NCAA Basketball: Top-25 impact incoming recruiting classes entering 2024-25 season
12. BYU Cougars
The instantaneous impact of Kevin Young’s recruiting chops has not only been felt throughout the Big 12 but felt through the entirety of college basketball this offseason.
First-year head coach Kevin Young, who was previously the associate head coach of the Phoenix Suns, has made late-offseason splashes on the recruiting trail, quietly assembling a quality recruiting class to ensure that the BYU Cougars do not skip a beat after the departure of Mark Pope to Kentucky.
To begin, the Cougars will welcome incoming freshman Kanon Cutchings, a projected first-round pick who de-committed from Purdue in early June. The 6-foot-8 forward can score at all three levels and will surely make an instant impact in Provo.
In addition to Cutchings, BYU will welcome Egor Demin, a CG out of Real Madrid who recently found himself in the top 10 of ESPN’s latest mock draft.
Landing two projected first-rounders is quite the pull for Kevin Young, especially when it was late in the offseason. Even if BYU retained key talent in Richie Saunders and Dallin Hall while landing many key portal pieces, the Cougars' high-upside incoming recruiting class will ensure BYU remains competitive in the never-forgiving Big 12.