BYU needed to add depth to its backcourt around returning point guard Dallin Hall.
Now, head coach Kevin Young has it as BYU signed four-star guard Elijah Crawford out of the Brewster Academy in New Hampshire.
Crawford originally committed to Stanford. But when the Cardinal made a coaching change, Crawford decommitted and evaluated his options. He took a visit to BYU on Monday, hours before the recruiting dead period starts this week.
“We are so excited to welcome Elijah and his family to BYU,” Young said in a news release. “He’s an outstanding young man who’s had a great career at Brewster Academy, one of the best high school programs in the country. As one of the best point guards in his class, his ball-handling and playmaking fit perfectly into our program. We look forward to helping him grow his game in Provo.”
Other schools reached out to Crawford. Kansas, Louisville and Wake Forest were in touch, he told Yahoo Sports last weekend.
But when Crawford entered the portal, BYU was always a strong possibility. Young hired former Stanford assistant coach Brandon Dunson on his staff. Dunson was part of the Stanford staff for the last two years and helped recruit Crawford in the first place.
Dunson is seen as a strong recruiter. He helped Stanford reel in Andrej Stojakovic, an All-American in high school. He was also on the Nevada staff when Eric Musselman built an NCAA Tournament contender.
Crawford fills a need for Young as the roster nears finalization. In the backcourt, BYU only had one proven, Big 12-level guard in Hall. Behind him, Young was working with Dawson Baker and Trey Stewart.
Baker is coming off a season-long foot injury last year — although he was very productive as a mid-major player before that. Stewart has never logged significant minutes and is limited offensively.
Crawford is 6-foot-1 and viewed as one of the top point guards in the 2024 class. He was the ninth-rated point guard in the country, according to 247Sports composite rankings. He was the second-best player to come out of New Hampshire this year.
Crawford will be paired with fellow freshman Brody Kozlowski in this upcoming class. Both committed to BYU after Young arrived. Kozlowski was originally committed to USC before a coaching change.
The Crawford signing brings BYU to nine scholarship players out of the possible 13. Last year, the Cougars only used 12 of the 13 spots. So Young needs to add at least three more players, with room for four.
At the moment, the scholarship distribution is more heavily concentrated on guards. Adding at least one more impact player to the frontcourt should be a priority as Young fills out the roster.
Roster Overview:
Point Guards: Dallin Hall, Dawson Baker, Trey Stewart, Elijah Crawford
Shooting Guards: Trevin Knell
Forwards: Brody Kozlowski, Richie Saunders
Centers: Keba Keita, Fousseyni Traore