"[Phoenix] Suns threw him the bag, but BYU kept him home": Fans react as Kevin Young signs new contract amid rumors of NBA return

BYU coach Kevin Young led the Cougars to a 26-10 (14-6 Big 12) record and the Sweet 16 of the 2025 NCAA Tournament during his first year at the helm. Young was the Phoenix Suns' assistant coach before he took the Cougars job last year.

Young was also a finalist for the Joe B. Hall National Coach of the Year Award which recognizes the best first-year Division I coach in the country. On Thursday, BYU announced Young's contract extension.

Kevin Young shared his excitement at developing talents in Provo after the news of his extension.

"My family and I have loved our first year at BYU, being surrounded by great people, at a great university with shared values," Kevin Young said. "I'm excited to continue to build a program based on trying to help young men prepare for the NBA, win at the highest level and do it at BYU.

"This is an exciting time for all of BYU Athletics with Brian Santiago recently being named athletic director. I look forward to continuing to work with Brian and am excited to be in lockstep with his leadership."

The Cougars put together a montage video posted on Instagram of Phoenix Suns players praising the work ethic of Young, who was an assistant at the organization between 2020 and 2021 before being appointed the associate head coach (2021-2024).

He was also one of the names linked with the Suns job after Mike Budenholzer was sacked in April before it was finally given to Jordan Ott.

College fans on Instagram had mixed reactions to Young's contract extension.

"Suns threw him the bag, but BYU kept him home! KYU," one wrote.

"Let's go KY!," another posted.

"KYU," one wrote.

"Lived up to all of the hype in year one. Incredible," another commented.

"THAT GUY. Keep stacking," one wrote.

"Holy chills," another posted.

Kevin Young backed by the BYU Cougars

Kevin Young lifted the BYU Cougars to their third Sweet 16 title last season. Ahead of next season, he has brought in the No. 13-ranked recruitment class in the country, according to ESPN.

The crown jewel of Young's recruitment class is the No. 1-ranked prospect in the country in the class of 2025, according to ESPN, AJ Dybantsa, who chose the Cougars over offers from the Kansas Jayhawks and the North Carolina Tar Heels.

According to Yahoo! Sports, the BYU Cougars spent $7 million to lure AJ Dybantsa to Provo. The Kevin Young project was further backed by spending $3.5 million on former Bayor Bears guard Rob Wright. Added to the Cougars' talented core are prospects Xavion Staton and Chamberlin Burgess.

About the author

Cabral Opiyo is a journalist who covers college sports at Sportskeeda. With work experience spanning over 10 years, Cabral is an avid follower of college football and basketball and what goes into making the perfect elite prospect. He brings the news as it happens and analyzes football games to a high degree of accuracy.

As a writer, he loves bringing to life historical and iconic moments with his writing, fueled by extensive and verifiable research, creating an image in the reader's eyes.

Cabral has been known to sneak away from a high-profile NBA game to catch an obscure college basketball game and is an avid re-watcher of Tim Duncan and San Antonio Spurs games from the 2000s.

UConn winning its first national title under Dan Hurley remains his best college sports moment. Cabral rates A'ja Wilson and Caitlin Clark as his favorite players due to their productivity and the Alabama Crimson Tide as his favorite college team.

In addition, Cabral follows football and is a huge Italian and Brazilian football fan. He has written about football for a decade and held a byline with Outside of the Boot Football.

Know More

Phoenix Suns Fans? Check out the latest Suns depth chart, schedule, and roster updates all in one place.

Edited by Bhargav