BYU’s freshman class has already forced its way into the conversation, and the bye week could open the door for even more of those young players to matter.
Back in December, the Cougars landed their best recruiting class in the recruiting rankings era, and through three games that group has done more than just look promising. The four highest-graded players on BYU’s offense are all true freshmen, a big reason that unit has been one of the best in college football.
And at the center of it all is true freshman wide receiver Legend Glasker, who has been one of the most productive receivers in the country. He leads FBS receivers in receiving yards per route run.
Glasker isn’t the only first-year player making noise. BYU’s early bye week gives the staff a chance to use practice time to bring the rest of the freshmen along, and several of them could come out of the break with larger roles.
Journee Tonga is one of the clearest candidates. He arrived later than anyone else on this list and didn’t have spring camp, but he made a fast impression once fall camp began.
Tonga has only touched the ball 12 times, yet he’s turned that into 129 rushing yards and an eye-popping 10.8 yards per carry. He didn’t play against Arizona, and the issue hasn’t been his running.
The holdup has been his blocking and his grasp of the playbook. That extra week of practice could help him there, and between the tackles, he has already shown he’s BYU’s best option behind LJ Martin.
At safety, the path is a little more obvious. Raider Damuni won’t be back for at least another couple weeks, and BYU has leaned on redshirt sophomore Tommy Prassas in his place.
Prassas has been serviceable, but he has also had his rough moments. He leads BYU with five missed tackles and has allowed more passing yards than any other defensive back.
That opens the door for true freshman Kennan Pula, who could be next in line. Pula already has a fourth down stop against Colorado State and owns the second-best coverage grade among BYU defensive backs behind only Evan Johnson.
He’s logged 73 defensive snaps through two games, enough to suggest the staff can trust him with more.
The biggest long-term upside might belong to Bott Mulitalo. According to Pro Football Focus, the true freshman offensive tackle is the highest-graded player on BYU’s roster.
He has appeared against Colorado State and Utah Tech, and in limited snaps he has looked as dominant as any tackle in college football. BYU’s line is experienced and the rotation is settled, so there isn’t an obvious opening right now.
But Mulitalo may be too talented to leave on the sideline for long. If one of the tackles goes down, he looks ready to step in.
There’s also a spot for a freshman to help with the pass rush. BYU has had trouble consistently getting after the quarterback, and that’s where Braxton Lindsey could become more important after the bye.
He’s already working with the first-team defense and has played 63 snaps this season. Lindsey has recorded two quarterback pressures, just behind Hunter Clegg and Isaiah Glasker, who lead the Cougars with four each.
He’s still sorting things out - he was flagged for roughing the passer against Colorado State - but the talent is there, and the extra practice time could help him earn a bigger role starting against TCU.
Another young back worth watching is Devaughn Eka. The Lehi High School product has been efficient in limited work, averaging 7.3 yards per carry while showing real physicality as a runner.
Like Tonga, he still needs to develop in the details, especially pass protection and blocking assignments. Once that comes along, he could start pushing for carries behind LJ Martin.
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BYU Transfers Are Already Defining The Cougars Through Three Games
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Roger Saleapaga and Kyler Kasper have become especially important in that mix, giving BYU experienced production at a time when early-season identity matters. Jr Sia has seen a much smaller role so far, which makes the transfer evaluation around this team especially interesting as the Cougars keep leaning on that group to define the seasons next stretch. [Read more 🡒]