On the early December signing day, BYU football added 18 signees to the Cougars’ 2025 class.
According to 247 Sports, the recruiting class that signed Tuesday includes all three-star recruits. The defense focused on bringing in a new class of defensive linemen, with four signings.
Defensive coordinator Jay Hill spoke to the media about the recruiting class that signed Tuesday.
"You can see that we were trying to add some good youth to our defensive line group and some height and size, which I think we did a great job of," he said.
The offense also had a total of 11 signings, five of which were offensive linemen.
“We got a little bit of everything,” said offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick. “We didn’t have any one position where we were going to be extremely deficient this year.”
The offense also reloaded a senior-heavy position at tight end with three new players at that position.
One of the most notable signings is offensive lineman Austin Pay, the younger brother of current center Connor Pay. Pay had offers from programs like Oregon, Oklahoma, North Carolina State, and more. Yet Pay chose to follow the family's footsteps and stay home to play at BYU.
Coach Kalani Sitake also shared his thoughts on the recruiting class with the media.
“We’re really excited about the group," he said. "They are a great fit to our program not just on the field.”
Both coordinators mentioned the focus they have on recruiting players out of high school first before recruiting from the transfer portal.
Sitake shared his insight on why they focus on recruiting high school players first.
“One thing we have to focus on is the culture of the team. … Talent doesn’t just get you wins, you still need culture, you still need strategy, you need all those things and I think when they are formidable is when they are in high school.”
Of the 18 signees, Sitake expects about eight of those players to serve church missions first before attending BYU.
BYU is currently ranked no. 55 in the country in recruiting after the 18 signings, according to 247 Sports. The early signing window will stay open until Dec. 6, after that the next time for high school athletes to sign with be National Signing Day on Feb. 5.