BYU football is just days away.
After a very successful season last year, BYU has raised the standard, and this season, which starts on Saturday, Sept. 5, is arguably one of the most anticipated seasons of BYU football in program history.
As the days count down, the tension and excitement in Provo is palpable and fans are itching to watch their boys take the field for the first time in 248 days.
Now that fall camp is over, the most anticipated news was the announcement of the depth chart, a hallowed list that gives fans an insight into what they can expect from their team.
BYU released its depth chart on Monday, Aug. 31 and it has a couple of surprises that deserve to be talked about.
Meet Cannon DeVries
DeVries, who hails from North Ogden, Utah, played at Weber High School and committed to BYU back in 2021. DeVries was used all around the field in high school on both offense and defense.
On offense, he both carried the ball and caught passes at a high rate. By the end of his career, he had 112 receptions for 1,892 yards and 22 touchdowns. Additionally, he recorded 66 career carries for 612 yards and seven touchdowns.
Over on the defensive side of the ball, DeVries was an absolute ball-hawk, recording 16 career interceptions and five, count ‘em up, five pick-sixes. He also tackled at a high rate, finishing his career with 148 total tackles.
After high school, he served a two-year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Houston, Texas. Upon his return, he began his freshman season at BYU in 2025.
Now as a sophomore, DeVries has made his way to the top of the depth chart for both the punt return and nickel positions. He brings a lot of speed to the defensive backs group and will be an asset to the Cougars in pass coverage scenarios.
His speed and his knack for getting into the end zone are a strong replacement for last year’s group, which consisted of Parker Kingston and Tiger Bachmeier.
The Legend Glasker hype is real
What many fans have been anxiously waiting to see is how Glasker would land on the depth chart. Well, as expected, the true freshman has officially been named as a starting wide receiver, along with Kyler Kasper and Jojo Phillips.
Glasker received a lot of hype during spring ball that continued through fall camp. He was one of the most talked about players by coaches and the media. From Lehi, Utah, Glasker was a big recruiting grab for BYU and has been catching tough passes and leaving cornerbacks in the dust. Even lined up against Evan Johnson, one of the best cornerbacks in college football, he was finding ways to catch the ball.
Now that he has been named as a starter, the only thing left for him to prove is how well he can play in a live game. The season opener against Utah Tech will give him a great chance to break in the cleats and work against unfamiliar coverages.
He was also named as one of the primary kick return options, a solid choice given his speed and elusiveness.
Evan Johnson is listed where?
Some people probably did a double take at the names listed as primary options for the kick returner position. That’s right, star cornerback Evan Johnson is listed as an “or” starter at kick return.
Now, this isn’t really a surprise looking at Johnson’s highlights last season. Everyone already knows that he is quick, he’s one of the best-rated corners for a reason. And there is no need to be worried about his ability to catch the ball, just take a look at some of his interception highlights from last season.
But if you need even more reassurance, don’t forget that Johnson played wide receiver in high school and set the school record in 100-meter dash as a track athlete. Johnson accounted for 1,276 receiving yards, 205 rushing yards and 25 total touchdowns during his high school career. He also played as a kick returner.
Watching him showcase his skills at kick return is going to be interesting to watch. Who knows, maybe he’ll run one back for a touchdown.
Faletau Satuala is ready to go, probably
After suffering an injury in the offseason and sitting out for fall camp, Satuala has been listed as the primary starter for the free safety spot. And if you look closely, there isn’t a pesky “or” next to his backup, Kevin Doe.
This is big news for the Cougars defense. However, just because he is listed as the starter does not mean he is back at full health but after 12 weeks of healing he must be pretty close.
Near the end of fall camp, coach Kalani Sitake said that while he is ready to go, the staff is still working to keep him from going full throttle, something that Satuala has been eager to do.
Now, it is likely that he will only see the first half of play, like most of the starters listed for this game. However, if he can reach full throttle by the time Arizona comes to town in Week 2, the odds of Noah Fifita being shut down increase dramatically.
Saturday’s game against Utah Tech will give fans and analysts some insight as to his recovery process and if his speed, coverage and tackling are back to where they need to be.
Honorable mentions
Justin Kirkland and Anisi Purcell are listed as the two options for the nose tackle starting spot. Purcell is also listed as the backup to Keanu Tanuvasa at tackle. This can be taken in one of two ways, either Purcell is so capable and versatile at both positions that they couldn’t decide where to put him, or, there is a concerning lack of depth at both positions. It’s probable that both can be true at the same time.
Walker Lyons and Roger Saleapaga are both listed as the starting options at tight end. These two are strong, have great run blocking ability and can catch the ball. It is no surprise that they are both listed and will have a major impact on the offense this year.
Defensive ends Villiami Po’uha and Bodie Schoonover are both listed as sharing the starting spot. Po’uha played in all 14 games last year and finished the season with 21 total tackles, one sack and a fumble recovery.
Schoonover played in all 14 games last season and started in 10 of them. He ended the season with 38 total tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss and three sacks. Po’uha sharing the starting spot with Schoonover demonstrates a big leap for Po’uha in the offseason.