If Kalani Sitake and staff want to keep the momentum of a top-25 recruiting class in 2026, the coming weeks loom large as many four- and three-star recruits are making campus visits and deciding where they’ll play.
In this regard, BYU’s emphasis on signing high school athletes instead of reloading with a ton of portal transfers will be tested. Here is Jay Drew’s look at the importance of this summer recruiting cycle, which is featured in the archives label of this newsletter edition and involves an interview with national recruiting expert Brandon Huffman of On3.com.
Questions of the week
Cougar insider for 247Sports Jeff Hansen declared on BYUtv that the Cougars’ receiving corps has the most talent (star ranking) of any other position group. How do you see this and explain the relevance or lack of relevance for Fesi Sitake with departures, a retirement, and a suspension.
Jay Drew: Even before Cody Hagen announced that he was medically retiring from football, I expressed concern that the BYU receiving corps in 2026 lacked experience and depth. I’m sticking to those guns, even though experts such as Jeff Hansen of 247Sports and Casey Lindquist of Sports Illustrated have suggested otherwise.
Certainly, it remains a talented group — headed by JoJo Phillips, who has never quite lived up to expectations placed upon him on a yearly basis by offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick and passing game coordinator/receivers coach Fesi Sitake. If Phillips doesn’t break out in a big way in 2026, the Cougars are in trouble.
That said, Oregon transfer Kyler Kasper looked great in practice, and very well could become Bear Bachmeier’s go-to guy. Kasper didn’t do much at Oregon, but was highly recruited out of high school in Tucson, Arizona, and seemingly has all the stuff, on paper, at least, needed to thrive in Roderick’s offense.
As for this being the most talented position group of any at BYU, in terms of star rankings, I will take good ol’ fashioned experience and production over talent and potential any day of the week.
Tei Nacua, Tiger Bachmeier and Reggie Frischknecht have golden opportunities in front of them. But none of those guys showed much last year, in limited opportunities. Why worry about them when you’ve got Chase Roberts and Parker Kingston in the fold?
Hence, I remain skeptical. Is it too late to add to that group? Probably. But there’s no doubt about it — Fesi Sitake will earn his keep in 2026.
Dick Harmon: The departure of Chase Roberts, Parker Kingston and Cody Hagen cannot be dismissed as a small deal — it is a big deal. Their experience, playmaking and big-play capabilities are in the books and respected.
However, BYU football over the decades has been a story of receivers who have stepped up when called upon, and I believe Fesi Sitake is a talented coach who develops talent.
Remember the days when little-known receivers stepped up, guys like Jeff Frandsen with Ty Detmer, Dax Milne, Andy Boyce, Chuck Cutler, Dan Plater, Tim Nowatzke, Kelly Smith, Neil Pau’u, Talon Shumway and Kaipo McGuire? I’m not sure any of those guys have the star rankings that guys on next year’s team have brought to the roster, yet in BYU’s system they made a huge difference and were not only serviceable, but game winners.
BYU needs JoJo Phillips to step up. He shouldn’t be judged on anything from last year because of his broken collarbone recovery. He has the size, speed talent to be a game breaker if he can consistently bring the ball in. No drops should be his motto. Well, a motto for all.
This past spring there were moves to “hide” what certain receivers were doing on the field, including freshman Legend Glasker. I expect Nacua, Glasker, Bachmeier and Frischknecht to challenge Casper for quality playmaking. Also, don’t sleep on freshman Terrance Saryon as a speed option or Jaron Pula as a Roberts-type answer in time.
Cougar tales
Freshman golf sensation Kihei Akina finished No. 9 in NCAA Golf Championship. Jane Hedengren and Taylor Lovell led BYU’s contingent of West Regional NCAA prelims to the national championships.
In headlines with former Cougars, Yoeli Childs was named the Japan B.League Player of the Year and Los Angeles Rams receiver Puka Nacua met with the media to discuss his challenges off the field and what he’s doing to correct mistakes.
From the archives
From X-verse
Extra points
- Extending Sitake, pivotal moment (Deseret News)
- A look inside AD Brian Santiago ( Deseret News)
- SEC whining over TT, Utah, BYU (Deseret News)
Fanalysts
Comments from Deseret News readers:
I am not a BYU fan, however, I do agree with Yormark. BYU should have been in the playoffs. I know they had two poor showings against Texas Tech and I know Texas Tech got smoked by Oregon. When the final poll came out, it was all about Notre Dame and Miami. The committee got it right, Miami proved they belonged. I don’t think the same can be said about Alabama. BYU was penalized for their poor showing in the conference championship game, it was 13-7 at halftime although it felt worse. They end up losing by 27 points and drop out of the playoffs. Alabama doesn’t score until the fourth quarter and ends up losing by 21 and don’t move in the rankings after their third loss. BYU loses to one team twice. Alabama loses to three teams, including 5-7 Florida State. Alabama gets rewarded for their strength of schedule, yet the SEC ends up 4-10 in bowl games. Then to top that all off, the Texas coach claims they could go undefeated with their 2s and 3s in the Big 12. I make that point because that was not the case when you consider the SEC’s bowl recored since everyone’s 1s sit out of the bowl games. BYU might have gotten embarrassed in the playoffs, but they should have been in before Alabama. I think one could argue that BYU, Notre Dame, Vanderbilt and Utah should have been in over a three-loss Alabama team. — Former_Coach
Let’s not get the cart before the horse here. I’m am quite sure that Kalani Sitake is a fantastic person, and a humble follower of Christ.
But, it is the students and student-athletes, past and present, and their collective commitment to what the world considers radical and illogical integrity, that are the main reason BYU is extraordinary. Without its students and student-athletes, BYU has no reason to exist.
Faculty, administrators and athletic coaches are the ones who are the huge (largely unmerited) beneficiaries of the opportunity to share the BYU campuses the finest group of young people (collectively) to walk the planet today. Kalani Sitake is no exception to this rule. It is Sitake that “hit the jackpot” in the lottery of life when BYU hired him, not the other way around. — Vermonter
Up next
- June 10 | 2 p.m. | track and field | NCAA Outdoor Championships, Eugene