BYU just added a transfer linebacker from the Big 12

Published: Jan 13, 2026, 9:27 a.m. MST

Kansas State linebacker Jake Clifton prepares for a play during the 2023 season. After two seasons with the Wildcats, Clifton announced that he will take a pause from college football to serve a Latter-day Saint mission. Chandler Mixon, K-State Sports

Jackson has been writing about sports for the Deseret News since 2023.

BYU continues to bolster its linebacker room.

A day after Cal linebacker Cade Uluava transferred to the Cougars, the program announced that Jake Clifton of Kansas State will be heading to Provo as well.

Welcome to the Family, @JakeClifton2 🤙 pic.twitter.com/d995G51HBg
— BYU FOOTBALL (@BYUfootball) January 13, 2026

Clifton played the 2022 and 2023 campaigns with Kansas State — winning a Big 12 championship in 2022 — before putting his football career on hold to serve a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Jake Clifton is a dawg as well. A lot of good pickups in the last couple of days pic.twitter.com/luufyMNIzF
— Hemā Heimuli Jr. (@x_hems) January 13, 2026

In 18 games with the Wildcats, Clifton totaled 36 total tackles with two stops for loss.

Comments

Clifton, who originally hails from Owasso, Oklahoma, is the seventh transfer portal addition for the Cougars this offseason, joining Uluave, USC tight end Walker Lyons and others.

Who’s staying, who’s going: A look at how BYU’s 2026 roster is shaping up

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