At the midpoint of BYU’s 2026 season, the only fair verdict is a clean A.
The No. 2 Cougars are 6-0, a start that puts them in a place the program has never occupied at this point in a season.
That alone makes the grade easy. What’s made the run even more impressive is how much of it has been built on first-year faces who came through the transfer portal and immediately changed the shape of the roster.
Take Walker Lyons. BYU had to replace Carsen Ryan, who is now in the NFL after one of the better tight end seasons the program has produced in recent years.
Lyons has stepped in and delivered 18 catches for 199 yards through six games, plus the game-winning touchdown in BYU’s 28-24 win over Notre Dame last season. At this stage last year, Ryan had 14 receptions for 202 yards and two touchdowns, so Lyons has tracked right alongside that production, if not edged it.
Lyons arrived from USC with plenty expected of him, and he has met just about all of it. But he’s not the only portal tight end boosting the offense.
Oregon transfer Roger Saleapaga has been quieter, but he still has seven receptions for 110 yards and looks capable of adding more as the season goes on. Between the two, BYU’s tight end room has clearly held its own, and then some, after a season ago.
The offensive line has also gotten a lift from the portal, and maybe nowhere more visibly than at left tackle. That spot was one of the bigger storylines of the spring, but Washington transfer Paki Finau settled it quickly and has backed that up all season.
Through six games, he has protected Bachmeier’s blindside well and turned in consistently strong performance grades. His presence has helped raise the level of the entire line.
At receiver, the expectation around town was that BYU might take a step back after losing Chase Roberts and Parker Kingston. So far, Oregon transfer Kyler Kasper has helped soften that blow.
The 6-foot-6 former four-star prospect has 20 receptions for 244 yards and three touchdowns, and his work alongside true freshman Legend Glasker has kept the position from falling off as much as many predicted. Roberts had 22 catches for 420 yards and three touchdowns through the midpoint of the 2025 season, so Kasper hasn’t matched that output - but he has come closer than many would have guessed.
Defense has brought its own set of portal success stories. BYU didn’t have to replace much on that side, but it still needed a third cornerback after Mory Bamba and had room for help at linebacker.
The biggest addition has been Cal transfer Cade Uluave, who leads the team in total tackles and has looked like BYU’s best defender through six games. He was especially strong in the win over Notre Dame and has boosted a unit that also lost Jack Kelly, now with the New York Giants.
Mississippi State transfer Jayven Williams hasn’t gotten nearly the same attention, but he’s become a key piece in nickel packages, where BYU uses five defensive backs. He has played steady, reliable coverage and has at least matched what Bamba gave the Cougars a year ago.
Kalani Sitake has noticed the impact, and he also pointed to Stanford transfer Zak Yamauchi as another example of how the portal group has fit in.
“We have a bunch of guys that can play. Those guys just got to stay hungry for it because you might have an opportunity,” Sitake said.
“I bring Zac Yamuuchi up as an example because he had one play where Kyle (Sfarcioc) got banged up, and Zac wanted went in for one play, and was ready for his moment … and then got a pancake. And so that’s a guy that was tuned in from the very beginning, had his helmet ready to go.”
That kind of readiness has been a theme for BYU all season, and Sitake tied it directly to the work the team put in before the Notre Dame game.
“I’m just really proud of the way the guys prepared. We we talked about the will to prepare and mentioned Lavell (Edward’s) quotes to the team on preparation being way more important than the will to win,” Sitake said specifically regarding the prep prior to taking on Notre Dame, although the quote could easily be transferred to every week so far this season.
“And I love the way the guys work all week. I think everybody wants to be ready to go during the game, but when you prepare the right way during the week, you can have a lot of confidence going into that moment.”
In Other News...
BYU Backfield Suddenly Has A New Spotlight At UCF
A familiar spot in BYUs offense is suddenly up for grabs heading into the UCF game, and Sione Moa is back in the mix at just the right time. After working his way back from a knee injury, Moa has been cleared to play, giving the Cougars another option as they try to sort through the backfield picture on the road.
The challenge, of course, is that BYU still does not have its top runner available. LJ Martin remains sidelined with an ankle injury and is expected to miss 4 to 6 weeks, which leaves the Cougars leaning on Moa and the other backs to carry more of the load. For a team heading into a tough conference matchup, the timing could hardly be more important. [Read more 🡒]
BYU Heads To UCF With Everything Suddenly Feeling On The Line
The Notre Dame win gave BYU a surge of momentum, but it also sharpened the stakes around what comes next. A trip to UCF now feels like more than a routine Big 12 road game, because the Cougars are carrying the kind of record that can put the College Football Playoff and the conference title game within reach if they keep handling business.
An 11-1 finish is being viewed as the threshold for making a serious playoff case, which means the margin for error is suddenly thin. A loss in Orlando would not end BYUs season, but it would make the path much narrower and put a lot more pressure on everything that follows. [Read more 🡒]
Khyiris Tonga Shared The BYU Journey That Shaped His NFL Path
Khyiris Tonga's path to the NFL has always carried more layers than just what he does on the field, and the Chiefs' latest feature put some of that story in front of a wider audience. In the team's "Under the Helmet" series, the former BYU defender talked about his faith, his adoption during high school and the two-year mission he served for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Kansas, all of it part of the journey that shaped him long before he reached Kansas City.
The offseason addition landed with the Chiefs on a three-year deal, and the early feedback around him has matched the kind of reputation he built in college and beyond. Andy Reid and Chris Jones have both praised Tonga's mentality and work ethic, which makes his background more than a personal story line for BYU fans, it also helps explain why he has fit into a veteran locker room built on accountability and consistency. [Read more 🡒]