Bruce Branch III, the No. 6 recruit in '26 class, commits to BYU

With AJ Dybantsa's likely one-and-done season at BYU nearing its end with March Madness starting in the next few weeks, BYU had to find its next young star.

On Tuesday the Cougars found their answer for that hole.

Prolific Prep (Fort Lauderdale, FL) five-star small forward Bruce Branch III announced his commitment to the Cougars. His decision comes a little over a month after he visited Provo for an official and picked up an offer from the Cougars.

Branch held offers from several notable programs such as Arizona, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisville and several others.

Acccording to 247Sports, the 6-foot-7, 190-pounder ranks as the No. 6 player and No. 2 small forward in the 2026 class. He reclassified up to the 2027 class, where he was ranked No. 1 overall.

Branch is the fifth pledge in BYU's 2026 class, with the four others having already signed. That class includes four-star small forward Dean Rueckert, four-star JUCO combo guard KJ Perry, G League Abdullah Ahmed and power forward Will Openshaw.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY High School Sports Wire: Elite small forward Bruce Branch III adds to BYU's 2026 class