BYU commit Bruce Branch III competes in 2026 McDonald’s All-American Game
Mar 31, 2026, 10:22 PM | Updated: Apr 2, 2026, 11:04 am
BYU basketball commit Bruce Branch III participated in the 2026 McDonald’s All-American Game.
It was the second consecutive year that BYU had a recruit in the nation’s most prestigious All-American game for high school basketball players.
@adidasBasketball /// x @McDAAG 🍔🍟 pic.twitter.com/hafzHJNMpI
— Bruce Branch III (@bkbranch3) March 30, 2026
Last season, AJ Dybantsa participated in the game that has a history dating back to 1977.
Branch, a Gilbert, Arizona native, was back in his home state. The 2026 McDonald’s All-American Game occurred in Glendale, Arizona.
McDonald’s All-American Game 2026: Team West 102, Team East 86
Branch, who was the youngest player on the floor in the 2026 class at 17 years old, was a starter for Team East. He closed out his high school career with Prolific Prep in Florida.
The rest of the starting five for Team East included Deron Rippey Jr. (Duke), Jordan Smith Jr. (Arkansas), Toni Bryant (Missouri), and Darius Ratliff (USC). Team West was headlined by No. 1 recruit Tyran Stokes. Branch got the defensive assignment against Stokes in stretches of the game.
But it was Stokes and Team West who came out on top in the game.
Team West defeated Team East 102-86.
Final stats for Bruce Branch III in the McDonald’s All-American Game
Branch finished the game playing 19 minutes, scoring seven points, grabbing four rebounds, having two blocks, and dishing out one assist.
Branch’s Prolific Prep teammate Caleb Holt, an Arizona Wildcats commit, earned Co-MVP honors in the game, along with Missouri signee Jason Crowe Jr.
Bruce Branch III prepares to play for BYU
During the ESPN broadcast on Tuesday night, the analysts Cory Alexander and Paul Biancardi noted that Branch wants to study engineering at BYU.
BYU commit Bruce Branch is preparing to play in the @McDAAG tonight.
Branch on committing to BYU: "Honestly, I'm just so thankful for them. And basically everyone in the BYU community." pic.twitter.com/IWRjRbHSs3
— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) March 31, 2026
Branch said earlier this week at the McDonald’s All-American Game media day that he has talked with BYU star AJ Dybantsa about his commitment to the Cougars.
“I have spoken to AJ (Dybantsa) about my commitment to BYU. Honestly, I’m just so thankful for them. Basically, everyone in the BYU community. They are very supportive, very respectful, very kind, and honestly, just making me more excited about committing here.”
Bruce Branch III is ranked as the No. 8 overall prospect in the class of 2026 in the 247Sports Composite rankings. 247Sports has him ranked No. 6 overall.
Branch was previously in the class of 2027, where he was viewed as a potential No. 1 recruit before he reclassified into the 2026 cycle.
Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for KSL and hosts the Cougar Tracks Podcast daily on KSL Sports YouTube and KSL NewsRadio (SUBSCRIBE). Harper also co-hosts Cougar Sports Saturday (12–3 p.m.) on KSL NewsRadio.
Follow Mitch’s coverage of BYU athletics in the Big 12 Conference on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram: @Mitch_Harper.
