BYU’s fall camp has settled into the familiar August rhythm: optimism, praise, and a whole lot of waiting to see how it all looks when the lights come on.
Two weeks in, coaches and players have been talking up the defense, the backs, and second-year quarterback Bear Bachmeier. Defensive tackle Keanu Tanuvasa said Monday that he likes what he has seen so far, calling it the essence of “complementary football.”
But the biggest offensive question still sits out in the open. The Cougars need sharper timing between Bachmeier and his receivers, more continuity up front, cleaner execution in the kicking game and a solution for replacing kick and punt return ace Parker Kingston. With the opener against Utah Tech getting closer, the next stretch is all about polishing the rough edges.
The receiving room is the part drawing the most attention. Asked whether there has been evidence of progress from an inexperienced group under pass game coordinator Fesi Sitake, Jay Drew said the coaching staff has repeatedly described this receiver group as the best collective unit of the Sitake era.
He noted that the social media clips have backed up some of that confidence, with true freshman Legend Glasker standing out in particular. Drew pointed to a play Glasker made over cornerback Evan Johnson and another during Monday’s media viewing period.
He also said Oregon transfer Kyler Kasper has been tough on the secondary, along with tight ends Walker Lyons and Roger Saleapaga.
Still, Drew said he is not yet convinced BYU has a true burner in the group, though JoJo Phillips and Glasker appear closest to that label. He also said a clear go-to receiver, the kind Chase Roberts was last year, has not yet surfaced. Even so, what has been shown so far has been encouraging.
Dick Harmon sounded even more confident that the receiver room will not remain a major issue once the season begins. He said the media’s limited access makes it hard to fully judge the group, so he has leaned on people who watch the team every day. One source who has seen nearly every practice in the Kalani Sitake era told him Glasker, a freshman from Lehi working with the first team, is the most impressive freshman receiver he has seen at BYU.
Harmon also said JoJo Phillips is making plays and looking like the veteran receiver he is expected to be. In his view, Glasker has the speed to threaten defenses vertically and could help open things up for Aaron Roderick’s offense, especially alongside the run game and the tight end pairing of Lyons and Saleapaga. Former BYU linebacker coach Barry Lamb, now in Lehi and familiar with Glasker, told Harmon much the same thing: that the freshman is highly skilled, very talented and should make an immediate impact.
BYU’s camp coverage this week has also included notes on roster movement, a new running back addition, Gentry’s preparation for Season 2, Bear and Aaron Roderick discussing backups, why the Cougars did not bring in more receivers, and how the team is ahead of where it was a year ago.
Elsewhere around the program, BYU basketball officially announced the signing of a big man from Poland.
And there has been no shortage of chatter beyond football. One post noted that BYU has had several talented freshman receivers over the years, while another pointed out that Tim Fanning led the Netherlands to the FIBA U18 EuroBasket Division B title with a 69-57 win over Poland. BYU also announced that six Cougars were named 2026 Pro Football Network Preseason All-Big 12.
The broader conversation around the Cougars, though, still circles back to the same place: the receivers. For now, the early signs have coaches and observers talking, and Legend Glasker is right in the middle of it.
In Other News...
Kalani Sitake Finally Addressed The BYU Questions Fans Couldnt Ignore
Kalani Sitake stepped in front of the questions everyone around BYU football had been circling, and he did it with the sort of calm deflection coaches often use when the noise starts to grow. During a recent media session, Sitake addressed the speculation about his relationship with athletic director Brian Santiago, but he kept steering the conversation back to the players and the season ahead. He also voiced support for the recent hiring of Marc Hill as deputy athletic director, a reminder that the programs off-field structure is still taking shape.
Sitake has not hidden the reality that building the program comes with constraints, and he revisited that theme while stressing his commitment to moving BYU forward. For him, the bigger message was less about administrative chatter and more about the leadership inside the locker room and the staffs responsibility to keep improving the program. The remaining question is whether those external concerns fade once the season gets rolling, or whether they continue to hover around a team trying to keep its attention where Sitake wants it. [Read more 🡒]
BYU May Have Found The Receiver Boost Fans Have Been Waiting For
Kyler Kasper arrives at BYU with the kind of background that makes his addition feel more like a calculated bet than a simple depth move. The former Oregon receiver transferred in after a stretch in which foot injuries slowed his development and kept him off the field, but the Cougars are clearly intrigued enough to give him a real look in the receiver mix. He is expected to compete for a starting role, and his move came alongside teammate Roger Saleapaga, another portal addition heading to Provo.
For BYU, the appeal goes beyond just adding another name to the room. Kasper pointed to the programs medical and coaching staffs, including Kalani Sitake, as major reasons he landed there, which says plenty about how the Cougars are selling their pitch to incoming transfers. The next question is whether that confidence turns into production once he gets fully settled, because this is the kind of roster move that could matter a lot if the receiver group takes the step BYU is hoping for. [Read more 🡒]