FRISCO, Texas — On Tuesday, BYU football coach Kalani Sitake attended the Big 12 Media Days for his third time as the Cougars' coach.
The BYU program looks a lot different from when it was announced to join the Big 12 in 2021, and a large part of that is because of the conference's impact on recruiting.
Sitake explained how joining the conference marked a shift in BYU recruiting.
The 2026 recruiting class has been nothing short of historic so far for BYU. Highlighted by five-star quarterback commit, Ryder Lyons, the Cougars boast the No. 23 class in the country.
When asked about how BYU has gained momentum in the recruiting sphere, Sitake had no hesitation on what gets credit.
"I think the key has been the invite to the Big 12 conference," Sitake said. "The difference was the change."
The numbers back this statement up too.
For the 2021 recruiting class, the last class that did not have the promise of playing in the Big 12, BYU was ranked No. 74 in the country on 247 Sports' rankings.
"When we got invited, that was kind of the change," Sitake said. "It settled a lot of arguments for people not to come to BYU."
"There's no reason not to come," Sitake said about a program that has historically been difficult to recruit non-LDS players.
The 2026 commits are just that. Commits. They have not signed pen to paper just yet, and cannot until December. Decommits are not uncommon in today's college football landscape, and some players will choose to serve two-year missions for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints before ever playing a snap for the Cougars, so the work isn't done after getting the players commits.
When asked what it will take to keep these players committed, Sitake had a simple answer: "That's my job ... If I'm not able to retain them then that's my fault."
BYU is now entering its third season in the Big 12, with wildly different expectations, star power and recruiting prowess.