On Monday night, four-star recruit and Las Vegas native Xavion Staton joined Kevin Young and the BYU basketball program. Staton received more than 30 offers during his recruitment but chose the Cougars over finalists UNLV, Arizona, USC, Stanford and Michigan. It’s been a three-team race between UNLV, Michigan and BYU the last few weeks. Staton also received offers from Creighton, Auburn, Illinois, Kansas, Ohio State, Texas, Texas A&M, Xavier, Washington and Miami, among others. New BYU head coach Kevin Young and his staff have built enough of a reputation and relationship with Staton to emerge as the favorite for all of these major programs.

Staton is ranked as the 23rd-best prospect nationally and the second-best center in the country by 247Sports. He is the top basketball player in the state of Nevada in the 2025 recruiting class. He is a high four-star recruit who is working toward five-star status.

Staton is listed at 6’11, according to 247Sports, but is listed at 7’1 and 210 pounds. The Cougars are a little short on size at fifth on BYU’s projected roster for the 2024-2025 season. Staton will fill that void in spades in 2025-2026; has the credentials to compete at the highest levels of college basketball.

What makes Staton the coveted player he is today is his athleticism and rim-protecting abilities. Most players his size are bulky and slow, especially in high school. Staton has the ability to move his feet, catch lobs and stay upright. He can shoot with one punch, but he will make his living at the rim.

Staton brings the type of athleticism to the frontcourt that BYU has rarely had in its history. He has legitimate NBA potential. If he can improve as a scorer under Kevin Young, he will have the makings of an NBA player.

Staton is part of the 2025 BYU basketball class that has the potential to be the best in school history and is one of the best recruiting classes in the country. The Cougars are also recruiting coveted players AJ Dybansta and JJ Mandaquit. There are already commitments from Staton and four-star Chamberlain Burgess. The commitments of all four of these players will yield 67.5 points. Last year that would have ranked second nationally behind Duke.

Kevin Young has completely changed the recruiting ceiling for the BYU basketball program. Staton is further proof of this.