The defensive play call most loved by BYU’s new transfer linebacker Cade Uluave?
The former top Cal and ACC star defensive player says it is the job of spying the quarterback.
He loves the assignment of mirroring and containing — and hitting — quarterbacks.
Call it going after a pop bottle with a bazooka.
Uluave (6-foot-1, 235 pounds) and Kansas State transfer Jack Clifton (6-2, 231) are a pair of transfers BYU brought in during the 2026 cycle to shore up its defense.
Asked what he brings to the table, Uluave said, “The one thing that I think has helped me a lot is my motor. I’m just a high-motor guy that is always getting to the ball, redirecting, making tackles, taking good angles.
“That’s something I’ve kind of always been naturally good at and have God-given talent for doing. I’m not the tallest guy, so sometimes it helps to be a little stockier and be able to sit in gaps and stuff,” he continued. “I think I can cover too, but if you are pushed to single out something I like to do and a thing I can do — it’s blitz, get after the quarterback. I love to get after the QB and bring pressure, create havoc in the backfield.”
Late-season tape of Uluave at Cal shows that almost all Uluave did was spy the quarterback. “And we had a lot of success doing it. So, any tie where you can just play free and fast and just get to the ball is my bread and butter.”
The former Mountain Ridge High star was first-team ACC last year and had 26 starts for the Cal Bears. He was the Pac-12 Defensive freshman of the year in 2023.
With Uluave, Clifton and incoming freshman defensive end Braxton Lindsey, defensive coordinator Kelly Poppinga has a unique infusion of talent to go with returning defensive stars Isaiah Glasker and Siale Esera in the linebacker corps.
Uluave said the defense has work to do to be more consistent, “the same guys day after day,” but he declared, “I’ve never been part of a defense that has this much talent.”
As a whole, Uluave calls BYU’s defense “legitimate.”
“I’ve played with some phenomenal players at Cal that have played and are playing in the NFL, but I think overall, as a whole, this defense is going to turn heads, it is legit. So, we are super excited.”
Asked what will pop about this defense when the season begins, Uluave kept it simple.
“I think the defense is going to get off the field. I mean, being more specific, I think we’re going to get after the quarterback pretty well. I think with Coach Pop and his defensive style, he wants to put pressure on the quarterback and get after him.
“That means on the back end you’ve got to cover and we have the dudes to cover, and that makes me super excited. Our pressure is going to make him either throw some bad passes that could be interceptions or just, you know, get off the field.”
Conversely, Uluave believes the offense will stay on the field a lot, completing long drives, thus cutting down the time the defense needs to defend.
“Across the field, it’s stacked.”
Uluave left Cal in what he said was a tough call. His position coach left, and when head coach Justin Wilcox, whom Uluave was very close to, was fired, he felt it was time to move on. He had known Poppinga when he was coaching at Boise State, so it was easy to listen to Poppinga’s pitch when they reconnected.
The Cougars have work cut out for them this coming season, proving that they can keep up with Texas Tech, the only team to beat them in a 12-win season.
Uluave plans on being part of the solution.
