When Timpview High four-star wing Dean Rueckert chose BYU over Utah, Clemson and Stanford on Monday, it signaled a significant boost in Kevin Young’s designs to make BYU a top-10 basketball program.
Rueckert is Young’s first commitment in the class of 2026 after monster gains in the transfer portal and the signing of projected No. 1 NBA draft pick AJ Dybantsa in the class of 2025.
What does it mean for BYU basketball?
It means momentum.
Question of the week
Question of the week: With the addition of ESPN Top 70 recruit and Utah’s No. 1 prospect in the class of 2026, Dean Rueckert of Timpview High, what does this local addition say about Kevin Young’s recruiting at this point in time?
Jay Drew: It probably wasn’t an absolute necessity for second-year BYU basketball coach Kevin Young to land four-star prospect Dean Rueckert out of nearby Timpview High, but in some circles it might have been viewed as a bit of a setback if Young hadn’t signed the local, given the coach’s unbelievable recruiting success since he arrived in Provo some 16 months ago.
Rueckert, a 6-foot-8 small forward who is ranked as the No. 68 prospect in the country in the class of 2026, has not always been a slam dunk for BYU, according to several sources who follow local prep recruiting much more closely than I do. So Young should be credited for doing what was necessary to get the young man in Cougar blue.
What was necessary was winning, which is and always will be the surest way to get local recruits, especially those with offers from the other top in-state programs, Utah and Utah State. Rueckert is probably one of those kids who wouldn’t have chosen BYU if the Cougars were still in the West Coast Conference. So BYU’s Big 12 membership almost certainly was a factor as well.
Rueckert is Young’s first commit from the 2026 class, and one of those guys who should be able to immediately contend for playing time because he can shoot the basketball with the best of them. At that level, shooting is at a premium.
Lest he become another Kanon Catchings, he should continue to focus on improving his defense, a weakness that ultimately kept Catchings off the court in Young’s system.
Dick Harmon: One of the pillars of BYU’s athletic department is to recruit and add the best talent from those who are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Of course, BYU will not get them all, but with the commitment of five-star QB Ryder Lyons and now Rueckert, that emphasis is partially fulfilled in major sports in the class of 2026.
It would have been an embarrassment to add five-star elite players like AJ Dybantsa and Robert Wright III and then lose a four-star like Rueckert, who is literally across the street. It is also interesting that Kentucky’s Mark Pope may have avoided recruiting Timpview after former Thunderbirds Jake Wahlin and (former Cougar) Hunter Erickson ended up at Utah during his tenure in Provo.
Rueckert is an elite shooter who can handle the ball at 6-8 and plays above the rim. He’s a perfect addition for Kevin Young’s uptick in adding athletic drivers and finishers because he can put it up from beyond the arc and put it on the floor and attack the rim.
He’s smart, with a great feel for the game. His confidence level is off the charts. After hitting the weight room and getting stronger so he can hold off defenders on screens and be a factor on the pick-and-roll, he’ll definitely be a future star — a Tyler Haws with height, or a faster, more nimble Kevin Nixon.
What this signals is Young can deliver the local star and get in the conversation with the elite on a national level. No wonder the Marriott Center sold out for this season. The student section (ROC) sold out in an hour. It’s a whole new world and BYU fans want a part of it. The momentum Young has created is unprecedented.
Cougar tales
Fall football camp entered its second week in preparation for the season opener against Portland State. Here is a collection of our camp story headlines:
- Could this defense be better than 2024? (Jackson Payne)
- Where BYU and Utah rank in preseason coaches poll (Brandon Judd)
- A-Rod will slow cook his QB decision (Dick Harmon)
- Retzlaff departure causes expectations to drop (Jay Drew)
- What QB candidates say about the competition (Deseret News)
- Sione Moa anxious to prove himself (Deseret News)
- LJ Martin wants to pick right up from bowl game (Deseret News)
From the archives
From X-verse
Extra points
- This local QB decommits from BYU (Deseret News)
- Retzlaff praises BYU teammates, coach (Deseret News)
Fanalysts
Comments from Deseret News readers:
Another 4* recruit coming our way … this is just getting routine.
— WalkerTexasRanger
The freight train is running with no brake! Another stellar 4*!!! Is this really real?!
— RR
“BYU’s defense was the best in the Big 12 in 2024. Could this year’s edition be better?”
Last year, BYU won games because of the defense, and them getting turnovers, creating short-field situations. The offense was a near basement-dweller in almost every stat. For the first time in a long time BYU has been able to rely on its defense to win games, and score points.
Considering BYU’s continuing mediocre offense, and QB play, the team will be even more reliant on the defense.
Hiring Jay Hill has been BYU’s most important coaching addition since ... Bronco.
— Majmajor
Up next
- Aug. 6 | 8 p.m. | women’s soccer | Southern Utah
- Aug. 9 | 7 p.m. | women’s soccer | Utah Tech
- Aug. 14 | 7 p.m. | women’s soccer | Minnesota
- Aug. 18 | 7 p.m. | women’s soccer | Cal Poly