenty points, seven with thirty or more, and two forty-point outings. He also recorded just the second triple-double featuring at least thirty points, ten rebounds, and ten assists in Big 12 history during a win over Eastern Washington.
Dybantsa and BYU are scheduled to play West Virginia later this evening in the second round of the Phillips 66 Big 12 Men’s Basketball Tournament.
