On a day the football program landed the highest-rated recruit in school history, the Kansas State basketball team learned it was out of the running for its 2025 prize addition.

According to 247 Sports, No. 1 prospect A.J. Dybantsa has ruled out playing for the Wildcats next season. He trimmed his top four list to Alabama, Brigham Young, Kansas and North Carolina. K-State was in the running after Dybantsa took an official visit in late August.

Dybantsa, who plays at Utah Prep, had plenty good things to say about Jerome Tang and the campus, but now has other plans. The news came the same day coach Chris Klieman and the Wildcats’ football program celebrated the signing of five-star tight end Linkon Cure, who chose K-State ahead of No. 1 ranked Oregon.

The `Cats basketball team loses out on Dybantsa, who is already projected as the top pick in the 2026 NBA Draft by most scouting services. It didn’t help the Wildcats have struggled at the start of this season with a 6-2 record, the two losses coming at home to LSU and against Liberty in the Virgin Islands.

They return to action Saturday against St. John’s in New York.

MOTT NAMED CONFERENCE’S TOP D-LINEMAN

Defensive lineman Brendan Mott headlines the list of Wildcats to earn All-Big 12 honors, which were released Thursday.

Mott was the only first-team selection. He was also named Defensive Lineman of the Year.

Tight end Garrett Oakley and offensive linemen Easton Kilty and Sam Hecht joined running back DJ Giddens on the offensive Second-team. Defensively, the Wildcats were represented by linebacker Austin Romaine.

Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Kansas State On SI. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com

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