Five-star Bruce Branch III on arrival at BYU: ‘Feels good to be home’
Apr 30, 2026, 10:23 PM | Updated: 10:28 pm
PROVO – Bruce Branch III is the next five-star freshman to join the BYU basketball program.
The Gilbert, Arizona, native arrived on campus earlier this week as the spring term at Brigham Young University gets underway.
Since arriving in Provo, the McDonald’s All-American wing and member of Team USA in the Nike Hoops Summit has been happy with his choice.
“Feels good to be home,” Branch wrote on X.
He later added, “I actually feel the love, happy to be where I am wanted… Ready to work!”
I actually feel the love, happy to be where I am wanted… ✔️Ready to work! 💙🤍
— Bruce Branch III (@bkbranch3) May 1, 2026
Bruce Branch III arrives in Provo
There probably won’t be the workload that AJ Dybantsa experienced as a freshman star this past season at BYU on Branch next year. But there will be high expectations on the 17-year-old, who had the potential to become the No. 1 prospect in the 2027 class before reclassifying to 2026.
“I have spoken to AJ (Dybantsa) about my commitment to BYU,” Branch said in March at the McDonald’s All-American Game. “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.”
Third-year BYU basketball head coach Kevin Young is excited for the arrival of Branch as well.
“We are so excited to welcome Bruce and his family to BYU,” Young said. “Bruce is a high character young man. He plays the game the right way and knows how to win. His talent is undeniable on both ends of the floor, and we can’t wait to help develop his game and help put him in position to be great.”
New “Big 3” for BYU basketball?
Branch, who picked BYU over USC, could help form another “Big 3” with Kentucky transfer Collin Chandler and star point guard Rob Wright III. Wright returns after a brief visit to the transfer portal, where he explored an opportunity with Chandler’s former squad in Lexington.
The chemistry is already developing between Branch and Wright, if you take stock of TikTok dances. The five-star talents shared a TikTok on Rob Wright’s account from inside the Marriott Center Annex.
“Bruce on campus wit [sic] it,” wrote Wright III on his TikTok caption.
@robertwr1ght bruce on campus wit it #fypシ #byu #trending #duo #viral @Batman @BYU Basketball ♬ original sound – jacy🩵
The pairing has the potential to be dynamic, as Wright can be both a creator and a facilitator. For an excellent catch-and-shoot prospect like the 6-foot-7 Branch, that should lead to some great looks.
Getting after it on the glass
Branch is also an underrated rebounder. He was the only player in the Jordan Brand Classic who posted a double-double. It’s the area of his game that he takes the most pride in.
“I’d say my rebounding ability. If I can average a double-double a game, that’s good for me,” Branch said in March. “I wanna average 10 rebounds a game, I want to rebound. That’s one of the big things I want to keep doing with my career.”
Branch is ranked as the No. 7 overall prospect in the class of 2026 by the 247Sports Composite.
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.
