Grading each position group after BYU's fall camp
By Nate Church,
August 28, 2026
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BYU’s fall camp officially came to a close on Tuesday and fans have entered the torturous period between now and game one on Sept. 5 against Utah Tech. So, after being fortunate enough to get a peek behind the curtain over the last month, I decided to give fans something to chew on for the next week or so.Thus, I present to you my letter grades for each position following this year’s fall camp. These letter grades go deeper than just the projected starters; the depth of the entire room factors into my grading.You may see things you like and you may see things you disagree with. If you do disagree, feel free to send me a strongly worded email.Let’s begin.Overall Offensive Grade – B+Quarterback – A-Bear Bachmeier is returning for BYU with the entire playbook at his disposal. His combination of size and strength makes him a formidable foe and contributes to his fullback-style running game. Bachmeier can also throw the ball, as seen in BYU’s win over Iowa State, where he threw for 307 yards.As I’ve watched Bachmeier throughout fall camp, his game has changed quite a bit. First off, he has slimmed down and increased his speed. While he is still hulking for a quarterback, his dropped weight will greatly help his running ability.Bachmeier has also learned how to stay in and step up into the pocket. Last season, fans saw a lot of Bachmeier running the ball, which was exciting in its own right, but it limited him as a quarterback. Bachmeier struggled with staying calm in the pocket and waiting for routes to develop. Throughout camp, that has changed significantly.Now, he looks much more poised behind the line. He consistently waited for routes to develop and delivered quick and accurate passes to his receivers. In one instance, the ball was fumbled on the handoff, and instead of jumping on the ball, Bachmeier scooped it up and delivered a dart to wide receiver Reggie Frischknecht.While many aspects of his game have improved, Bachmeier still struggles to throw the deep ball. That, along with clock management and decisiveness, is going to be Bachmeier’s biggest weaknesses heading into the season. If he can resolve those issues, not much is going to stand in his way.As far as depth is concerned, the Cougars have senior Treyson Bourguet in the wings. Bourguet ran reps with the backups during fall camp and traded in and out with Enoch Watson. Bourguet was solid, especially on the deep ball. He looks comfortable and ready to step in if he needs to.
Photo by BYU Photo
Running back – AThis is one of the offense's strongest rooms. BYU is returning Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year LJ Martin, who rushed for 1,305 yards last season. Martin was the backbone of BYU’s offense, scoring 12 touchdowns and averaging 5.5 yards per carry. Martin’s physicality allows him to maintain balance after contact and run downhill. His patience and ability to navigate into the secondary make it hard for defenses to locate him and bring him down.Martin is an impressive running back and has future draft picks written all over him. However, he still has some room for improvement, particularly in the speed department. While he is fast, Martin struggles to burst off the line of scrimmage and pull away from defenders, affecting his ability to get chunk yardage consistently. If he can maximize his quickness off the snap and up his top speed, he can continue to become one of the nation’s best.Behind Martin is running back Sione Moa. He showcased his strong running ability in fall camp and is playing back at full health. His size is still his biggest strength and he can go toe-to-toe with LJ Martin when it comes to yards after contact. BYU will be able to consistently switch the two out between drives and keep a strong running presence in the backfield.Another fall camp standout is Preston Rex. After watching him over the last month, he seems much bigger and faster. Most of his reps highlighted his receiving ability in short behind-the-line passes. His growth over the offseason greatly helps the Cougars with their depth at running back.Newcomers Devaughn Eka and Journee Tonga have both stood out in camp this month. Both are quick and shifty, especially Tonga.BYU’s running back group this year is stacked and will be a major cog in the offensive machine.
