BYU’s kicking job is one of the quieter storylines heading into August, but it could wind up mattering plenty once the games start. With fall practice set to open in the first week of August, the Cougars are still sorting through the replacement for Will Ferrin, and Matthias Dunn looks like the name to watch.
Dunn, a 6-0, 200-pound redshirt senior from Heber City, UT, enters camp as the likely front-runner. The battle is not officially closed, though. Freshman Ian Sanches is still in the mix, and new BYU special teams coordinator Justin Ena has said the competition could stretch into the middle of fall practice.
That said, Dunn has the edge that comes with being in the system. He arrived at BYU the same season as Ferrin, and while Ferrin eventually separated himself, Dunn has stayed in the program long enough to be the most logical candidate to take over now.
Replacing Ferrin won’t be simple. BYU got three seasons of dependable kicking from him, capped by the moment everyone remembers most: the 44-yard game-winner with seconds left in the 22-21 win over Utah in 2024.
Ferrin went 24-for-27 on field goals that season, and even as his numbers dipped a bit this past year, he remained a steady option who helped BYU in close games. He also handled kickoffs well, frequently forcing opponents to start drives behind the 25-yard line.
That kind of production is hard to duplicate, which is why Dunn’s August matters. If he wins the job, BYU will be counting on him in situations where every point matters. And with the kicking competition still open, he enters camp as one of the more pivotal players on the roster.
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For a program still sorting out its post presence, Urbaniak arrives as a real piece rather than a stopgap, with a chance to compete for minutes as BYU reshapes the rotation around the new season. There is still room on the roster to keep adding, and the next move could tell just how aggressively the Cougars want to keep fortifying the front line. [Read more 🡒]
BYU Just Sent Another Strong NFL Message With 11 Names
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The watch list also matters because it feeds into the East-West Shrine Bowl process, with the annual all-star game set for Feb. 4, 2027, at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. BYU has long had a real connection to that stage, with 72 former players appearing in the game and a couple more joining the mix last January, so the next question is whether this latest wave of Cougars can turn preseason attention into an actual invitation when the selection process tightens. [Read more 🡒]