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Recruiting in college is 80% of the job and reloading after losing personnel is a necessity. It appears BYU’s basketball and football programs have addressed this at a high level this winter.
Kevin Young has freshmen AJ Dybantsa and Xavion Staton on campus working out and going to classes, and they are impressive. Kalani Sitake‘s staff has surgically operated the transfer portal to fill needs with projected high-level talent. Both coaches are using new NCAA recruiting protocols to their advantage and the trajectory is upward, much to the chagrin of opponents.
In this piece, Jay Drew speculates on what BYU’s NFL draft prospects will look like in 2026 as the Cougars are projected to be a top-15 football team by some preseason polls.
Question of the week
What do you make of the recent flurry of recruit signings?
Dave McCann: BYU football and basketball are in a unique place where each program is positioned to be able to sign the kids and replace the ones who left with players who are comparable or even better. This is a sign of strength that they haven’t always had, but with it now, they are surging forward. Both programs are coming off impressive and overachieving seasons. Football went 11-2 and finished 13th in the rankings. Basketball reached the Sweet 16 and also finished ranked No. 13.
The winning has bolstered player confidence, strengthened fan involvement with NIL and sent expectations soaring for next season.
As a result, the coaches are getting what they need. In just the last week, Kalani Sitake added Oklahoma State defensive tackle Justin Kirkland, quarterback Bear Bachmeier and receiver Tiger Bachmeier from Stanford. Each will play a significant role at BYU before their time is up.
The gains, that also include Utah defensive tackle Keanu Tanuvasa, offset the offseason losses of linebacker Harrison Taggart and receiver/kick returner Keelan Marion. The Cougars are primed to take the field in August as a better unit than the one that routed Colorado 36-14 in the Alamo Bowl.
Kevin Young’s recent signing of Idaho guard Tyler Mrus is further evidence of BYU’s drawing power. Young needed a 3-point shooter to replace Trevin Knell so he went out and got one. Likewise, the added talents of Kennard Davis (Southern Illinois), Dominique Diomande (Washington) and Rob Wright III (Baylor), teamed with the returners and newcomers AJ Dybantsa and Xavion Staton, have national pundits thinking of BYU as a Final Four contender.
A few years ago, none of this was possible, but times have changed and the recent signings by both programs indicate the Cougars are in it to win it and they are positioned to stay that way for years to come.
Dick Harmon: It is evident BYU is capable of playing plug-and-play in recruiting these days. That wasn’t always — if ever — the case in basketball or football. Just after BYU lost kick returner/receiver Keelan Marion to Miami and linebacker Harrison Taggart to Cal, it flipped Stanford-bound four-star linebacker Nusi Taumoepeau and USU’s Max Alford. They also added Stanford WR Tiger Bachmeier and Weber State commit Reggie Frischknecht.
Departures on the defensive line? Jay Hill just added two giant tackles, Keanu Tanuvasa (Utah) and Justin Kirkland (Oklahoma State), two veteran, experienced Pac-12 and Big 12 contributors who will improve what an 11-2 team had defensively in the trenches in 2024. Need to beef up the tight end room? Sitake got Utah and UCLA’s Carsen Ryan to transfer and added New Mexico’s Keayen Nead. These are 260-pound monster blockers, and Ryan has breakaway speed as a route runner.
The climate of how to recruit in college has changed, and BYU has pivoted to take advantage of it at a high level. I spoke to Ryan’s family, who told me they were surprised at what they learned about BYU upon visiting with recruiters, and they are from Utah County.
BYU is selling aspects of the school and alumni connectivity that a lot of people don’t know about. They were also very impressed by the culture, fan base in the stadium. Danielle Ryan, Carsen’s mother, said being in the Big 12 made a huge difference to Carsen. Some dominoes are falling into place for BYU recruiting, with much of it being resource support from the fan base and how recruiters are framing it.
Cougar tales
A giant defensive tackle, Justin Kirkland, announced his transfer to BYU from Oklahoma State. A short time later, two brothers named Bear and Tiger Bachmeier announced their transfer to BYU from Stanford. A sharpshooting guard, Tyler Mrus at Idaho, signed to join BYU’s basketball program.
From the archives
From the X-verse
- Young declares BYU is back (@BYUMBB)
- BYU hoops to play Clemson (@JonRothstein)
- Way-too-early poll has BYU No. 5 (@jeffborzello)
Extra points
- BYU players help in international goodwill (Deseret News)
- Former Cougar matches Babe Ruth feat (Deseret News)
- Fredette garners memory honor thread (Deseret News)
Fanalyst
Comments from Deseret News readers:
Jay Hill took a defense that was a laughingstock in 2022 and turned it into the best defense in the Big 12 in two years.
He did it without any NFL draftees or four- or five-star recruits or transfers. His top players, Glasker, Kelly, Batty and Robinson were hardly even recruited out of high school.
So now get out of your tiny bubble and show me all of the DCs in the country who have that kind of track record. Use facts to prove me wrong. The only thing I would concede is that he is one of the best DCs in the country because there are some others that might have a similar track record.
— Reagan_84
BYU’s very good D just got better. BYU might have best D line tandem in the Big 12 with Kirkland and Tanuvasa. Welcome back to Utah!
For all of u below who allege tampering.
- Please define tampering in the new transfer portal era.
- Please stop with the tampering allegations unless you can prove that BYU did something wrong. A random post by an upset OSU fan is not proof.
Top talent is attracted to top programs. And like it or not, BYU is/has become a top program in at least six different sports (including football) and the list is growing. That’s what attracted Kirkland to BYU, along with returning to his home state.
— CouganinTx
Up next
- May 7 | 6:30 p.m. | Softball | Big 12 championship | Houston | @ Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
- May 8 | 5 p.m.| Baseball | Kansas | @ Lawrence, Kansas
- May 9 | 5 p.m. | Baseball | Kansas | @ Lawrence, Kansas
- May 10 | Noon | Baseball | Kansas | @ Lawrence, Kansas
- May 12 | 8 a.m.| Men’s Golf | NCAA Regionals | @ Reno, Nevada