The fastest summer in BYU sports history is almost over. Kalani Sitake’s Cougars report to fall camp on Aug. 4, women’s soccer is already back on campus and women’s volleyball begins practice on Thursday.
Where did the time go?
As a kid, the summers were filled with little league baseball, swimming at the Scera Pool and neighborhood water balloon fights. Outside of the Cubs playing on WGN, the sports world was pretty much in hibernation.
That world is all but gone. In its place is a land where news and information flow as regularly as the Provo River. The water level may fluctuate daily, but it never stops. Neither does sports. Just as “Life finds a way” described the dinosaurs in Jurassic Park, BYU sports found a way to remain relevant all summer.
Here’s how they did it.
Thanks to the transfer portal, basketball has remained a front-page story since the Cougars were eliminated by Texas in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in March. The retaining of Rob Wright III, the acquiring of Kentucky transfer Collin Chandler and the ongoing search for a big man has been in the daily conversation.
In addition, AJ Dybantsa’s climb to the top of the NBA draft board, his historic No. 1 selection and ensuing performance at the NBA Summer League kept Cougar fans glued to their screens.
Incoming five-star forward Bruce Branch III represented BYU on the United States U-18 National Team at the 2026 FIBA AmeriCup in Mexico and women’s star Delaney Gibb helped the Canadian Senior Women’s National Team beat reigning NCAA Champion UCLA in an exhibition last week in Victoria, British Columbia.
Soccer was also on the summer stage. Hosting the World Cup spiked interest in the sport and produced record viewership in the United States. Prior to the tournament, South Korea staged a pair of exhibition games at South Field in Provo.
In the middle of it all, BYU announced the retirement of Jen Rockwood – the Cougars’ only head coach in program history. Rockwood’s final season begins next Saturday with the Blue-White scrimmage (7 p.m., ESPN+).
BYU football, the undisputed champion on campus, has remained front and center, even when the big stories weren’t about them. The Brendan Sorsby saga at Texas Tech softened the Red Raiders’ bark as the top dog in the Big 12, and many national pundits have pushed the Cougars closer or even ahead of them in the preseason projections.
Big 12 Football Media Days kicked up extra excitement for BYU by announcing LJ Martin as the preseason Offensive Player of the Year. During last year’s Big 12 postseason awards, the senior from El Paso, Texas, was named Offensive Player of the Year.
Former Cougar and Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid delivered a ‘Spoken Word’ with music from the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square. Brad Paisley headlined Stadium of Fire at LaVell Edwards Stadium while Bear and Tiger Bachmeier rolled out their own show at the American Fork Amphitheater.
A contingent of Cougars, including Sitake, traveled 5,700 miles to Tonga to promote education and jobs through BYU-Pathway Worldwide and the We Are One Foundation.
No wonder summer raced by.
Fall and football are coming, but there are still a lot of hot days to survive before the Cougars kickoff the new season. It’s like driving into the Las Vegas valley and seeing the glistening city lights, only to find out The Strip is still 45 minutes away.
Following the signs along the way will help get us there.
Every NFL team will be in training camp by Tuesday. The Cougars will report a week later. “After Further Review” premieres on the BYUtv app Aug. 4. The Carolina Panthers and Arizona Cardinals kick off the NFL preseason Aug. 6. Skyridge and Mountain Ridge fire up the first high school game in Utah Aug. 13.
Fortunately, there is still time for lemonade, watermelon and a few mundane afternoons, but those opportunities are fleeting. The fastest summer in BYU history is just about over. Sadly, with all the hype and excitement, fall will probably go by even faster.
That’s the way it is with football. The good news is that in today’s world, even between seasons, it never really leaves.
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