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Wide Receiver – C+After watching fall camp this year, I am not nearly as concerned about the wide receiver room as I was during the summer. This group has a great mix of height and speed. They have a couple veterans to help coach the younger guys, who are very talented.However, a growing theme for both the offense and defense is unproven players, and this room is full of them. Kasper, Phillips, Tiger Bachmeier and Reggie Frischknecht caught 24 passes combined last year. For comparison, Chase Roberts caught 54 passes last season.Like I said, unproven.However, JoJo Phillips has established himself as a starter and looks more confident and comfortable than he did last year. Phillips still had a few drops and has room to improve, but his height continues to give him a big advantage over defenders.Kyler Kasper has emerged as a strong presence as well. The 6-foot-6 Oregon transfer has fit in well with the offensive scheme and consistently catches passes from Bear Bachmeier. Used mostly as a jump-ball threat during his time at Oregon, Kasper caught tough passes on all three levels of the field during camp.His ability to adjust to the ball and jump over defenders gives BYU something that it has been missing. During camp it became clear that Kasper has the potential to be BYU’s most impactful offensive portal pickup.On the younger and speedier side of the room is Legend Glasker from Lehi, Utah. Glasker has had a ton of hype around him online and among the media. I’m here to tell you that the hype is real. Glasker is fast, isn’t afraid to lay out to catch the ball and has great hands.He consistently caught passes with cornerback Evan Johnson covering him. Johnson is one of the most talented cornerbacks in the nation and the leader of his room. There is little doubt that Glasker will be a starter on Saturdays. But don’t forget, he’s a youngster and is prone to making some mistakes. Be sure to cut him some slack when he does.The biggest concern with this room, outside of depth, is selling their routes on run plays. They also struggled to block on the outside and give the running backs more room to work. Unless that is improved, the outside run capabilities of the offense are going to be limited.
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Tight End – B+Walker Lyons and Roger Saleapaga II are the clear frontrunners and top talent for this room. These two have great hands, can be sneaky at times and are overall fantastic starters for this offense.Throughout much of camp, both Lyons and Saleapaga II have had plays designed specifically for them. Both had very few drops and almost always had positive yardage when they got the ball. Their size, strength and speed are textbook tight end material. I’m very confident in these two and, from what I’ve seen, they are everything they have been marketed as.Where my confidence wanes is with the rest of the group. Outside of Lyons and Saleapaga II, nobody really stood out in camp. While they put on solid performances, there is a major gap in ready-to-go talent in the room. If Lyons or Saleapaga II were to get injured, someone would need to step up in a big way.
Photo by BYU Photo
Offensive Line – AIf there is a position group to put an exclamation point next to, it's this year’s offensive line. Led by All-Big 12 center Bruce Mitchell, this year’s roster features 19 players who average 6-foot-5 in height and 304 pounds. The majority are upperclassmen with the projected starting five all having in-game experience.Projected to start alongside Mitchell are returners Andrew Gentry, Kyle Sfarcioc and Sonny Makasini. Each of them played in all 14 games, with Gentry and Mitchell starting in every game last season. This group of seasoned seniors played at an elite level last year, ranking No. 12 in the nation in sacks allowed and No. 15 nationally in run blocking, according to PFF.All four of these returners have made a huge impact during camp. In the reps I watched, it was few and far between when defenders were able to make their way behind the line and get to the quarterback. The group created gaps for the running backs and fought until the whistle. The only thing standing in this group’s way is staying healthy.The latest addition to the group is Paki Finau, a sophomore transfer from Washington. Finau has live experience and has shouldered his way to the top of the depth chart in my opinion. He is strong, immovable and ready to play. I will be very surprised if he does not win a position on the line after his camp performance.This group, combined with the promising running back group, is going to be a nightmare for defenses if they continue to dominate in the trenches.
Photo by BYU Photo
Overall Defensive Grade – A-Linebacker – AThis group is ready to ball this fall. Isaiah Glasker and Siale Esera have both returned for the Cougars and bring loads of game experience to the room. Glasker and Esera looked strong and dialed during camp. Glasker has the job of stepping up big to help fill the gap left by Jack Kelly and as the veteran of the group. If he can tighten his field vision and be more effective at dropping into coverage, he is going to be a standout this season.However, the talk swirling around this group has been focused on Cal transfer Cade Uluave. Uluave hasn’t missed a step this fall as he transitioned to the BYU defense and was consistently making plays and getting to the quarterback. The first thing I noticed about him is his size. He is built like a tank. Now that he has experience going against downhill runners like Martin and Moa, he will not be someone that running backs will run over.Additionally, he is fast and can change direction quickly. He consistently chased running backs down, especially on sweep plays. Uluave is very good at shooting gaps and getting into the backfield. If the trend from camp holds, defenses will have a hard time containing the former ACC star.The room has plenty of depth with Ace Kaufusi and Miles Hall ready to go. These two had live reps last season and are bigger and stronger.
