BYU’s presence in the Big 12 preseason awards landed exactly where you’d expect for a team getting plenty of league respect: right near the top.
The conference announced its preseason honors Monday, and Cougars running back LJ Martin took home Big 12 Preseason Offensive Player of the Year. Martin is coming off a breakout 2025 season, one that ended with him earning Offensive Player of the Year honors, so the media essentially voted him back into the same spot for 2026.
Martin was one of six BYU players selected to the Preseason All-Big 12 Team, giving the Cougars the second-most first-team selections in the league. Only Texas Tech finished ahead of them with seven.
BYU’s six preseason picks were spread across both sides of the ball. On offense, Martin was joined by offensive lineman Bruce Mitchell, who also earned first-team All-Big 12 recognition in 2025.
On defense, the Cougars had three returning starters honored: defensive lineman Keanu Tanuvasa, cornerback Evan Johnson and safety Faletau Satuala. Linebacker Cade Uluave rounded out the group after arriving as a newcomer and bringing first-team all-conference credentials from the ACC, where he was a first-team linebacker last season.
The full list of preseason all-conference selections also underscored the top-heavy feel of the league heading into 2026. Texas Tech and BYU combined for 45% of the preseason all-conference picks, a clear sign that many around the conference see those two programs in a tier of their own entering the season.
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BYU Enters Big 12 Media Days With A Feeling Fans Missed
BYU heads into the 2026 Big 12 media days with a different kind of buzz than it brought into the league a few years ago. The Cougars have spent the past two seasons proving they can belong in the conference, capped by a 12-win run that turned a once-intriguing newcomer into a legitimate contender. Bear Bachmeiers rise at quarterback helped define that climb, and with LJ Martin back in the fold, the roster looks more like one built to stay in the race than simply surprise it.
Six veteran Cougars are scheduled to represent the program in Frisco, giving the team a chance to put its confidence on display before the season even starts. Bachmeier, Martin, Bruce Mitchell, Evan Johnson, Isaiah Glasker and Keanu Tanuvasa give BYU a mix of offensive and defensive leadership, and the bigger question now is whether the Cougars can turn that returning experience into the kind of consistency that changes how the rest of the Big 12 views them. [Read more 🡒]
Big 12 Respect For BYU Just Reached Another Level
BYUs rise in the Big 12 is showing up before the season even kicks off. In the leagues preseason media vote, the Cougars landed six players on the All-Big 12 team, a sign that last years breakthrough run has carried real weight with voters around the conference. The group includes offensive lineman Bruce Mitchell and four defensive players, giving BYU a broad footprint on both sides of the ball as it heads into another pivotal year.
LJ Martin is the headliner after a season in which he piled up 1,305 rushing yards during BYUs 12-2 campaign and Big 12 championship game run, even though his year ended with an injury before the bowl game. The rest of the preseason recognition also puts BYU in some notable company, alongside honorees such as Utah returner Mana Carvalho and Texas Tech defensive lineman A.J. Holmes, but the bigger takeaway is clear enough: the Cougars are no longer being treated like a feel-good surprise. [Read more 🡒]