A key piece of BYU’s defense is coming back for 2024.
Linebacker Ben Bywater will return to the Cougars for his final season of eligibility, he announced in an Instagram post Friday afternoon.
After leading the team in tackles in both 2021 and 2022, Bywater was once again atop BYU’s tackling leaderboard with 32 after four games before suffering a season-ending shoulder injury against Kansas on Sept. 23. He had previously played all of 2022 with a torn labrum.
Bywater has appeared in 36 total games with 22 starts since arriving in the program in 2019, racking up 247 tackles with three sacks and three interceptions. The Olympus High product was named defensive MVP of BYU’s 24-23 New Mexico Bowl victory over SMU in 2022, where he made 11 tackles and snagged a 76-yard pick six.
The Cougars linebacking corps has already been depleted with the departures of top 2023 tacklers Max Tooley and AJ Vongphachanh, so Bywater’s decision to return is a major win for Jay Hill and his staff.
The sixth-year senior will lead a position group comprised of young talents in Harrison Taggart and Siale Esera, along with some solid additions from BYU’s signing day class earlier this week.