BYU signs Young to extension after first year

BYU men's basketball coach Kevin Young has signed a new long-term contract extension with the program, the team announced Thursday.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The extension comes on the heels of a Sweet 16 run in Young's first season and the arrival of freshman A.J. Dybantsa, a potential No. 1 NBA draft pick.

Young's extension is the latest investment by BYU into its men's basketball program.

The first season under Young, who replaced Mark Pope when he left for Kentucky, was a resounding success. The Cougars went 26-10 and finished third in the Big 12 regular-season standings at 14-6. Young was named a finalist for the Joe B. Hall National Coach of the Year Award, given to the top first-year head coach in Division I after leading the Cougars to the Sweet 16 for just the third time in program history.

"My family and I have loved our first year at BYU, being surrounded by great people, at a great university with shared values," Young said in a statement. "I'm excited to continue to build a program based on trying to help young men prepare for the NBA, win at the highest level and do it at BYU. This is an exciting time for all of BYU Athletics with Brian Santiago recently being named athletic director. I look forward to continuing to work with Brian and am excited to be in lock step with his leadership."

Young added to his success by securing ESPN's No. 1 recruit in the 2025 class, Dybantsa, who picked BYU over Alabama, North Carolina and Kansas. Dybantsa is the centerpiece of the No. 13-ranked recruiting class in ESPN's rankings that includes ESPN 100 center Xavion Staton (No. 55) and four-star big man Chamberlin Burgess.