Photo by BYU Photo
Cornerback – B+This year’s cornerback room is talented and confident. Led by veterans Evan Johnson and Tre Alexander III, the newcomers to the group have strong role models to follow. Johnson and Alexander III have both improved during the offseason and repeatedly locked down receivers throughout camp. Johnson had a few picks throughout camp and doesn’t show signs of slowing down from last year’s fantastic performance.After BYU lost Mory Bamba to the NFL and Tayvion Beasely and Marcus McKenzie to the transfer portal, the group needed to revamp its depth. The newcomers brought into the group look promising. Jayven Williams and Jordyn Criss flew around the field and looked really strong in coverage.However, reps in camp are very different from live games. This group will need to prove its depth outside of Johnson and Alexander III if they want to dominate. While Williams and Criss look promising, they are overall unproven. If the newcomers prove that they don’t quite stack up, this room could be the defense’s biggest weakness.
Photo by BYU Photo
Safety – B+Raider Damuni and Faletau Satuala lead this room and bring a lot of talent to the table. However, I think many are underestimating what Satuala’s injury could mean for the group. In the last week or so of fall camp, Satuala was suited up in pads but didn’t get any live reps.While head coach Kalani Sitake has said that Satuala is back at full health and ready to go, he also expressed some hesitancy on putting him back in at full throttle. Injuries don’t magically disappear just because fans want them to and coming off a broken foot is not an easy process.If Satuala is at full health and doesn’t miss a step in Week 1 and 2, then this room’s grade easily bumps to an A- or higher. However, I’m not fully bought in on Satuala immediately returning to his full potential.Outside of Satuala is Damuni. Damuni is talented but was out with an injury for much of last season. He has game experience and has played well in camp. His return makes up for the loss of Tanner Wall and I expect that he will play very well this year.The biggest standouts behind those two are Matthias Leach and Tommy Prassas. Leach performed well in fall camp and is able to adjust to the offense well. Prassas was used in many of the nickel packages that the defense ran during camp and has plenty of experience on the team. Both Leach and Prassas have some size to make up for and might struggle to be the last line of defense against large receivers and running backs.As with other groups, unproven players will be this room’s biggest weakness.
Photo by BYU Photo
Defensive Line – A-Keanu Tanuvasa is at the helm for this year’s defensive line with big men Justin Kirkland, Bodie Schoonover, Viliami Po’uha and Anisi Purcell all ready to help dominate offensive lines. The projected starters, Tanuvasa, Schoonover and Kirkland, are all seniors with size, experience and a desire to put running backs into the dirt.Defensive coordinator Kelly Poppinga has stressed that this group’s biggest goal this season is to stop the run, something they did well under former defensive coordinator Jay Hill. After some adjustments throughout camp, their returning production and experience should be able to live up to previous years’ standards.The defensive ends in this group could prove to be a weak point in the pass rush. However, the room has plenty of talent with Nusi Taumoepeau and Tausili Akana as the projected starters. Taumoepeau struggled with injuries last season but from what he did show on the field last year, and during fall camp, is very promising. Akana and Hunter Clegg have plenty of snaps under their belts and both were honorable mentions in Big 12 defensive awards last season.This group has the size, experience and power to wreak havoc for opposing offenses. The only thing standing in their way is unfortunate injuries or unrealized expectations.
Photo by BYU Photo
Overall Special Teams Grade – B+Kicker – A-Losing Will Ferrin was a huge hit to the BYU kicking game. However, senior Matthias Dunn and freshman Brody Laga showcased their strong legs during camp. On multiple occasions throughout the month, Dunn hit field goals from 40-plus yards with room to spare. On the last day of camp, he nailed a 47-yarder. Laga also has a cannon for a leg and can hit pretty much anything that Dunn can.The biggest difference maker between these two will be nerves. Hitting a field goal in practice, even with the entire team making noise and encircling you, comes nowhere close to 60,000 fans screaming down at you with the game on the line. With Dunn being the senior, the job will likely go to him. However, Laga is a strong choice at backup.
Photo by BYU Photo
Punter – BBoth Fuller Shurtz and Cole Shulman didn’t showcase anything special during camp with their punting ability. In fact, it was a little underwhelming. This group could become a major concern for the Cougars if they are trying to pin an opponent deep or give the defense the advantage.Kick Return – BTiger Bachmeier, Cannon DeVries and Devaughn Eka have all been talked about for this position. All three are speedy and could do well. However, I wouldn’t expect any Parker Kingston return-for-touchdown type plays this season.
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