AJ Dybantsa, Richie Saunders and Rob Wright III are appropriately coined BYU basketball’s “Big 3″ — and arguably, they are the most dynamic trio playing on any college court in America. Watching Dybantsa’s steal, Wright’s circus-like assist and Saunders’ 3-point shot — all in five seconds of home-court bliss against Arizona State — solidified their headlining act as a “must see.”
This is their time, and along with their teammates, they share the same goal to take BYU to where it has never been before — the Final Four. January is still a long way from March Madness and even further from the early April national semifinals, but the opportunity to get there has never felt closer.
Even as Dybantsa, Saunders and Wright raise the roof at the Marriott Center, a second Big 3 is formulating just down the road at LaVell Edwards Stadium with Bear Bachmeier, LJ Martin and Parker Kingston. This trio means just as much to BYU football, and they too have plans to take the Cougars to a new place — the 2026 College Football Playoff.
Recent run-it-back announcements by all three have all but assured the Cougars’ national presence will be back too. Next week’s final AP Top 25 could have BYU (12-2) as high as No. 10 and with the Big 3 back in place, the Cougars’ standing in the 2026 preseason poll in August should be similar.
Much like their basketball counterparts, Bachmeier, Martin and Kingston deliver. Combined, the trio has produced 8,679 total yards of offense and 68 career touchdowns.
As a true freshman, Bachmeier threw for 3,033 yards and 15 touchdowns, while running for a program quarterback record 11 TDs. He was crowned as the Big 12 Offensive Freshman of the Year and earned MVP honors at the Pop-Tarts Bowl.
During his junior season, Martin led the Big 12 in rushing with 1,305 yards and 12 touchdowns. He hit those marks and earned Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year accolades despite suffering a shoulder injury at Iowa State on Oct. 25. The 6-foot-3, 220-pound battering ram ran through the pain to lead the Cougars into their first Big 12 championship game.
Postseason surgery sidelined Martin for the Pop-Tarts Bowl but he is expected to be full-go for his senior season. Pausing on pursuing the NFL also has Martin in position to make history. With 1,361 yards this fall, the El Paso, Texas, product can become BYU’s all-time leading rusher.
Kingston is the only player in Cougar lore to throw a touchdown pass (3), catch a touchdown (7), rush for a touchdown (3) and return a punt for a touchdown (3). At 5-11 and 185 pounds, he is a diet Taysom Hill, but just as tough.
They may not do it in the same flurry as basketball’s Big 3 with a steal, assist and 3-point shot in five seconds, but football’s Big 3 can hold their own. Bachmeier handed the ball to both Martin and Kingston for touchdowns. He has also faked handoffs and ran in his own touchdown. In addition, Bachmeier has thrown touchdown passes to Kingston and Kingston has thrown a touchdown pass to Martin.
Almost as important as their joint production is the fact they have also learned to produce when one of the three is having an off day.
- During Kingston’s injury-hampered start to the season, Bachmeier and Martin carried the load. Martin rushed for 342 yards and a touchdown in the first three games. During the same time, Bachmeier ran or threw for eight touchdowns.
- When Martin was knocked out of the Iowa State game, Kingston responded with seven receptions for 133 yards and two touchdowns.
- When Bachmeier was off-target at Cincinnati (15 for 25, 127 yards), Martin delivered a career high of 222 yards rushing with two touchdowns.
- When Martin sat out the Pop-Tarts Bowl as he recovered from surgery, Bachmeier, playing on a sprained ankle, threw for 325 yards and a touchdown. Kingston amassed 76 receiving yards and also rushed for a touchdown.
There were many reasons why No. 4 Texas Tech defeated BYU twice, but it didn’t help that two of the Big 3 were banged up when they did. Martin’s shoulder injury limited him in the first meeting in Lubbock and Bachmeier’s sprained ankle on BYU’s first drive in the Big 12 championship game curtailed the Cougars’ chances in the rematch.
Getting healthy and staying healthy is the mission for the offseason and it will remain critical this fall to keep Bachmeier, Martin and Kingston, and their strong supporting cast, on the field. Together, they will be a tough trio to take down.
In addition, a third Big 3 is coming together on the BYU defense with the return of senior linebacker Isaiah Glasker, senior tackle Keanu Tanuvasa and senior corner Evan Johnson.
Glasker has 23 tackles for loss, eight sacks and five interceptions during his first three seasons. Including his time at Utah, Tanuvasa has 16½ tackles for loss with six sacks in his 33 career starts, and Johnson leads all the Cougars on the current roster with seven interceptions, including the game-saving grab against Georgia Tech.
Among the ties that bind basketball’s Big 3 together with football’s “Super 6” is the potential to go where the Cougars have never gone before. Also, and most importantly, the fact that, with options to go elsewhere, all nine chose BYU — and in the cases of Saunders, Bachmeier, Kingston, Martin, Glasker, Tanuvasa and Johnson, they each chose BYU a second time.
Dave McCann is a sportswriter and columnist for the Deseret News and is a play-by-play announcer and show host for BYUtv/ESPN+. He co-hosts “Y’s Guys” at ysguys.com and is the author of the children’s book “C is for Cougar,” available at deseretbook.com.