When AJ Dybantsa chose Brigham Young University over other promising schools like Alabama, North Carolina, and Kansas, it came as a bit of a shock. A projected No. 1 overall NBA Draft pick in the future, BYU is where Dybantsa is spending his likely one year in college. The asking price, reportedly $5 million, and his already impressive NIL resume paints a nice picture. But analysts warn to read between the lines as well.

On The Field of 68: After Dark, Jeff Goodman discusses the perils of signing a 17-year-old with huge money, talented no doubt, but without ever stepping foot on a college court. “AJ Dybantsa, the number one player in the country, arguably…is probably gonna get 5 million plus, 6 million, 7 million at the end of the day to go to BYU. He has done zero,” Goodman says.

“He is talented as he–, super talented, he could be the overall No. 1 pick, but that is a ton of money to give to a kid who has not played one game in college.” Apart from that $5 million (or plus), Dybantsa also has a $4M Nike NIL deal in high school and another with Red Bull. On3 currently values him at $2.8 million but of course, that number will increase once he’s in college. Will it be worth it?

For Goodman at least, not really. “I’d much rather give it to a proven guy that has produced at the college level. Because I don’t know, number one, if AJ is gonna do it in college despite his oozing talent. And then it’s – do you have enough money to surround him with the right players that can win?” the journalist asks.

Dybantsa will only be a powerhouse addition to a strong BYU team but no matter the potential, Goodman asks, can the school guarantee his performance for that amount of money? The fact that the high school senior chose Brigham over blue blood schools was already a surprise.

But apparently it was not just the financial factor that drew Dybantsa.

All schools on AJ Dybantsa’s list matched the $5 million asking price

Former NBA agent Leonard Armato now leads the charge as AJ Dybantsa’s business adviser. Per CBS Sports, Dybantsa had already signed a national letter of intent with BYU on Nov. 20. To be noted – his father, Ace, attended the Alabama-North Carolina game two weeks ago on his own, fueling rumors. Both schools had their own interesting pitches to make but it seemed like the 17-year-old’s decision was already made.

“The money for every [school] was the same,” Armato told CBS Sports. “The decision wasn’t a money decision as much as it was a culture fit, a decision for the family, basketball, all those things that should be the determining factors. There was a certain money threshold, but once you got to that, it was about ‘how comfortable do I feel for me as a basketball player and my family.'”

It does allow the Utah native to stay local in what might be his only year in college basketball. His stock will only rise and already the highest-paid college basketball player, so to speak, is only going to rise up the charts from here on out. Question is, will he be able to match that with his talent on court?