BYU is (not so) quietly assembling one of the best rosters in college basketball. The university, which is directly associated with the the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, has reportedly spent a lot of NIL money to do so.
However, both the school and the church want to clarify one very popular narrative surrounding the financial wealth that exists in Provo. In doing so, it also contradicted one of its most high-profile boosters. Somebody is lying.
BYU, which reached the Sweet 16 during the 2024-25 college basketball season, already looks to be even more loaded for next year. No. 1 overall recruit A.J. Dybantsa could’ve gone anywhere in the country. He chose to play for Kevin Young and will get paid a lot of money to do so.
Dominque Diomande signed with BYU out of the transfer portal at the end of March. The 6-foot-8 small forward joined the Washington program from France in the middle of last season and took a redshirt. Although he is still developing as a player, he has legit first round NBA Draft potential as part of this French wave.
With Egor Demin on his way out, the Cougars recently signed former Baylor guard Rob Wright III. He was considered the top-ranked point guard in the recruiting Class of 2024 and averaged 11.5 points and 4.2 assists per game as a freshman. It was perhaps the biggest move of the offseason.
According to multiple reports, the Wright deal will cost more than $3 million. Dybantsa rejects the narrative that he is going to receive $7 million to play one year for the Cougars but his deal is also valued at more than $3 million. Diomande also cannot be cheap.
Where is all of this money coming from? BYU Advancement Vice President Keith Vorkink, who spoke on behalf of the unversity, wants to be very clear that not even one single dollar is provided by the Church.
Just to be clear, because there are all sorts of strange narratives out there, I would just reiterate that there is absolutely no church or university financial support of any student-athlete agreements. Tithing will never be used to support our athletics department in any way, including revenue sharing with student-athletes.
— BYU Advancement Vice President Keith Vorkink, via Deseret News
For what it’s worth, I completely believe that is true. However, to say the Church does not have a role in the finances at BYU is like saying oil does not have a role in the finances at Texas A&M. I digress.
Vorkink also claims the numbers being reported in regard to Dybantsa, Wright, etc. are not accurate.
The numbers that are thrown around are not correct. It is hard for me to say on every single case, but what I have been seeing recently would not reflect the accurate situation for at least our participation in trying to recruit student-athletes to come to BYU.
— BYU Advancement Vice President Keith Vorkink, via Deseret News
This is where he loses me. Even if the dollar amounts are not accurate down to the exact penny, it is silly to deny that NIL money did not play a large role in their commitments. Especially after Paul Liljenquist’s comments at the beginning of February. He is one of the school’s most important boosters as the CEO of Focus Services, a $500 million company based out of Utah.
You’re not going to outbid us.
— Paul Liljenquist, via ESPN
Vorkink also says that is untrue. It is not the Cougars’ goal to win bidding wars.
Our belief is, and if you talk to coach Young, all the way up to our leadership, you will find that we have decided we are in the game, and we want to be competitive, but we don’t want to be a school where a student-athlete is choosing to come here predominantly because of the compensation they would be able to get through some NIL agreement. We want that choice to be driven by our distinctive mission and culture […]
We are in the game, but we won’t be the highest bidder in our philosophy.
— BYU Advancement Vice President Keith Vorkink, via Deseret News
I get what Vorkink is trying to say. He does not want BYU to be associated with NIL money. He wants BYU to associated with its core values. The university works hard to maintain its prestigious status. It holds itself to a high standard. Image is important.
To say these three high-profile athletes chose Brigham Young in part because of its culture is absolutely true. Mason Madsen, who played at Utah, gave high praise to the fans in Provo. There is a lot to like!
To say these three high-profile athletes chose Brigham Young in large part because of money is just silly. Let’s be real, Keith.