Is BYU a football school or a men’s basketball school?
That question gets harder to answer when a program keeps showing up in both places. For schools that live off the revenue side of college athletics, it usually comes down to one sport or the other.
Football and men’s basketball tend to be the pillars, and plenty of universities end up leaning hard into one while the other slips behind. Utah has been a clear example of that shift over time: right now it reads as a football school, even if the late 1990s told a different story.
BYU, though, has spent the past few years making a case in both sports. That’s what makes the label tricky.
Earlier this week, The Athletic’s Joe Rexrode tried to sort out Power Four schools by identity, and he put BYU in the football category. His reasoning centered on the direction Kalani Sitake has taken the program.
Rexrode wrote, “If this weren’t a football school, would Kalani Sitake have been able to turn down Penn State late last year? He has things set up for consistent success like they haven’t seen in Provo since the height of the LaVell Edwards era.”
Rexrode also placed Utah in the football camp, noting the way the school’s identity has shifted over time. He wrote, “Rick Majerus, Keith Van Horn and Andre Miller may have pushed a different sport to the forefront long ago, but Urban Meyer’s brief stint and Kyle Whittingham’s expansive follow-up left no doubt.”
In Other News...
BYU Suddenly Has A Freshman WR Fans Cant Ignore
Fall camp is approaching with BYUs wide receiver room in a very different place than it was a few months ago, and that has put a spotlight on freshman Jaron Pula. The early enrollee arrived with a strong recruiting profile and now finds himself in the middle of a position battle where the Cougars need newcomers to help fill the void left by key departures.
Pula is expected to compete for immediate playing time, and the staff will have to figure out quickly how many receivers can realistically crack the rotation. Even with the uncertainty that comes with a young player, BYU views him as someone who could work his way into the two-deep and become part of the group the offense leans on this fall. [Read more 🡒]
Sione Moa Could Quietly Change BYUs Backfield Ceiling
BYUs backfield picture for the 2026 season starts with LJ Martin, but the more interesting layer may be what happens behind him once fall practice opens in early August. Sione Moa is back in the mix after missing most of last season, and the sophomore running back enters camp with a chance to settle into a role that could matter a lot if the Cougars want more than just one dependable option carrying the load.
Moa flashed enough as a freshman to suggest there was something there before the setback, and his full participation in spring practice was a meaningful step toward becoming a real part of the offense again. If he stays healthy through August and into the season, BYU could end up with a much deeper, more flexible running back room than it looked like it had a year ago. [Read more 🡒]