BYU’s NFL pipeline is starting to look a lot busier.
When the Senior Bowl unveiled its “Top 300” on Thursday, the Cougars landed six players on the draft watchlist, a strong sign that the program could be headed for a bigger presence in the NFL Draft than it has had in recent years.
The BYU group on the list features linebacker Isaiah Glasker, cornerback Evan Johnson, running back LJ Martin, safety Faletau Satuala, defensive lineman Keanu Tanuvasa, and linebacker Cade Uluave.
That’s a notable haul for a team that has won 23 games over the past two seasons but has produced only two NFL draft picks in that same span. The watchlist suggests the balance may be shifting.
Five of the six players could have made the jump to the NFL after last season, but all chose to return for another year in Provo. Satuala was the lone exception in that sense - he wasn’t draft-eligible last year - though he still had options after his breakout sophomore season. Even with defensive coordinator Jay Hill leaving for Michigan, Satuala stayed put at BYU.
Uluave brings a different kind of buzz to the group. He hasn’t played a game for BYU yet after transferring in from Cal, where he was an All-ACC performer. He arrives in 2026 with expectations already attached.
Martin gives BYU another headline name. The reigning Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year is entering his senior season and has the look of one of the top running backs in college football.
The Senior Bowl’s list is a Big 12-heavy snapshot as well. The conference placed 38 players on the “Top 300,” with BYU finishing second in the league behind Texas Tech, which led all Big 12 schools with nine selections.
Houston followed with four players on the list, while Arizona State had three. Arizona, Colorado, Iowa State, Kansas State, TCU and Utah each had two. UCF, Cincinnati and Oklahoma State each had one.
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BYUs Jaxon Kohler Move Comes With One Massive Question
Jaxon Kohlers path to BYU became one of the most notable roster developments of the offseason, giving the Cougars an experienced frontcourt piece with real production behind him. The Michigan State big man has committed to BYU and, thanks to a temporary injunction tied to a California lawsuit involving fifth-year graduated players, is eligible to suit up this coming season. For a program looking to strengthen its interior presence, the move brings immediate credibility and a player who has already logged heavy minutes on a major stage.
Kohler spent four seasons at Michigan State, starting 69 games over his last two years and finishing his senior season at 12.5 points and 8.9 rebounds per game. Those numbers are part of why his arrival is expected to have a significant impact on BYUs roster, but the larger question still hangs over everything: how long that eligibility window remains open and what it means for the Cougars if the legal landscape changes again. [Read more 🡒]
BYU Just Landed A Frontcourt Boost Fans Did Not See Coming
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For BYU, the appeal is obvious: an experienced center who should step into the lineup and give the Cougars a proven presence in the middle. The timing matters too, because if the rule survives, he would be available for the 2026-27 season, giving BYU another layer of size and skill at a position that can change the shape of a roster fast. [Read more 🡒]
BYU May Have Finally Solved Its Biggest Roster Problem
BYUs search for a proven center has taken a significant step forward with the commitment of Jaxon Kohler, the former Michigan State big man who will suit up for a fifth college basketball season after receiving an additional year of NCAA eligibility. Kohler spent four seasons in East Lansing and capped that run by earning All-Big Ten Honorable Mention honors last season, giving the Cougars a veteran interior presence at a spot that had loomed as one of the rosters biggest needs.
His arrival gives BYU a much clearer answer in the middle and should help balance a frontcourt that needs both size and spacing. Kohlers game also fits the Cougars desire to improve perimeter shooting from the inside out, but the bigger question now is how quickly he can settle in and how much he changes the ceiling of a roster that was still searching for its starting center. [Read more 🡒]