PROVO, Utah – BYU’s AJ Dybantsa has been named one of 10 semifinalists for the 2026 Jersey Mike’s Naismith Trophy Men’s College Player of the Year, the Atlanta Tipoff Club announced on Friday morning.
| 2026 Jersey Mike's Naismith Trophy Men's College Player of the Year Semifinalists | |||
| Name | School | Year | Position |
| Darius Acuff Jr. | Arkansas | Freshman | Guard |
| Cameron Boozer | Duke | Freshman | Forward |
| Jaden Bradley | Arizona | Senior | Guard |
| AJ Dybantsa | BYU | Freshman | Forward |
| Zuby Ejiofor | St. John's | Senior | Forward |
| Kingston Flemings | Houston | Freshman | Guard |
| Joshua Jefferson | Iowa State | Forward | Senior |
| Yaxel Lendeborg | Michigan | Forward | Graduate |
| Braden Smith | Purdue | Guard | Senior |
| Keaton Wagler | Illinois | Guard | Freshman |
The 6-foot-9 forward led the nation in scoring at 25.5 points per game, having scored in double figures in all 35 games as a Cougar, including 28 20-point performances and eight 30-point performances. His 894 points are the third-most scored by a freshman in NCAA Division I men’s basketball history.
He is one of four freshmen in NCAA Division I men’s basketball history to average at least 25.0 points and 6.0 rebounds per game while shooting 50.0 percent or better from the field.
The Big 12 Freshman of the Year broke 12 BYU freshman season records, including the scoring record that Danny Ainge had held since 1977-78. He also broke eight single-game freshman records, highlighted by his 43-point performance in a 91-78 victory over rival Utah at the Marriott Center.
AJ DYBANTSA NASTY DUNK 🤢pic.twitter.com/y2MTJ9nYIG
— TNT Sports U.S. (@TNTSportsUS) March 20, 2026
In Thursday’s setback to Texas in the NCAA Tournament, Dybantsa finished with 35 points and 10 rebounds, becoming just the second player this century to record that stat line. That is the second-most points scored in an NCAA Tournament game in BYU history. He scored 49.3 percent of BYU’s points in the setback, tied for the second-highest share of a team’s points by a Big 12 player in an NCAA Tournament game.