BYU Coach Kevin Young Speaks Out After Offensive Chants at Oklahoma State Game
STILLWATER, Okla. - What should have been a hard-fought Big 12 basketball showdown ended with a troubling postscript Wednesday night. During Oklahoma State’s home win over BYU at Gallagher-Iba Arena, a portion of the Cowboys’ student section was caught on broadcast microphones chanting an expletive-laced slur targeting the Mormon faith - a direct shot at BYU and its affiliation with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The chant, “F--- the Mormons,” was clearly audible on FS1’s live game coverage and quickly made the rounds on social media. It was a moment that took attention away from what was otherwise a competitive conference matchup and instead raised serious concerns about sportsmanship and respect in the college basketball environment.
BYU head coach Kevin Young didn’t shy away from addressing the moment in his postgame press conference. In fact, he closed his remarks by calling out the chant directly.
“There were some ‘F the Mormons’ chants tonight by the student section that I heard,” Young said. “You know, it’s a great win for Oklahoma State University, their fans should be proud. But it would be great if, you know, some class was in there as well.”
Young, who is a member of the Mormon faith himself, spoke candidly about the personal weight of the incident - not just as a coach, but as a father.
“I got four small kids at home,” he continued. “I’m a Mormon. When I go home, they’re going to ask me about [the chants] the same way they asked me about it last year at Arizona.”
Unfortunately, this wasn’t an isolated incident. BYU teams have faced similar treatment in recent years at multiple venues around the country. USC in 2021, Oregon in 2022, Providence in 2024, and Cincinnati in 2025 have all issued apologies after fans directed anti-Mormon chants or slurs toward BYU athletes and supporters.
For Young, the issue goes beyond basketball - and beyond religion. It’s about the kind of example college sports can and should be setting.
“There’s just too much hate in the world to be saying stuff like that,” he said. “We got enough problems in our world without going at people’s religion and beliefs.”
Young also pointed out that the BYU roster includes only a handful of players who identify as Mormon, underscoring how misguided and misdirected the chants truly were.
“We only have probably four or five guys who are even Mormon on the team,” he said. “I understand what we represent, but even for a guy like AJ [Dybantsa], you know, that stuff is unwarranted.”
He emphasized the message he tries to instill in his players - one that goes beyond wins and losses.
“I try to talk to our guys about being examples in the world,” Young said. “We can use basketball to really just bring people together and not tear people apart. We talk about that a lot, and it’s just disappointing.”
Then came a powerful final note - a call for unity, and a challenge to everyone listening.
“I hope someone prints that. I hope it’s in bold on someone’s publication,” Young said. “Together as a society, we can just help the world kind of move forward and not divide each other with pain and things that are really nonsensical.”
It was a reminder that college basketball, for all its rivalries and emotion, still has a responsibility to be better - to set a tone that lifts people up, not tears them down.