BYU got a major piece for its future frontcourt on Monday, landing Polish center Jakub Urbaniak for the 2026-27 season.
The 6-foot-9 big man is the Cougars’ newest official addition, and Kevin Young made it clear what he sees in the pickup.
“We’re excited to add Jakub to our team,” Cougar head coach Kevin Young said. “He brings size, skill, athleticism, and experience.
All things we were looking to add. He will fit in well with the way we want to play because of his versatility on both ends of the floor.
We love his motor and competitiveness. We look forward to getting him on campus.”
Urbaniak arrives after last season with WKS Slask Wroclaw, where he posted 9.4 points and 6.0 rebounds per game in his first year in the Polish Basketball League while shooting 55.0 percent from the field. He turned in three double-doubles, including a 13-point, 12-rebound outing in a win over Dziki Warszawa, when he hit 6 of 7 shots.
His work in EuroCup play added another layer to the résumé. Across 18 appearances in 2025-26, Urbaniak averaged 7.7 points and 4.7 rebounds, scored in double figures four times and delivered a 17-point performance in a 92-81 win over Hamburg Towers. He also pulled down a career-high 11 rebounds against Aris BC, with six coming on the offensive glass.
The numbers from his time with CB Gran Canaria still stand out, too. In 26 of his 29 appearances there, mostly during the 2023-24 season, Urbaniak averaged 15.2 points and 7.7 rebounds.
He posted seven double-doubles for the Granca, including one monster line of 18 points and 19 rebounds, with 15 of those boards on the defensive end. His best scoring night came in a win over Pajarraco CB Santfeliuenc, when he poured in 32 points on 10-of-14 shooting and went 3-of-7 from 3-point range.
Urbaniak also has already begun making his mark internationally. He debuted for the Polish National Team earlier this year in an 84-82 win over Latvia on Feb. 27 in the first round of the FIBA World Cup European Qualifiers, then followed that with an 11-point effort in a 123-77 victory over Austria nine days later, going 4-of-4 from the field.
His youth national team track record was productive as well. At the 2023 FIBU U20 European Championships, he averaged 8.7 points, 9.0 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game, and he strung together back-to-back double-doubles in the knockout rounds before finishing with 19 points and 15 rebounds in a 71-62 win over Estonia.
BYU still has more roster business to handle, with a couple of spots left to fill. One name in the mix is former Skyridge and Michigan State big man Jaxon Kohler, who is pursuing a fifth year of eligibility through several lawsuits against the NCAA. Kohler has reportedly already been in contact with Young and also met with Kentucky coach staff - including former BYU head coach Mark Pope - via Zoom.
On the football side, BYU kept stacking preseason recognition.
Running back LJ Martin was named Sporting News second-team Preseason All-America in Charlotte, North Carolina. The reigning Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year rushed for 1,305 yards in 2025, ranking No. 11 nationally, and finished No. 12 in yards per game at 100.38 and No. 13 in all-purpose yards per game at 120.0. His rushing total was the seventh-most in a single season in school history.
Martin’s 2025 awards haul already included Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year, first-team All-Big 12 running back, second-team All-America honors from Pro Football Network, semifinalist status for the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award, and All-Big 12 recognition from Pro Football Network, Pro Football Focus and Sports Info Solutions. He has also been picked as the 2026 Big 12 Preseason Offensive Player of the Year, earned preseason All-America nods from Athlon Sports and Phil Steele, and been named a candidate for the Maxwell Award along with preseason All-Big 12 recognition from Phil Steele, Athlon Sports and Sports Info Solutions.
Tight end Walker Lyons joined the preseason honors list as well, landing on the 2026 John Mackey Award Preseason Watch List. The 6-foot-4, 245-pound junior from Folsom, California, was one of 43 tight ends nationally on the list and one of five from the Big 12.
Lyons spent two seasons at USC before coming to BYU for the 2026 football season. He played in 12 games in 2025 and caught 20 passes for 223 yards and two touchdowns, after appearing in 11 games with three starts as a true freshman in 2024 and finishing with 6 catches for 36 yards.
A four-star recruit, Lyons was ranked by ESPN as the No. 2 tight end in the country, by Rivals as No. 4 and by 247Sports as No. 9.
He also participated in the 2023 Under Armour All-American game and was recognized as the All-American Bowl’s Man of the Year for his community service and athletic distinction.
After high school, Lyons served a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Norway from 2022-24 before enrolling at UCS.
BYU center Bruce Mitchell was also honored, earning a spot on the Rimington Trophy Watch List for the second straight year. The award goes to the nation’s top center in Division I football.
Mitchell, a 6-foot-4, 305-pound senior from Kamas, was recently named a Phil Steele Preseason All-America Second Team selection and an Athlon Sports Preseason All-America Third Team pick. He also made the All-Big 12 Preseason Team and received preseason All-Big 12 recognition from Phil Steele, Athlon Sports and Sports Info Solutions.
As a junior in 2025, Mitchell started all 14 games as a co-captain after stepping in for three-time Rimington Trophy Watchlist honoree Connor Pay. He helped anchor an offensive line that powered BYU to 31.4 points per game and finished in the top 25 nationally in 10 offensive categories, including time of possession, rushing first downs, fewest sacks allowed, rushing touchdowns and several measures of explosive and efficient offense.
In Other News...
BYU Is Taking A Risk At Receiver After Key Losses
BYUs receiver room is headed into 2026 with a different look after the departures of Parker Kingston and Cody Hagen, and the staff did not try to patch the hole by adding another wideout. Instead, the Cougars brought in backup quarterback John Sanders and running back Journee Tonga, while offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick has pointed to the receivers already in the program and the extra help available at tight end as reasons for optimism.
The burden now shifts to a group that includes JoJo Phillips, Kyler Kasper and freshman Legend Glasker, along with Reggie Frischknecht and Tiger Bachmeier, to make the passing game work without much outside reinforcement. BYU has also added Walker Lyons and Roger Saleapaga at tight end, giving Roderick more options in the middle of the field, but the real question is whether the current receiver mix can hold up after the roster choices left the position without the obvious safety net of another addition. [Read more 🡒]
BYU Could Be In Line For A Frontcourt Boost Fans Want
BYUs frontcourt wishlist could get a little more interesting if Jaxon Kohler decides to keep playing college basketball. The Michigan State forward, who has already spent four seasons with the Spartans, is exploring a path to another year of eligibility, and that has put a handful of major programs on alert, including BYU, Kansas and Kentucky, with a return to East Lansing still in the mix.
For the Cougars, Kohler would bring a veteran presence and the kind of interior help fans have been hoping to see as rosters keep shifting. The catch is that the whole picture depends on whether he is actually able to secure another season for 2026-27, which leaves BYU in the same holding pattern as the rest of the interested schools while the next step in his college career sorts itself out. [Read more 🡒]