BYU’s first fall camp practice arrives Wednesday, and a few freshmen are already in position to force their way into the conversation. Some could help immediately.
Others are aiming for the two-deep by Week 1. Either way, the Cougars have a crop of newcomers worth watching closely once the pads come on.
Start with the specialists, where Brody Laga is at least in the mix. BYU’s starting kicker returned home from his mission just a few months ago, and the Cougars did something unusual by signing him to a scholarship before that mission.
Special teams coordinator Justin Ena brought up Laga’s return at the end of spring camp. Matthias Dunn gets the edge here, but Laga is still a name to keep on the radar.
The backfield also has room for a freshman to sneak in. LJ Martin is back as the best running back in the Big 12, and as long as he stays healthy, he’ll handle most of the workload.
Behind him, though, there’s not much margin for error. Sione Moa has dealt with injuries in both of his years at BYU, and if Martin or Moa gets nicked up, true freshman Devaughn Eka could be asked to help the offense.
Eka, who enrolled in January after a strong career at Lehi High School, is competing with Preston Rex for the third-string role. In some seasons, BYU has needed four or five running backs, and Eka is expected to play in some capacity in 2026.
How big that role becomes will be sorted out in fall camp.
In the secondary, Kennan Pula is making an early switch. He changed his jersey number from no. 25 to no. 7 before camp and will begin his BYU career at safety after being signed as an athlete who could have played safety or wide receiver.
The safety room already includes Faletau Satuala, Raider Damuni, and Tommy Prassas, but Pula has enough talent to work his way into a role. The expectation is that his contribution grows as the season goes on.
Another young defensive back to watch is Jordyn Criss. The redshirt freshman from Texas showed well in spring and made one of the more notable plays against the first-team offense when he stepped in front of a Bear Bachmeier pass that probably should have been intercepted before it slipped through his hands. Criss is battling for the backup cornerback spot, and if he’s ready, that gives BYU more breathing room against the injuries that always show up over the course of a season.
The offensive line has its own freshman storyline, and it centers on Bott Mulitalo. The four-star true freshman is viewed as one of the best athletes on the line, if not the best, and he’s a future starter.
For now, though, he’s still learning tackle after switching from defensive tackle last season at Lone Peak High School. In a perfect world, BYU won’t need him right away.
But if Andrew Gentry or Paki Finau gets hurt, Mulitalo could be the next man up. His development will be one of the key camp watches.
BYU’s line depth doesn’t stop there. Redshirt freshman Siosiua Latu-Finau is projected as the backup left tackle in 2026 after flipping his commitment from Stanford to BYU and signing in December of 2024. With a year under his belt, he’ll push for a spot in the two-deep as the Cougars’ offensive line pipeline keeps loading up with blue-chip talent.
Up front on defense, redshirt freshman Ulavai Fetuli has a chance to lock in a bigger future. He’s part of a deep defensive tackle group that includes three redshirt seniors - Keanu Tanuvasa, Justin Kirkland, and Anisi Purcell - but a productive 2026 could set him up as a 2027 starter. Fetuli played limited snaps as a true freshman in 2026 and has shown flashes in camp settings, so the expectation is that he lands in the two-deep with the veterans.
The defensive end room has a freshman who already made noise in spring. Braxton Lindsey, a true freshman and former four-star prospect, enrolled in January and filled in for Nusi Taumoepeau while he recovered from offseason surgery.
Lindsey showed a college-ready frame and plenty of potential. Kelly Poppinga warned that Lindsey’s position is one of the most complicated in the defense, so the bar shouldn’t be set too high too fast.
Even so, he looks like a player who can grow into a larger role as the season unfolds.
Wide receiver may be the most interesting freshman watch of all. Jaron Pula, one of four true freshmen receivers on the roster, might be the most physically gifted of the group.
The four-star prospect drew offers from across the country and has the size to play right away. He was banged up early in spring camp and missed some of the team periods, but by the end he was getting second-team reps.
If he picks up the playbook and earns Fesi Sitake’s trust, his talent may be too much to leave off the field.
Legend Glasker could also force the issue. The Lehi High School product was one of the most impressive freshmen in spring camp, and with attrition at receiver, BYU needs him to be ready.
He’s one of the fastest players on the roster and was regularly getting behind the defense in spring. If he proves he can handle veteran cornerbacks at the line of scrimmage, he has a real chance to play a major role right away.
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BYU Fall Camp Opens With Key Starting Jobs Still Up For Grabs
Fall camp is opening with a familiar kind of urgency for BYU, where several important jobs still need to be sorted out before the season settles into focus. Wide receiver, left guard, defensive end and a few special teams roles all stand out as spots where the Cougars still have real competition, even as early projections lean toward Bear Bachmeier taking over at quarterback and a mostly defined starting group emerging around him on offense, defense and special teams.
For a team trying to build consistency, those unanswered questions can matter as much as the names already penciled in. Experience and recent performance have shaped the early read on the depth chart, but camp is where those guesses get tested and sometimes rewritten, and BYU will spend the next stretch trying to separate the likely starters from the players still pushing to change the picture. [Read more 🡒]
BYU Is Battling Bluebloods For A Recruit Fans Will Want Up Front
Samiu Taukiuvea has emerged as one of the more closely watched recruits in BYUs orbit, the kind of prospect who can draw attention well beyond Provo because of the schools involved. The West High School standout already has scholarship offers from programs such as Ohio State, Oregon and Penn State, which tells you plenty about the level of competition the Cougars are facing as they try to stay in the mix for a high-profile local target.
For BYU, the appeal is obvious: landing a recruit of Taukiuveas caliber would be a meaningful win, especially with blueblood programs circling. He has not made a commitment yet and is still planning visits to sort through his options, which keeps the situation open for now and gives BYU more time to lean on the relationship it has built in the recruiting process. [Read more 🡒]