4-star center Xavion Staton is committed to BYU Basketball

BOOM. BYU added a high-profile contributor to its 2025 recruiting class when 4-star Xavion Staton committed to BYU on Monday night. Staton chose BYU over fellow finalists Michigan, Stanford and hometown UNLV. Xavion committed after an official visit to BYU last weekend.

According to 247 Sports' composite rankings, Xavion Staton is BYU's highest-rated recruit in the ratings era in 25 years. Egor Demin was rated 5 stars by 247 Sports himself, but did not receive an overall rating because not every recruiting agency rated him.

The 7-foot tall man and Las Vegas native is ranked as the No. 23 player in the country according to 247 Sports and has a real chance to be named a McDonald's All-American. Many consider Staton to be the best rim protector in his class and his offensive game is rapidly improving. A scout I spoke to compared him to DeAndre Jordan for his ability to play rim run, play pick and roll and protect the rim. Kevin Young has said multiple times that he wants a rim-running five, and Xavion fits the bill perfectly. Xavion envisions an NBA player who could leave BYU after one year due to his positive attributes, but I expect him to stay for several seasons.

BYU's NBA development pitch, zero opportunities and distance from home were all factors in signing Xavion. BYU made Xavion's NBA development difficult; During his official visit, BYU showed a slide with the 31 lottery picks Kevin Young coached in the NBA. Additionally, Xavion has four younger siblings at home in Las Vegas, and easy transportation was a factor he considered in his recruitment.

Xavion fills a big need for BYU and gives Kevin Young another NBA first-round talent to work with. Fousseyni Traore graduates after this season and Xavion will team up with Keba Keita (who will play at senior level) to form the one-two punch in the midfield spot next season. Xavion is exactly 7 feet tall and fits exactly what Kevin Young wants at the center position. He needs to get stronger and might struggle against physical 5-men as a rookie, but he has all the tools to be selected in the first round of the NBA Draft. This season he has even started to develop a three-point shot.

You can check out Xavion's highlights below.