Arguably the best high school big man in the country is visiting BYU. According to sources, Obinna Ekezie Jr, a 7-foot center, will arrive at BYU today (Saturday) for an official visit. Dushawn London of 247 Sports was the first to reveal the news.
All of the major recruiting services rank Ekezie as a five-star prospect, with On3 ranking him as the second-best player in the 2027 class and 247 Sports Composite placing him fourth. Obinna is a high school junior, but sources tell me that he is seriously contemplating reclassifying to the 2026 class, which explains BYU’s visit this weekend. Last weekend, he visited Arkansas and recently completed a trip to Louisville.
BYU is looking for its starting center for next season, and Ekezie would fill that position. Ekezie is broadly regarded as a potential top ten pick in the NBA Draft due to his exceptional physical characteristics and potential. At 7-foot, with a 7-foot-3 wingspan and a 9-foot-4 standing reach, Ekezie is a two-way player who defends the rim and is flexible on offense. During NBA All-Star weekend, which included some of the greatest high school age prospects in the world, he was named the defensive NBA of the Basketball Without Borders camp.
Ekezie is still developing physically and with his game, and if he reclassifies to the 2026 class, he will have some learning curves against high major bigs. But he is a tremendous talent who would provide BYU with two possible top-ten selections in the 2027 NBA Draft, alongside Bruce Branch. He would give BYU an excellent rim protector, a fluid big man capable of guarding on switches, a finisher on lobs, and an emerging offensive game in which he has demonstrated the ability to put the ball on the floor and make outside shots. Ekezie is too old for his current grade, and he will turn 18 in May.
Obinna has offers from practically every university, but BYU, Arkansas, and Louisville seem to be the most likely destinations if he reclassifies to 2026. Obinna’s father studied in Maryland, and the university has been recruiting him for some time. Louisville has a lot of money, but he would most likely be a reserve there, and it appears that other institutions are ahead of them. BYU and Arkansas appear to be the two most likely candidates, but Kentucky may join the picture if they can secure a visit.
BYU can provide him with a route to plenty of playing time, playing alongside one of the finest point guards in the country, Rob Wright, and being surrounded by four shooters on the court, giving him room to maneuver on offense.
Center is the final important piece that BYU is lacking, and signing Ekezie would be a big plus for the team on the court next season. Furthermore, it would reinforce the narrative that Kevin Young is creating a location in Provo where the best high school players would want to train for the NBA.
He is the son of Obinna Sr, who played college basketball at Maryland before joining the NBA for five seasons.
