2023 4-Star Forward Keanu Dawes Talks BYU Offer

BYU’s 2022 roster is all but finalized, but BYU coaches continue to make offers and connections in the 2023 and 2024 recruiting classes.

The latest offer is 2023 4-Star Forward Keanu Dawes, who received an offer from BYU coaches Saturday.

The 6-foot-8 forward from Houston, Texas has been on BYU’s radar for sometime. Dawes is the nephew of former BYU big man Derek Dawes, who was a Cougar from 2000-2006. Keanu is also a member of the LDS faith. I spoke with Keanu a bit on Saturday about his BYU offer.

“I have been in contact with BYU since around April, maybe even earlier,” Keanu told me. “I’m pretty familiar with BYU since my uncle (Derek) played. He’s been wanting me to go there for as long as I can remember.”

Keanu went on to tell me about his plans to visit BYU.

“Official visit is kind of up in the air since I don’t have any dates set up at all yet, but I will definitely take an unofficial when I go back to Utah. Normally I go right after my last AAU tournament and stay there for a month before school starts.”

Keanu is rated a 4-star recruit by 247 Sports composite rankings and the number 108 rated recruit in the 2023 class. He is a late bloomer and has blown up in recruiting circles the last 6+ months or so. Dawes grew up playing guard, but a massive growth spurt projects him as a four at the college level with guard skills.

Keanu has offers from some top programs. Texas, Texas A&M, Stanford, Houston, Kansas State, Mississippi State, Nebraska, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech, Tennessee, TCU, UNLV, and others have all offered him.

BYU has a tall task ahead if they want to land Keanu, but the Big 12 inclusion, Keanu’s familiarity with the state of Utah, and connection to his uncle Derek all give BYU a shot here. The Big 12 will allow Keanu to play close to home multiple times a season if he chooses BYU. I expect Keanu’s recruitment to go into his senior and up to the early signing period in November.

You can watch highlights from Keanu below.