BYU running back LJ Martin added another preseason honor to a resume that already carries plenty of weight. Sporting News named the reigning Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year a second-team Preseason All-America selection.
Martin, a 6-foot-2, 225-pound senior from El Paso, Texas, put together a huge 2025 season for the Cougars. He ran for 1,305 yards, which ranked No. 11 nationally, and finished No. 12 in average yards per game at 100.38.
He also placed No. 13 nationally in all-purpose yards per game at 120.0. That 1,305-yard total was the seventh-most in a single season in school history.
His production earned major recognition after the season. Martin was named Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year and first-team All-Big 12 running back.
He also picked up Pro Football Network second-team All-America honors and was a semifinalist for the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award. On top of that, he was included on All-Big 12 teams by Pro Football Network, Pro Football Focus and Sports Info Solutions.
The preseason praise has kept coming for Martin as well. He was recently chosen as the 2026 Big 12 Preseason Offensive Player of the Year and has been named preseason All-America by Athlon Sports and Phil Steele. He was also listed as a candidate for the Maxwell Award and selected preseason All-Big 12 by Phil Steele, Athlon Sports and Sports Info Solutions.
First published in 1886, The Sporting News is one of five outlets used to determine consensus All-American status at the conclusion of each college football season.
In Other News...
BYU Just Sent A Clear Message With This Fall Camp Removal
Fall camp is only getting underway, but BYU has already made a notable roster decision by moving sophomore linebacker Ephraim Asiata off the camp roster. Asiata had been part of the programs defensive mix in recent seasons, working as a reserve linebacker and defensive end, and he had been viewed as a useful depth option heading into the future.
The move leaves little doubt about how the Cougars are approaching the linebacker room this month. Even with Asiata out of the picture, BYU still has veterans and transfers expected to carry the rotation, which gives the staff plenty of options as it sorts out roles. For a defense trying to establish order early in camp, the decision sends a clear message about standards and about how quickly the depth chart can change. [Read more 🡒]
BYU Fall Camp Roster Brings Unexpected Competition At Key Positions
BYU footballs 2026 roster release before fall camp did more than just update the depth chart. It offered the first clear look at a group of newcomers who could make the next few weeks more competitive than expected, especially at positions where the Cougars are trying to sort out reliable answers. Running back Journee Tonga, a preferred walk-on with a strong high school rsum, is one of the more intriguing additions, while wide receiver Fisher Ingersoll is back in Provo after previously spending time in college baseball.
The rest of the incoming group adds even more to watch once camp opens. Scholarship additions Devoux Tuatagia, Brody Laga and Antonion Johnson give the roster extra bodies and options, and former preferred walk-on Lance Reynolds is also back in the mix. Its the kind of offseason roster movement that can quietly shape a fall, because the real story now is which of these names turns a crowded list into actual playing time. [Read more 🡒]
BYUs Big 12 Buzz Is Making The 2026 Ceiling Hard To Ignore
The preseason buzz around BYU keeps getting louder, and the latest Big 12 recognition only adds to the sense that next year could be something special in Provo. Sports Info Solutions released its 2026 Preseason All-Big 12 team, and four Cougars landed on the first team: LJ Martin, Bruce Mitchell, Evan Johnson and Faletau Satuala. Honors like that do not guarantee anything, but they do say plenty about how the league views BYU's talent base heading into the season.
There is still real intrigue around the roster, especially with competition at quarterback and the addition of linebacker Cade Uluave from Cal. But having that many players already earning preseason first-team praise gives BYU a foundation most programs would love to have before August even arrives. If the Cougars can turn that individual respect into the kind of team cohesion that travels in the Big 12, the ceiling looks hard to ignore. [Read more 🡒]