It didn’t take long for new BYU cornerback Tayvion Beasley to experience a little culture shock when he arrived in Provo two months ago, but it is probably not something most people would expect.
Beasley, the 5-foot-10, 180-pound redshirt junior, was surprised to learn that dozens of his new teammates are married, just like he is. Beasley and his wife, Tiana, who is also from the Los Angeles area, got married in February after his second season playing for the San Diego State Aztecs.
“Most guys here either have a girlfriend, or they are married,” Beasley told the Deseret News on Tuesday after the sixth practice of preseason training camp. “That was my biggest culture shock about coming to this place, actually. I have never been a part of a team where so many people are married. But it is cool. You even see some little kids around and all that. It’s great.”
A BYU football spokesperson said Thursday that between 25 to 30 players on this year’s roster are married, a number that is slightly down from previous seasons.
When Beasley talks about being a part of several teams, he’s speaking from experience. He’s also been at Jackson State, Colorado and SDSU.
“I’ve been around, seen a lot of interesting places,” he said, chuckling. “I haven’t seen anything crazy here yet. My brother (Terrance) played for Southern Utah, so I was already used to a lot of the Utah scene, knew what I was getting into.”
Beasley entered the transfer portal after redshirting at SDSU in 2023 and appearing in 12 games as a cornerback and special teams ace in 2024 on the Montezuma Mesa. He signed with BYU on May 12 and moved to Provo with Tiana on June 17.
BYU has had great success with cornerbacks out of the transfer portal recently, as Weber State’s Eddie Heckard and Marque Collins were outstanding additions the past two seasons. Beasley hopes he’s next in line as BYU attempts to replace Collins and Jakob Robinson, one of the best corners/nickels in program history who went undrafted in April but is currently trying to catch on with the San Francisco 49ers.
However, BYU’s cornerbacks room is deep and talented, led by veterans Evan Johnson, Jayden Dunlap and Mory Bamba and fast-rising sophomores Jonathan Kabeya, Therrian “Tre” Alexander, Marcus McKenzie and Kevin Doe. Beasley also played a little bit of safety for SDSU and Jackson State and could theoretically be used there.
“Everything is going great,” Beasley said. “I am adapting to coach Jay Hill’s defense, coming from San Diego State. I feel like I am catching on. I wouldn’t say it’s easy, but I love the intensity of all my brothers and how they play and how they move around.”
Beasley said he loves the family atmosphere in defensive passing game coordinator and cornerbacks coach Jernaro Gilford’s room, and says “everybody is treated the same” whether they are a projected starter or a walk-on.
“It is like we are all one big family. I love it,” he said. “We’re all competing for a spot. We don’t really know who’s going to start right now, but obviously the ones that played last year (are in the lead). But I feel like we’re all pushing each other, and we’re all getting better day to day.”
Beasley said BYU was actually the first school to offer him a scholarship, when he was a sophomore out of Bellflower, California, and playing for Southern California prep power St. John Bosco in 2019. He picked up offers from the likes of Michigan, Arizona, Oregon, USC and Arizona State before surprising some folks his senior year and picking Jackson State, an HBCU school in Mississippi coached at the time by Deion Sanders.
He made interceptions in his first and last games at JSU, with eight tackles, but when “Coach Prime” moved on to Colorado, Beasley followed him to Boulder. Beasley went through spring practices in 2023 at Colorado, but decided to hit the transfer portal after one semester there and eventually signed with SDSU.
“The talent level at Jackson State was pretty high, obviously, with (Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter) and a lot of great players there,” Beasley said. “I feel like the talent level here (at BYU) is similar, but better than (Colorado).
“Not to talk down on Colorado, but it wasn’t a family (feeling) there. The team wasn’t together,” he continued. “I feel like with this (BYU) team, there’s more togetherness. Football requires everyone playing together, everyone doing their 1/11th, and winning their individual battles for the sake of the team.”
When he jumped back into the transfer portal after two years at San Diego State, a lot of Big Sky schools reached out, along with FCS powerhouse North Dakota State. Gilford also contacted him on behalf of BYU, and lined up a visit in Beasley’s mother’s home in Los Angeles.
“When Coach G visited, that’s when I knew BYU was different,” Beasley said. “He didn’t talk that much about football. He talked more about life after football, and how BYU could prepare me for that. So, just life outside of football was (the emphasis). That really stood out to me.”
And to his mother, who quickly gave it her seal of approval.
“As soon as I got here, the corners, the coaches and everybody else made me feel welcome. They made me feel like I’m in their family,” he said. “I would go home and call my mom and say I don’t even feel like I’m a new guy here. They welcomed me with open arms, all throughout the community.”
Beasley said that because he went to a private religious high school, he was accustomed to mandatory religion classes, attending church services, and other faith-based elements that BYU embodies.
“I have already adapted to all that,” he said. “Coach G has taught me a lot about (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) although he isn’t (a member of that faith that sponsors BYU).
“They actually teach you how to be a grown man,” Beasley continued. “It isn’t like they teach you to be a good football player, send you to the league (NFL), and then forget about you if you don’t make it. They are still going to help you be successful, still get you somewhere. So it is more than football here, which is what I was looking for.”
