Brockton, Mass. native A.J. Dybantsa is considered by most the top prospect in the 2025 recruiting class. The superstar small forward committed to BYU on Dec. 10, 2024, in a relatively low-drama recruitment.
The NIL fund to pay the superstar? Well, it might have just come from Kentucky’s $6 million buyout for head Mark Pope.
How Mark Pope’s $6M Buyout Made AJ Dybantsa a BYU Cougar
BYU billed Kentucky $6 million for Mark Pope’s buyout last April, according to records obtained by USA Today’s The Courier-Journal.
BYU billed Kentucky $6 million for Mark Pope’s buyout. He had been under contract through 2027 in Provo. Making $5 million this year in Lexington: https://t.co/pe2VFQKMwj#BYUhoops #BYU
— Jake Hatch (Yawk) Utah Hockey Club Aficionado (@JacobCHatch) March 13, 2025
Kentucky athletics spokesperson Tony Neely and the university’s legal office confirmed that UK paid the invoice, the report said. The University of Kentucky said it did not pay a tax gross-up in addition to Pope’s buyout.
According to basketball insider Adam Zagoria, the Cougars turned right around and gave Dybantsa about $7 million in NIL, cementing their place among basketball powers. The deal reportedly includes a $4 million contract from shoe giant Nike.
“I mean, it was big. They brought it to my attention, me and my dad, and I was like, ‘Yo it’s Nike.’ Like opportunity like this, you’re signed, like my favorite players are signed to Nike, and I was like, I got to sign the Nike,” Dybantsa said on Podcast P with Paul George.
“Joining the Nike basketball family is huge. When I was asked, it was a no-brainer… Growing up, watching people that inspired me to wear Nike — to now being part of the same team is an opportunity I don’t take for granted. I can’t wait to see what we can mix up on and off the court.”
Dybantsa was awarded McDonald’s All-American honors in 2025
At $6 million, Pope’s buyout is not the largest for a men’s basketball coach — Wake Forest paid Danny Manning $14.7 million after firing him — but it is relatively high.
The Courier-Journal reported that the University of Georgia paid the University of Florida $1.25 million for coach Mike White in 2022, and Louisville paid the College of Charleston $1.1 million for coach Pat Kelsey.
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Pope is set to make $5 million in his first year as Wildcat head coach, not including incentives. Kentucky currently sits at No. 15 in the AP rankings and finished the season sixth in the SEC with a 10-8 record.
The Cougars sit at No. 15 in the polls and finished the season fourth in the Big 12 under new head coach Kevin Young, a four-win improvement over last year.
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