Siale Esera is entering the fall with less on his frame and more on his plate.
The BYU linebacker has trimmed down to 240 pounds from last season’s weight, and he thinks the change can unlock even more of the disruptive edge that already made him a problem for opposing offenses. The redshirt junior said the lighter build should help him move better as he shifts around the linebacker spots.
“It makes me a little faster,” Esera said. “I’m moving around the backer positions, playing all over, inside and outside.”
That versatility matters because BYU is leaning on a deep and talented group at linebacker, with Esera working alongside Isaiah Glasker and Cade Uluave in Kelly Poppinga’s starting unit. The competition behind them is real, too, with Kansas State transfer Jake Clifton and Nusi Taumoepeau pushing hard for snaps.
“It’s very competitive. We keep each other on their toes.
Everybody is athletic. Everyone is getting to know the playbook.
We are just all here to play some football,” Esera said. “The best man is going to be on that field at the end of the day, coach (Poppinga) knows that - we know that.”
Poppinga sees the weight loss as a direct fit for how BYU wants to use him.
“Speed and athleticism in space - that’s the main thing for him, being able to get him to change direction and be a little more productive out of the box,” said Kelly Poppinga, defensive coordinator and inside linebackers coach. “He’s pretty good in the box between the tackles. I think (losing weight) is going to help him be a little more productive in our out-of-the-box system.”
Head coach Kalani Sitake likes what he has in the group as a whole.
“Siale has done a great job. The linebacking corps - that group is super talented,” Sitake said.
“The depth is really nice. When you have Siale with Glasker, Nusi, Cade, they work really well together.
We have a bunch of players that can play and we will have to find moments to get them on the field together. It’s a good problem to have for K-Popp.”
Esera’s production last season backed up that confidence. He started 10 games in 2025 and finished with 48 tackles, plus a sack and four quarterback hurries. He believes the extra quickness will help him get after the quarterback even more.
His development has been steady since he arrived at BYU. The former four-star recruit out of Timpview High piled up 76 tackles as a senior to earn Deseret News first team All-State honors.
As a freshman, he recorded his first interception at TCU in 2023. A year later, he picked up his first sack against Colorado in the Alamo Bowl in 2024.
Last season, his biggest tackle total in a game came at Arizona, where he finished with 16.
“From the time he played for us as a true freshman, then redshirted, and into last year, his instinctiveness has increased each year, and the physicality part has continued to increase,” said Poppinga. “He’s very vocal, very communicative. Being able to see him to continue to develop as an off-the-ball backer is the main thing I’ve seen.”
BYU’s defense made noticeable strides in 2025, logging 10 more sacks than it did in 2024. Over the last two seasons combined, the Cougars have 39 interceptions.
“You can get more interceptions, more sacks, more fumbles,” Esera said. “The big thing coach Kalani has told us as a defense is the turnovers are really good, but our turnover margin is still lacking a little bit.
We’ve been paying attention to getting the ball out and on our tackling. We are just grinding.”
Esera has two goals in front of him now: help BYU win a Big 12 championship, make the playoffs and go far, and, on a personal level, simply “ball out.”
He may be lighter, but his role is only getting heavier.
In Other News...
BYU May Have Found A Crucial Answer On The Offensive Line
Preseason camp has started to sharpen one of BYUs biggest questions up front, and Paki Finau has moved to the center of it. The Washington transfer has mostly locked down the starting job at left tackle, giving the Cougars a possible answer on the edge as they work through the final stages of camp. Kalani Sitake has also highlighted Finaus value beyond one spot, pointing to a versatility that makes him useful wherever BYU needs help along the offensive line.
Finaus path to Provo adds another layer to why this development matters. He arrived with a clear personal purpose, and his move has already put him in position to become a key piece for a line that needs stability and flexibility. For BYU, the appeal is obvious: a player who can handle multiple roles and looks ready to settle one of the most important positions on the field. [Read more 🡒]
BYU Just Got An Early National Sign About Its Offense
The preseason Associated Press All-America team offered an early national snapshot of where college footballs star power is headed, and BYU showed up in a way that should matter to its offense. Texas led all schools with four first-team selections, the Southeastern Conference landed 14 of the 27 first-team spots, and Oregon quarterback Dante Moore was among the headline names, but the Cougars got their own mention on the second team. For a program looking to keep building on offensive momentum, that kind of recognition is the sort of nod that suggests people outside Provo are paying attention.
LJ Martins place on the second team gives BYU a little more visibility entering the season, especially for a run game that will need to help define the offenses ceiling. The Cougars also had a familiar local name surface on the defensive side, with former Lone Peak standout John Henry Daley earning second-team honors after his transfer path took him away from BYU and to Michigan. Both selections add to the national conversation around players with Utah ties, even if the bigger story in Provo is still how far the offense can go once the games start for real. [Read more 🡒]
LJ Martin Gives BYU Another National Reason To Believe
LJ Martin keeps showing up on national watch lists, and BYU has every reason to notice. The Cougars running back was named a preseason candidate for the 2024 Doak Walker Award, another sign that his profile keeps rising after he was also selected as the 2026 Big 12 Preseason Offensive Player of the Year and picked as a preseason All-America by multiple outlets.
For BYU, the attention is more than just offseason decoration. The Doak Walker Award goes to the most outstanding running back in college football, and Martins inclusion for a third straight year puts him in a familiar conversation before the season even begins. The only question now is whether he can turn that recognition into the kind of year that keeps him in the race when the award is announced in December. [Read more 🡒]