BYU’s first three games have already revealed a lot about how the staff wants to manage this roster, and the snap counts tell the story. The Cougars have leaned into rotation, trusted a small group of veterans in the secondary, and given a long list of players real game reps that could matter later in the season - maybe even immediately after the bye week.
Safety has been one of the clearest examples of that cautious approach. With Raider Damuni out because of injury in the first quarter of the season, Faletau Satuala and Tommy Prassas have been the only safeties the defensive staff has really trusted in non-garbage time.
Prassas leads the defense with 130 snaps and was on the field for every play in BYU’s win over Arizona. Satuala is right behind him with 126 snaps, even though he was on a pitch count for the Utah Tech game.
That setup may not last forever. There’s young talent at the position, and the extra prep time before TCU could open the door for more of it.
True freshman Kennan Pula is one name to watch. He stood out in Fall Camp, and the question now is whether he can get fully up to speed with the playbook.
If he can, there’s a case to be made that his athleticism and physicality could give BYU’s defense a higher ceiling than Prassas.
The Cougars’ willingness to pull starters once a game is under control has also created something useful: experience across the depth chart. Kalani Sitake has taken criticism for not running up the score, but the tradeoff is obvious.
Through three games, 62 players have logged at least 15 snaps on either side of the ball. That kind of depth can pay off later, and it may already be about to.
BYU starting right tackle Andrew Gentry is expected to miss most of the season because of injury, which means the Cougars will turn to either Siosiua Latu-Finau or Bott Mulitalo. Those two have already combined for 86 snaps this year, so the staff isn’t starting from zero there.
Up front on defense, the Cougars have been rolling bodies. Keanu Tanuvasa leads BYU’s defensive linemen with 87 snaps, which is ninth on the team overall.
That rotation has kept fresh players on the field, but it may also help explain why the line has been good without quite taking over games. BYU has not had a player generate more than four quarterback pressures this season, and its top linemen are only on the field about half the time.
Justin Kirkland’s usage stands out in that group as well. He ranks 23rd in defensive snaps and has not played nearly the role many expected on the front. Anisi Purcell, meanwhile, has taken most of the defensive tackle snaps.
On offense, Legend Glasker keeps making his presence felt. He entered last weekend leading all FBS wide receivers in receiving yards per route run, and his snap total shows he is already part of the regular rotation.
Glasker has played 85 snaps, which ranks 11th on the offense overall and third among wide receivers behind Kyler Kasper (112) and Jojo Phillips (113). Reggie Frischknecht is fourth at 53.
Glasker gives BYU more than just a vertical threat. His presence can force defenses to pull a defender out of the box, which creates more room for LJ Martin to find explosives on the ground. He is a true freshman, but BYU’s offense looks better when he’s out there.
Tight end usage has followed the same pattern of heavy rotation. Behind offensive line and quarterback Bear Bachmeier, no offensive player has logged more snaps than Walker Lyons. Roger Saleapaga was also near the top before a minor injury kept him out of the Colorado State game.
That fits what BYU expected coming out of Fall Camp: plenty of two-tight-end sets. Lyons and Saleapaga both help in the run game as blockers, and both can catch the ball too. Saleapaga, in particular, should become more involved as the season goes on.
In Other News...
Ryan Smith Just Reinforced Why BYU Can Compete In NIL
Ryan Smiths latest comments offered a timely reminder that BYUs place in the NIL era is not built on one splashy donor, but on a broad and energized base of support. The Utah Jazz and Utah Mammoth owner, who is a BYU graduate, talked in a recent interview about his financial backing of Cougars athletics and framed it as part of a much larger effort from alumni who continue to give because the school means something to them.
For BYU, that matters because competing in modern college sports is as much about sustained buy-in as it is about headlines. Smith pointed to the depth of the donor pool around the program, stressing that the support comes from many different people instead of a single source, and his own involvement is tied to his connection to the university as an alumnus. In a landscape where financial muscle often shapes roster building, BYUs case looks stronger when one of its most prominent boosters says the network behind it is bigger than most outsiders may realize. [Read more 🡒]
BYU Just Inherited The Big 12 Pressure Fans Have Wanted
Week 4 of the Big 12 season brought the kind of shakeup BYU fans have been waiting to see, with several results reshaping the conference race in a hurry. Cincinnati handed Kansas State its first loss, Oklahoma State went into West Virginia and came away with a win, and Utah took care of Iowa State on the road, all of which tightened the pressure at the top and made every upcoming league game feel a little heavier.
For BYU, that kind of chaos is part opportunity, part test. The Cougars now find themselves in a conference where every week can alter the standings, and the next round of matchups will say plenty about who can handle the grind when the league starts sorting itself out. Week 5 brings another chance for teams to prove they belong in the conversation, and BYU is right in the middle of the conversation fans have been eager to have. [Read more 🡒]
BYU Is About To Face Its Biggest Big 12 Test Yet
BYU keeps sitting at the top of the Big 12 conversation as the league turns to Week 5, a spot that reflects both the Cougars strong start and how unsettled the conference picture still is. The latest power rankings, compiled from ballots by KSL Sports reporters, also put Utah right alongside BYU near the top, while Oklahoma State climbed to fourth after a road win that has changed the feel of the race early in the season.
The bigger question now is whether BYU can hold that position when the schedule starts to tighten and the leagues midtier challengers begin pressing harder. Power rankings are only a snapshot, but they capture the stakes pretty well in a conference where recent results matter and every week can reshape the order, especially with marquee matchups looming across the Big 12. [Read more 🡒]