The BYU basketball program has been on a recruiting roll recently under head coach Kevin Young. They reeled in AJ Dybantsa in a giant recruiting win that proved the Cougars were all in on the NIL era. Then, they proved that once again, after getting a massive pickup from five-star Bruce Branch III. It is a massive pickup and signals that BYU is here to stay as a major player in college basketball recruiting and in the transfer portal.
National basketball reporter for 247Sports, Travis Branham, was the first to report that Bruce Branch III was committing to play for the BYU basketball program. He was initially the top player in the 2027 recruiting class before reclassifying to the 2026 class this winter, where he is the No. 6 player in the class.
It is worth noting that Branch chose BYU over USC, where he recently visited. He also had interest from Kansas, Kentucky, Louisville, and Arizona, among others. Branch is the third five-star commitment for BYU in program history, which just so happens to be the third consecutive under Kevin Young's tenure. Young has also proven it on the court and got a contract extension out of it.
He will immediately come in to replace this year's potential No. 1 pick, AJ Dybantsa, in Provo next season. Branch has the talent and potential to contend for the top pick in 2027.
Branch is a long and versatile wing with a budding frame and an expanding offensive scoring package. He has strong positional size at 6-foot-7 and can play multiple positions on both ends of the floor. He is an evolving three-level scorer who can attack the rim, hit shots from three, and create his own from mid-range. Branch possesses outstanding tools with high upside, but fans shouldn't expect him to come in and replace what Dybantsa has done this season in Provo.
Joining Bruce Branch is fellow 2026 recruit Dean Rueckert, the No. 77 overall recruit, to make up for their 2026 recruiting class. The Cougars also have the money to go out and grab some big targets from the transfer portal, so BYU's team could be just as good, or better, than it has been with Dybantsa.
