BYU is back in Fall Camp, and with the Cougars bringing back a long list of starters from 2025, a few names stand out as players who still have something to prove heading into 2026.
One of the biggest is defensive end Bodie Schoonover. He’s in his final year of eligibility, and after spending his first three seasons in a reserve role, he finally broke through as a starter last season. Once he got the nod against West Virginia, he kept the job and started the final 10 games for BYU’s defense.
Schoonover gave the Cougars solid production in 2025. He finished with the third-best PFF grade among defensive linemen, picked up his first career sack against Iowa State, and logged three sacks during the back half of the 2026 season. His biggest strength was handling the run, and he was credited with 21 stops in 2025.
Still, there’s room for more. Schoonover is the veteran in a defensive end room loaded with younger talent, and two areas will go a long way toward determining whether he holds onto that starting role.
First, he needs to be more dangerous as a pass rusher. His pressure rate was 8.1% in 2025, which trailed Nusi Taumoepeau, Tausili Akana, and Hunter Clegg.
If that number doesn’t climb, the younger ends could start eating into his snaps on obvious passing downs.
He also needs to finish more tackles. Schoonover ranked 30th among BYU defenders in tackle grade and missed 21% of his attempts. Clean that up, and he can become a much more complete piece for the defense.
At quarterback, Bear Bachmeier already proved plenty as a true freshman. He won games in different ways and gave BYU exactly what it needed from a first-year starter. But for 2026, the bar rises.
One area to watch is ball security. Bachmeier ranked 102nd in turnover-worthy play rate in 2025, and that’s an obvious point of emphasis for a young quarterback. Freshmen are far more likely to put the ball in harm’s way, and cutting down on those mistakes would help BYU move forward as an offense.
The other big step is downfield passing. There were moments, especially against Texas Tech, when defenses were crowding the box and daring him to beat them deep.
Bachmeier wasn’t ready to punish that look consistently last season. He ranked 80th nationally in accuracy rate on deep throws, and that’s an area BYU needs to improve if it wants to beat the best teams on the schedule.
That development will be one of the most closely watched parts of Fall Camp.
Wide receiver Jojo Phillips is another player with a big opportunity in front of him. He was one of the standouts in 2025 Fall Camp and opened the season as a starter, but an injury knocked him out of the lineup for two months. When he came back, he was still working his way back into rhythm and had three drops in November.
Phillips said in Spring Camp that he lost some confidence last November. By the bowl game, though, he was healthy again and showed the form he had flashed in the fall. He caught four passes on four targets for 53 yards, his best output of the season.
BYU needs receivers to emerge for Bachmeier, and Phillips has a real chance to become the primary target. Treyson Bourguet said Phillips had a few contested catches in Friday’s practice, though that session was closed to the media. Phillips also drew praise in a post from Day 3 of Fall Camp, which described him as continuing to lead the WR room and said his competitive nature keeps showing up on each rep.
Then there’s defensive tackle Keanu Tanuvasa, who has the kind of upside that can make him one of the best interior linemen in the Big 12 when he’s rolling. Last season, though, he flashed more than he delivered on a consistent basis.
Tanuvasa opened the year with six quarterback pressures in BYU’s first two games, then added 14 more over the final 12 games. With Justin Kirkland taking on blocks next to him, Tanuvasa has a chance to play a more disruptive role in 2026.
His job is straightforward: bring that potential every week. If he does, BYU’s defense can take a real step forward with him leading the way.
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