End of Summer Notes: BYU class of ‘26
While we wait for AJ during the next month, let's imagine what next fall could bring.
The class of 2026 represents the first class that this coaching staff was able to recruit full circle. They were in place to contact these guys on June 15th after their sophomore years. These players will be able to see what a Kevin Young BYU team looks like on the floor before committing to visits. The Cougars have offered four of the top 25 players in the country. Likely more than a year from their decisions here are some known targets for BYU in the class of ‘26:
Ikenna Alozie (6’2”, Glendale, AZ, Dream City Christian)
Alozie’s athleticism put coaches on notice this summer. Alozie led the Utah Prospects in scoring on their run to the 17U Adidas National Championship. He’s a rim attacking guard who had a handful of dunks this summer that sent social media buzzing. He’s ranked as the number 12 player in the class by ESPN. He won the “Underclassman MVP” at the Adidas All American camp. His offers iinclude Arizona, Alabama and Houston. Proximity should help the Cougars as he plays high school ball in Arizona and club with a Utah team.
Miikka Muurinen (6’9”, Jarvenpaa, Finland, AZ Compass Prep)
Muurinen rose more than 40 spots in the ESPN rankings after having a huge summer and is ranked as the number 5 player in the class. He competed as part of the Finland Men’s National Team during Olympic qualifying. He was the only incoming junior invited to the SLAM Magazine Summer Classic at Rucker Park. He scored 21 points and made 4 three pointers in the championship game as his Brad Beal Elite 16U team won the title at the Peach Jam. BYU offered him early in the summer before many of the other blue blood programs joined in. Murrinen recently returned from a visit to Utah and has a visit to Duke and others this fall.
Brandon McCoy Jr. (6’4”, Bellflower, CA, St. John Bosco)
McCoy is the number 2 player in the class. McCoy has won two gold medals as part of the US 17U FIBA National teams the last two summers. He was one of the leading scorers in the EYBL this past summer despite being an incoming junior. He’s thought of as the number 1 point guard in the class, but has the height and athleticism to play various positions. He lists nearly 30 offers on his instagram including BYU, but has not commented about any visits. McCoy likely knows Jamyn Sondrup, as both spent time on AZ Unity 15U team in the summer of 2023.
Cameron Holmes (6’5”, Goodyear, AZ, Millenium)
Homes is currently ranked 25th in the class by ESPN. Holmes is the younger brother of Denver Nugget DaRon Holmes II. In this summer’s Section 7 tournament Holmes had 28 points and 10 rebounds in the quarterfinal and 22 points and 5 rebounds in the Championship game. Holmes has many offers including Kansas and Tennessee.
Dean Rueckert (6’6”, Provo, UT, Timpview)
Rueckert lives down the street from campus and might turn out to be one of the best players to ever come out of Utah. After leading Timpview in scoring in the State Championship game as a Freshman, Rueckert has continued his rise and is ranked as the 44th best player in the country by 247. Rueckert’s jumping ability stands out, but he also has the ability to knock down threes. He was named a “notable performer” at this summer’s Adidas All-American Camp. He was selected to represent Utah at the Simply Bball 3 on 3 tournament hosted at the Mall of America. He recently returned from a visit to Washington and continues to be in contact with Kentucky.
Maximo Adams (6’7”, Gardena, CA, Sierra Canyon)
Adams, from California, is the 35th ranked player in the class. He is the younger brother of former Cougar Marcus Adams, who spent one season with the program. In this video Adams displays a high level midpost game. He’s able to bump and shoot over defenders. Adams holds offers from other Big12 programs like Kansas and Kansas St. and gave an interview in which he mentioned Syracuse being in the mix. He hasn’t commented publicly on any visits.
Darius Bivins (5’10”, Alexandria, VA, Bishop O’Connell)
Bivins is a playmaking point guard currently ranked 51 in the class. Thought of by many as the top point guard on the Adidas circuit during the summer. BYU offered him before he finished his sophomore year of school. Bivins possesses an elite ability to change direction. Bivins has more than 30 offers including Georgetown and Stanford.
Anthony Felisi (6’5”, Orem, UT, Utah Prep)
Felisi recently played in Shanghai with his Utah Prep team that features a couple of BYU targets in the class of ‘25. Felisi, ranked by 247 as the number 75 player in his class, is a high octane wing who can get to the hoop. Felisi recently released a list of five schools that have stood out early in his recruiting. The list included BYU as well as Houston and Kentucky.
Junior County (6’6”, Highland, UT, Utah Prep)
County is an attacking wing who played this summer with the 16U Utah Prospects. He plays high school ball at Wasatch Academy and is ranked as the number 77 player in the class by 247. He also holds offers from Purdue and Houston.
Jamyn Sondrup (6’9”, Springville, UT, Springville)
Sondrup has been one of the best bigs in Utah since his freshman year. His national coming out party came this summer in which he matched up with BYU ‘25 target Xavion Staton. Sondrup had two shots loudly blocked, but also had 23 points and 7 rebounds against one of the best defensive bigs in the country. Sondrup recently returned from a visit to Washington and has an offer from Purdue.