FRISCO, Texas — Expectations are higher than ever for the BYU Cougars after going 23-4 over the last two seasons and appearing in the Big 12 Conference championship game last season.
In preparation for the upcoming season, coach Kalani Sitake and multiple players appeared at the Big 12 Media Days conference and shared some insights on this year’s team.
As is customary, quarterback Bear Bachmeier fielded a variety of questions about the offense and his personal growth in the offseason.
“I just wanted to get more immersed in the playbook,” said Bachmeier. “Just knowing what A-Rod’s (offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick) thought process is all the time and me knowing what play he’s going to call.”
Bachmeier also gave some insight into one of BYU’s biggest question marks going into the season: the wide receiver room.
“I’m very confident in that room,” he said. “We got a lot of explosive guys and we’re going to be dangerous.”
The wide receiver room took a hit at the end of last season with the loss of Chase Roberts to the NFL and former wide receiver Parker Kingston being dismissed from the team. Cody Hagen, who scored two touchdowns last year, announced his medical retirement earlier this summer, putting more salt in the wound.
The Cougars were busy in the offseason, however, by picking up transfer Kyler Kasper from Oregon, a 6-foot-6 receiver who caught just six passes for 77 yards during his four seasons with the Ducks. Additionally, the Cougars added high school stars Terrance Saryon and Jaron Pula who, despite being freshmen, add talent and potential to the room.
JoJo Phillips, the veteran of the receiving core, spent most of last season out with an injury, limiting his on-field experience.
In contrast to the unproven receiving core, BYU’s running back room is stacked to the rafters. Led by Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year LJ Martin, the room also features Sione Moa, Jovesa Damuni and Lehi High School star Devaughn Eka.
Martin, who fielded just as many questions as Bachmeier, was undaunted by the expectations going into this season after a very successful previous year.
“I mean, we always had this expectation on ourselves, so, it's nothing different for us,” he said. “I’d say we’re still the same team, same program. We’re just trying to go out there and win every game we can.”
Martin is projected to repeat as the conference offensive player of the year and is just over 1,300 yards away from being BYU’s all-time leading rusher. Even with the conference honors and record looming in front of him, Martin isn’t focused on being in the spotlight.
“It really doesn’t mean anything to me,” he said. “I’m just trying to go out there and win games. A big part of the culture, Kalani’s culture, is humble and hungry.”
If Martin does perform as projected, he would be the first player to repeat as conference offensive player of the year since Breece Hall, who won the award in 2020 and 2021. The previous back-to-back offensive player of the year was Ricky Williams in 1997 and 1998.
On the defensive side of the ball, senior Keanu Tanuvasa talked about the defensive scheme under new defensive coordinator Kelly Poppinga.
“I think he’s put his own twist on it,” Tanuvasa said when asked about the new scheme. “We’ve been able to go over the talents of our defense and where we want to emphasize what worked last year.”
Transfer portal turnover has taken over college football, however, the BYU defense didn’t lose a single starter to the portal. That veteran leadership has allowed Tanuvasa and his teammates to set the tone for the upcoming season.
“With everyone being veteran, and everyone being able to have played snaps for BYU and under Coach Kalani and under this defense that we’re retaining, it’s kind of just set the standard and the tone going into this year.”
Arguably the biggest defensive portal grab for BYU was linebacker Cade Uluave from the University of California. During his time at Cal, Uluave was a force to be reckoned with for opposing teams. Last season, Uluave led the team with 100 total tackles, 12.0 TFL and five quarterback hurries.
Isaiah Glasker, BYU’s marquee linebacker and co-captain of this year’s team, said that the addition of Uluave has added to the attitude of hard work that possesses the linebacker core. Glasker also talked about how he is stepping up into his role as a leader and learning every aspect of the defensive scheme.
Big 12 Media Days proved to be an inside look at what Sitake and his squad are hoping to do with the upcoming season. As fall camp and the season approach, the Cougars have a high standard to meet and expectations to fulfill.