BYU men’s volleyball freshman phenom AJ Cottle didn’t touch a volleyball until his senior year of high school.
Growing up, Cottle always wanted to be a football player, just like the ones he saw playing in LaVell Edwards Stadium throughout his childhood. As he got older he realized that he wouldn’t be able to play football for the BYU Cougars.
“I didn’t really get the giant muscles to play football,” said Cottle, “but I got some height to play basketball and volleyball.”
That “some height” turned out to be a towering 6 feet 8 inches tall. Cottle found some success playing basketball, but it wasn’t until his senior year of high school that he discovered volleyball. His natural athleticism, aided by his height, allowed him to excel in the sport.
Then, at the club volleyball nationals, Cottle was approached by a coach on the BYU staff.
“My coach saw me and decided to give me a chance. I’ll never forget that moment," he said.
Even with his volleyball career on the rise, Cottle decided to serve as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and was assigned to serve in Argentina.
However, his time spent in Argentina didn’t take away from his newfound volleyball talent — it only added to it.
“I had a lot of time on my mission to really reflect and learn. So when I got home, I had a good basis of where to start and what I wanted my goals to be,” Cottle said. “The ability to work toward goals that I learned on my mission has definitely helped push me at BYU.”
That drive has worked out well for Cottle. In week two, he won MPSF Defensive Player of the Week, recording 11 blocks in a single game.
“I had a bunch of my coaches texting me to get ready for a surprise,” he said.
Suspecting a prank, Cottle waited anxiously for something to happen.
“Then the news dropped and it was just super big news to hear. I was pretty surprised,” said Cottle, both excited and relieved.
But he hasn’t let the accolades get to his head. Cottle continues to play with a certain spirit and intensity that has helped the Cougars rank in the top 10 nationally for the entire season so far.
For Cottle, that spirit and intensity come from the culture his teammates and coaches have built both on and off the court.
“Our team has a great relationship. We all believe that we are the closest team on campus," he said.
Part of that closeness is nicknames, which Cottle says each teammate has at least four. As for Cottle, his teammates have started calling him “the real AJ,” a play on BYU basketball’s freshman phenom AJ Dybantsa.
“That’s one of mine and I like it,” he said. “I think it’s funny.”
All jokes aside, AJ Cottle has earned his nickname and the reputation that follows it.
As the season progresses, Cottle continues to make an impact on the court. His unique journey to volleyball and BYU makes his story special. And his performance on the court even more so.
“I’ve bled blue my whole life, so to be a part of it every single day," he said. "I just feel really blessed.”