BYU’s defensive front has a chance to look a lot different in 2026, and a big reason is Justin Kirkland.
The 6-3, 335-pound redshirt senior defensive tackle from West Haven, Utah, is one of the key players to watch when fall practice opens during the first week of August. BYU is expecting several players to shape the course of the 2026 season, and Kirkland sits near the top of that list because of what he can do at the point of attack.
The Cougars were solid against the run last season, and their defensive line showed more ability to pressure quarterbacks than it had in recent years. Even so, the burden in the middle fell heavily on Utah transfer Keanu Tanuvasa. He handled it well, but BYU is counting on Kirkland to change the equation this fall.
Kirkland arrived from Oklahoma State just before last season, but a significant lower-body injury kept him from ever really getting going. He did see some action in the middle of the year, but he wasn’t effective enough to stay in the rotation and was shut down later in the season with the hope that he could come back healthy for a second year in Provo.
That return matters to Tanuvasa, who said at the end of spring practice, “Last year was was amazing, and I wouldn’t discredit it at all. I learned a lot and needed to go through a lot to be where I am today,” Tanuvasa said at the close of spring practices.
“But now with guys like Justin Kirkland, who are healthy and are playing a true nose guard, because that’s what he’ll play in the NFL, it’s been freeing. I mean, I mean not just mentally, but with the physicality in my role.”
Tanuvasa made it clear that Kirkland’s presence should lighten the load and open things up for him in the front seven.
“I get to play almost really as free as I’ve ever been in that (off-the-ball) technique, which means I’m immediately in the backfield, immediately into a path,” Tanuvasa described enthusiastically. “I’ll rush if I need to. I got guys I can rotate with that I know will be barely less of a drop off, if at all, and it just switches it up throughout the game … So it forces a lot of great freedom on my behalf, and it really excites me for the for this season.”
And it’s bigger than one teammate getting relief. If Kirkland is healthy and plays to his ability, he can help BYU’s defense across the board by making life easier for everyone around him. That’s why his August progress could end up being one of the most important storylines on the roster heading into 2026.
In Other News...
BYUs In-State Recruiting Surge Feels Bigger Than A Hot Streak
BYUs latest in-state recruiting run has started to look less like a brief spike and more like a real shift in how the program is landing talent. The Cougars have stacked up commitments from several of Utahs better prospects, a sign that the staff is not only holding its own against the schools it has long battled for local players, but also winning some of those fights outright. With the Big 12 platform and NIL resources giving BYU a stronger pitch than it used to have, the program is showing it can stay in the mix for the kind of recruits that once might have felt out of reach.
What makes the surge more interesting is where the help is coming from. BYU has been adding pieces on both lines, the kind of foundation players that tend to matter most when a class is judged years later instead of on signing day. The trend also fits a broader recruiting climate in which early commitments are becoming more common, as high school players try to secure spots before the portal tightens the market even further. For BYU, the bigger question now is whether this is simply a hot stretch or the start of a new baseline. [Read more 🡒]
Former BYU Star Still Waiting As Training Camp Opens
Training camps are opening with two familiar names still on the market, and for BYU fans, Bobby Wagner and Kyle Van Noy remain reminders of just how far a Cougar linebacker can climb. Both are Super Bowl winners, both are former Utah college stars, and both are now free agents after finishing last season with the Washington Commanders and Baltimore Ravens, respectively.
Wagner, 36, has been linked as a possible fit for the Dallas Cowboys or Jacksonville Jaguars, while Van Noy, 35, is drawing interest from teams such as the San Francisco 49ers and Minnesota Vikings. The longer this stretches into camp, the more it becomes a waiting game for two veterans who still have enough name value and production to matter, even if the right landing spot has yet to come into focus. [Read more 🡒]