BYU Basketball Set to Host Five-Star Wing AJ Williams This Weekend

The BYU Cougars basketball program is hosting a blue-chip prospect at the right time. Top 2027 five-star target AJ Williams will begin his official visit on Thursday, October 15, according to Brandon Jenkins of 247Sports.

This puts Williams in Provo for BYU's exhibition game with the Nebraska Cornhuskers on Friday night. He will likely take part in the ESPN College GameDay festivities before BYU hosts Notre Dame in an ABC College Football primetime event on Saturday night.

The 6-foot-8 wing from Eagle's Landing Christian Academy in McDonough, Georgia is one of the best in the nation. His style of play is similar to AJ Dybantsa in many regards. Williams dominated on the EYBL circuit this summer and is on track to be the next generational talent. He has the right mix of ball handling skills with an extended frame.

Williams knows how to space the floor and loves to get out and run. There are scouting sites who have him firmly in the conversation as a future first-round talent. While this seems a bit premature, he's already earning hype for his name. He already has a 7-foot-4 wingspan. Scouts are already trying to get his corner early. Think of a "take charge" scorer with Kevin Durant's agility. He's off-the-chart with a mentality that is well beyond his years. Williams has shown flashes of being a skilled and instinctual defender as well.

Young and his staff have prided themselves on being NBA ready with the talent coming to Provo. Williams would be no exception. The philosophy has become part of the Cougars' basketball culture. It's how they conduct business and a major reason why Dybantsa chose Provo to be his college home. Young has proof with Dybantsa and Egor Demin as previous NBA lottery picks. Bruce Branch III and Rob Wright III will be trying to duplicate the same success in 2027.

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Williams was the No. 1 recruit in the 2028 class until he reclassified to 2027. This pushed him back to No. 5 in next year's class. However, the talent stays the same. AJ is a do-it-all scorer and would be an incredible next-level player in Provo. Williams was part of Chris Paul’s AAU team, who has a very close relationship with BYU coach Kevin Young. AJ Dybantsa and Rob Wright attended one of Williams’ AAU events in the spring and saw him play. Could the beginning of another five-star in Provo?

Young and his staff have done an outstanding job molding players to be NBA prospects. Williams would be the next up in that process.