Report: Utah Prep offered AJ Dybantsa's family lucrative deal while falling behind on bills, construction

Utah Prep Five-Star Plus+ small forward AJ Dybantsa is the nation’s No. 1 overall recruit in the basketball class of 2025. Now playing his final season of high school basketball, Dybantsa’s journey to the next level has stretched from coast to coast. At the center of it all is Utah Prep — a new private academy aiming at building a high school basketball empire.

Following his freshman season at Needham (Mass.) St. Sebastian’s, Dybantsa transferred to Napa (Calif.) Prolific Prep. After reclassifying from 2026 to 2025, Dybantsa then transferred to Utah Prep out in Hurricane, Utah.

Built on the site of Diamond Ranch Academy, which was forced to shut down by the state of Utah following the death of a student, Utah Prep rose from the ashes with staff from both Diamond Ranch and the former Real Salt Lake Basketball Academy.

Co-founder Brent Woodson — a BYU alum and New York businessman — was at the heart of the venture. Amid financial troubles for the school, The Salt Lake Tribune reports that Woodson aimed to bring in the country’s best basketball recruit — AJ Dybantsa — with hopes that the move would attract other world-class talents from around the country.

Speaking with Ace Dybantsa, AJ’s father, The Tribune reported that there were schools that offered the family over $1 million for AJ to play a single year of basketball. But in the end, Utah Prep won out with an offer for an ownership stake in the school and a $600,000 name, image and likeness deal.

According to The Tribune, Woodson hoped to build a school that rivaled the high school recruiting pedigree of IMG Academy. But those other top prospects haven’t yet followed Dybantsa, and the school was forced to halve its “unrealistic” $70,000 tuition.

Instead of building a high school basketball powerhouse, Woodson was forced out “after the school fell behind on construction and bills.”

The school struggled to build gyms, arenas and more. Utah Prep’s weight room still featured exposed wiring as recently as October, and it cut every sport but basketball.

Despite the turmoil surrounding the school, AJ Dybantsa is still playing his final season with Utah Prep. While he did not make a final decision on college before the early signing period concluded, Dybantsa could make a decision sometime this month. He is primarily looking at Alabama, BYU, Kansas State and North Carolina.

BYU is currently the favorite to land Dybantsa, according to the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine.