NOTE: Since this tracker began running in December 2024, the college football landscape has changed significantly. The proposed settlement that would have fixed FBS rosters at 105 players will likely be rejected, meaning that this roster limit will no longer apply and FBS teams will be allowed to carry as many walk-on players as they want. I am going to keep the original write-up that I did on the roster limits for completeness' sake, but please note that it is no longer accurate as pertaining to NCAA-mandated roster cuts. I will update individual players' entries to remove references to roster cuts.
Original write-up: [The last couple of years have seen NIL and the transfer portal dramatically reshape the college football landscape. One of the clearest manifestations of that reshaping is that as a result of a preliminary NCAA settlement, each FBS football program will now be able to draw from a certain amount of its revenue to directly compensate its players. It goes without saying that this is a seismic change—a stunning final abandonment of the veneer of "amateurism" to which the NCAA clung for so many years. FBS football players are now university employees.
An interesting direct effect of this sweeping change is that FBS roster sizes will decrease significantly. In the past, FBS programs have been allowed theoretically unlimited rosters—85 scholarship players, and as many walk-ons as they chose to have. In practice, nearly all FBS teams have carried 115-125 players. Beginning with the 2025 season, though, the concept of a walk-on will become much less common. Instead, all FBS rosters will be hard-capped at 105 players, all of whom will be eligible for at least some compensation.
This, in turn, is going to have a dramatic downstream effect in the transfer portal. Across the country, 10-20 players are about to be cut from every single FBS team—and the vast majority of them will be entering the portal. In other words, expect a glut of outgoing transfers from BYU and everywhere else. I'll track those departures, and the ensuing arrivals, on this page. As always, please DM me @JFloyd314 on Twitter if I've missed anyone.]
Jackson Bowers, TE
This particular farewell is unfortunate, and brings an end to a somewhat head-scratching situation. Bowers was a coveted recruit out of high school in the class of 2023—a 4-star talent who turned down the likes of Alabama, Oregon, Texas, LSU, Auburn, Ole Miss, Baylor, and Florida State (among many others) to sign with BYU. And then...he disappeared. After redshirting his freshman season in 2023, he didn't see the field in a single game this year—in fact, he never even appeared on a gameday roster, meaning that he was never higher than 5th on the tight end depth chart. It's unclear why Bowers didn't make it into a game in two seasons after being such a highly-anticipated recruit, but I certainly hope that his new team, Oregon State, will help him overcome whatever issues he's experienced here and live up to his massive potential. He committed to the Beavers on December 19.
Cale Breslin, RB
I'm not sure what happened here, to be honest. Breslin is a true freshman who graduated high school early to sign with BYU back in December. He entered the portal on April 11 having participated in just 15 total practices as a BYU Cougar. A three-star recruit out of Faith Lutheran in Las Vegas, Breslin was a top 15 prospect in Nevada according to 247 Sports and turned down Wisconsin, Indiana, and Syracuse to sign with BYU. What could have led him to transfer a matter of months into his time at BYU is frankly anyone's guess.
Nason Coleman, TE
Recruited to BYU as a preferred walk-on, Coleman has been a non-factor on the depth chart since joining the program in 2023. He had walk-on offers from a number of other P4 programs, but no P4 scholarship offers as far as I can tell. Given the talent BYU has in the tight ends room now, and what's coming in the future with Brock Harris having committed, there was little reason for him to expect much playing time going forward. He entered the portal on April 16 and has since committed to Northern Arizona, an FCS program.
Miles Davis, RB
I really thought this might be Miles Davis's year—he's been on the roster since 2020 (yet still has eligibility left thanks to the COVID year), but has never been able to stay healthy long enough to make an impact. He has occasionally shown flashes—the Wyoming game in 2022 was a notable instance—that have reminded fans of his dazzling speed and athleticism, but he always seems to end up hurt. He was finally fully healthy at the start of this season, but it was too late. Aaron Roderick and Harvey Unga opted for a three-headed rushing attack featuring LJ Martin, Hinckley Ropati, and Jake Retzlaff, and that just didn't leave any room for Davis to get touches. He had a couple big plays early in the season—his huge 40-yard burst against SMU set up the game-winning field goal, and he caught a touchdown on a gorgeous wheel route against Baylor—but as the Cougars' running back rotation solidified with Martin returning from injury, Davis's playing time dwindled to nothing almost immediately. I don't blame him for transferring at all—let him have the chance to be featured in an offense before his eligibility runs out. He will hopefully get that chance at Utah State, where he committed on December 20 to joining former BYU head coach Bronco Mendenhall's rebuild of the Aggies.
Saimone Davis, DE
Davis entered the portal without even spending a full season with the team. He was a solid three-star recruit out of Colleyville, Texas who committed to BYU in the class of 2025 over offers from Indiana, Kansas, Kansas State, and Virginia, and entered the portal on April 21 after participating in spring practices. He wasn't expected to be a major contributor this year, but it's unfortunate to lose this kind of developmental potential so quickly. Davis has since committed to FCS program Stephen F. Austin.
Chika Ebunoha, S
Ebunoha joined the program as a relatively unheralded three-star recruit, but played in all five allowable games to retain his redshirt during his freshman season. Since then, he has appeared in 12 more games over the 2023 and 2024 seasons, almost exclusively on special teams. He has recorded a total of 5 career tackles. While he has been in the program longer than many of the guys on this list, he's never emerged as a really key rotational player and is now probably looking for more playing time. He entered the portal on April 18 and committed to Utah State on May 8.
Jake Eichorn, OL
Dang it. I like Jake Eichorn, and I'm sad to see him leave. I understand why he's hitting the portal, though—he hasn't played much since following Jay Hill from Weber State in 2022, and didn't seem to be in line for rotational snaps this year, either. I completely understand him wanting to go and get playing time somewhere else. But Jake is an awesome dude, and really fit well into the culture at BYU (right down to joining the Church during his first season here). On January 6, he committed to joining Bronco Mendenhall at Utah State.
Koa Eldredge, WR
The most interesting fact I could find about Koa Eldredge is that he speaks Hmong, having served his mission in Milwaukee assigned Hmong-speaking. Originally a low three-star recruit out of Honolulu in the class of 2020, he redshirted the 2023 season following his mission and appeared in every game for the Cougars in 2024, primarily on special teams. But in a crowded and extremely deep receivers room, he seemed unlikely to contribute significantly on offense any time soon. He entered the portal with two years of eligibility left on April 17.
Justice Ena, OL
As you might have guessed, Ena is the son of BYU linebackers coach Justin Ena. He initially committed to Utah State prior to his mission, then quietly transferred to BYU after redshirting the 2024 season. He didn't stay in Provo long, though, re-entering the portal on April 16. I suspect that he sensed he might not have much of a future in the program given the depth of the offensive line room. He has since enrolled at Utah Tech.
Kody Epps, WR
After putting up surprising numbers in 2022, including big performances against Oregon, Utah State, Notre Dame, and Arkansas, Kody Epps looked like he might be the WR1 of the future at BYU. Then, he sent Cougar fans into a tailspin of panic when his entry into the transfer portal was leaked, only for him to immediately withdraw and stay with the team. Unfortunately, he probably would have been better served by transferring. Similar to classmate Miles Davis, Epps has been hit by a barrage of injuries since the 2023 offseason. He missed several games in 2023, and even when he did play, it was clear that his speed wasn't what it had been and his production was extremely limited. This year was more of the same—Epps wasn't on the field a whole lot, and when he was, he seldom made an impact. On December 22, he committed to WKU, where his experience and the program's pass-happy scheme should at least give him a shot at significant targets. Kody Epps and Miles Davis—two 2020 recruits, two dynamic offensive playmakers at their best, and two of the biggest what-ifs of the Kalani Sitake era.
NOTE: I have decided to leave Kody's entry here because all of the context about his BYU career is still valid, but on April 7, he announced that he has retired from football and will not, in fact, play for WKU in the 2025 season.
Cade Fennegan, QB
This is actually kind of fun to see. Cade transferred to BYU from Boise State in 2022, but after never breaking into the top two spots on the depth chart, he functionally retired from football following the 2023 season and spent 2024 as what amounted to a grad assistant. Now, it seems he's decided that he's not quite ready to hang those cleats up yet. Fennegan had the distinction of being the first BYU player to enter the portal in the Spring 2025 window, and he has since committed to Abilene Christian.
Micah Harper, S
Another 2020 recruit who saw his BYU career derailed by injuries (sensing a pattern here?), Micah Harper missed the entirety of the 2021 season after getting hurt in the offseason. He was healthy and ready to go for 2022, and after working his way into the rotation over the first four games, he emerged as possibly BYU's best safety by season's end—he certainly at least seemed like the safety with the most potential, and I even named him BYU's 'Inspirational Player of the Year'. Unfortunately, a combination of injuries and poor play kept him off the field almost entirely in 2023—his one and only start was an absolutely miserable performance against Texas. He worked his way back into the rotation again for 2024 and appeared in a few of the Cougars' early games, including a nice 5-tackle showing against Kansas State, but he had basically played himself out of the rotation by the UCF game and additional injury struggles kept him from playing much thereafter. We haven't really seen Harper fully healthy since the bowl game back in 2022, which is a real shame. He committed to FCS powerhouse Montana on January 9.
Dallin Havea, DT
Havea took the prize as the first BYU player to announce his portal entry after the portal officially opened on December 9. He is a true sophomore defensive lineman out of Provo High, and was ranked as the 18th best player in Utah by 247Sports in the class of 2024. However, he received very little recruiting attention, with BYU being his only P4 offer. He recorded only a single tackle this season, in the Wyoming game, and wasn't listed on gameday rosters at all by the end of the season.
Nathan Hoke, LB
The name Hoke should ring a bell—Nathan is the son of Chris Hoke, who was among the greatest defensive linemen in BYU history and spent eleven years in the NFL with the Steelers. Nathan, though, was a relatively unremarkable recruit—a low three-star prospect with no other P4 offers whose recruitment took place entirely under Ilaisa Tuiaki and Preston Hadley but was honored by Jay Hill. He redshirted the 2024 season, and entered the portal on April 16. In a crowded and talent-heavy linebacker room, it looked rather unlikely that he would find playing time in the near future.
Dallin Johnson, DT
Dallin Johnson was a legacy recruit of sorts—his grandfather, Brent Johnson, was the Cougars' placekicker in 1978 and 1979, probably best known (unfortunately) for brutally shanking what could have been the game-winning field goal in the 1979 Holiday Bowl, ending the Cougars' undefeated season. In any case, Dallin was a three-star recruit in the class of 2024 whose only competing FBS offer was from Washington State. He never appeared on a gameday roster as a true freshman, and committed to Utah Tech on Christmas Eve.
Weston Jones, OL
Jones was originally a low-end three-star recruit with no P4 offers back in the class of 2020, but he served a mission and didn't actually join the program until the 2023 season, which he redshirted. As far as I can tell, he has never appeared in a game for BYU. He entered the portal on April 17 with three years of eligibility remaining.
David Latu, DT
David Latu continues the rather dramatic exodus of defensive tackles from the BYU roster. The defensive staff will need to make some serious rebuilding moves in the portal to replenish that group. Latu is a true junior Snow College transfer who transferred to BYU for the 2023 season. However, after playing in four games in 2023, he didn't make an appearance in 2024. He committed to Boise State on January 20.
Iosefa Letuli, DT
A former high school quarterback whose sudden growth spurt caused him to switch to the defensive line, Letuli was relatively lightly recruited as a prospect out of Honolulu—Air Force was his only other FBS offer. He redshirted the 2024 season and didn't appear in any games. He entered the portal on April 22 and committed to Hawaii on May 2.
Noah Lugo, QB
Similar to Ryder Burton last year, Noah Lugo was a rather raw QB prospect who the coaches really liked as a potential developmental piece—perhaps someone who could be molded into an heir apparent to Jake Retzlaff down the line, but not exactly the type of recruit you bet your program on. Lugo was a fantastic athlete and three-star recruit in high school who chose BYU over competing offers from Indiana, Baylor, and Duke. He did not appear on a gameday roster this season as a true freshman, and like Burton, was probably pushed into the portal by the sheer logjam of young quarterbacks ahead of him. On January 9, he committed to UTSA.
Keelan Marion, WR
I think I can say without exaggeration that this is the single most painful portal entry BYU football fans have experienced in the NIL era. We've become used to losing bench guys to the portal and getting starters in return. In fact, BYU really hasn't ever lost a bonafide star to the portal until now. Marion was arguably the most electric kick returner in the nation last year, and he has the All-American honors to prove it. With his speed, athleticism, and highlight reel, it was inevitable that he'd be able to command a star-level NIL deal if he wanted it. And because Chase Roberts is returning for his senior season, Keelan was never going to get WR1 touches—or NIL money—at BYU in 2025. But man, I hate to see him go. He's become a fan favorite on and off the field and would have been the headliner of the offense as a senior in 2026 if he had stuck around. His production will be sorely missed, particularly in the return game. BYU's receivers room is perhaps its deepest position group heading into 2025, with an established star in Chase Roberts and serious up-and-coming talents like Tiger Bachmeier, JoJo Phillips, Cody Hagen, Parker Kingston, Tei Nacua, and highly-touted signee Lamason Waller. But Keelan has been a great player and a great representative of the program, and it's very sad to see him leave. He committed to Miami on April 26.
Aisea Moa, LB
This one stings a little. Moa was a coveted four-star prospect who decommitted from Utah to commit to Ilaisa Tuiaki at BYU—in fact, it could be argued that Moa was Tuiaki's only real signature recruiting win. It's not all that surprising to see an underclassman linebacker enter the portal—BYU has a glut of linebackers right now; in fact, they're the only position group on defense that hasn't been significantly impacted by graduations. Moa, for his part, appeared in eight games this season, though only his performances against Kansas State and Arizona were really notable. His departure probably won't hurt much in the short term, but it's unfortunate that he won't be here to develop into a starter. He committed to Michigan State on January 6.
Sione Moa, LB
This is a rather unsurprising portal entry; once Sione's younger brother Aisea entered the portal, I suspected it might just be a matter of time before Sione did as well. And to be clear, this is Sione Moa, the linebacker—not Sione I. Moa, the surprise breakout freshman running back. This Sione Moa began his career at Utah State, where he spent the 2021 and 2022 seasons before transferring to BYU after Aisea committed to the Cougars. In two seasons at BYU, Sione was never an especially noteworthy contributor—he played in three games in 2023 and five in 2024, but didn't make much of an impact. He never saw the field after the Arizona game, and it's possible that he read the writing on the wall—with a gaggle of younger and extremely talented linebackers ahead of him, he probably wasn't going to play much in 2025, either. He committed to Weber State on February 5, then flipped to UConn on April 27.
Landon Rehkow, P
Younger brother of the legendary Ryan Rehkow, arguably the best punter in BYU history and now the starter for the Cincinnati Bengals, Landon is perhaps best known in BYU circles for being an expert bowler with six perfect 300 games to his credit. However, the reliable and athletic Sam Vander Haar looks comfortably ensconced as the Cougars' starting punter with two seasons of eligibility left, so I can't blame the younger Rehkow for trying his luck elsewhere. He entered the portal on April 16 and subsequently committed to Utah State.
Jake Retzlaff, QB
It's a little surreal to sit down and write this update on July 21, 2025. This isn't even techincally a "transfer portal" entry, since the portal has been closed for months and Jake will have to play the 2025 season as a walkon. I'm not going to go into all of the intricacies of the Jake Retzlaff ordeal, which has been ongoing since May. From a transfer standpoint, once Jake's seven-game suspension was handed down and it became clear that he would likely leave BYU, speculation attached him to all kinds of destinations, from Notre Dame to Oklahoma State to (shudders) Utah. In the end, though, he has chosen Tulane—an interesting decision in a vacuum, but one that makes more sense when you consider that Tulane has the nation's second-largest Jewish student population among private universities. Jake will be the prohibitive favorite to start for the Green Wave this season despite transferring in within two weeks of the start of fall camp. I can only wish him the best, and breathe a sigh of relief that this mess has reached some kind of resolution.
Dalton Riggs, LS
This one is mildly surprising. Dalton is the younger brother of former BYU long snapper Austin Riggs, who transferred to Rutgers after 2023 specifically to give Dalton the starting role. Dalton was the starter throughout this season, and would presumably have remained so over the next two years if he had stayed. I'm not sure what could have prompted a season-long starter in BYU's incredibly successful special teams unit to transfer, but his departure left BYU's long snapper position wide open. He committed to UCF on February 24.
Nuuletau Sellesin, DT
Yet another depth piece at defensive tackle who has hit the portal this offseason, Sellesin originally followed Jay Hill from Weber State back in 2023, recruited as a rather raw prospect after only recording 24 total tackles for the Wildcats at the FCS level. He appeared in two games for BYU during the 2023 season, but never saw the field in 2024 and entered the portal on April 17, subsequently committing to Utah State. He leaves BYU with one season of eligibility remaining.
Joshua Singh, DT
Joshua Singh is what we might refer to as a "Preston Hadley special"—a relic from a time when BYU's defensive line recruiting was...less ambitious. A 2021 Orem High product, Singh was a two-star recruit with no competing FBS offers. He redshirted the 2021 season, then appeared in thirteen total games over the course of 2022 and 2023, mostly in very minor roles. In 2024, he actually played in all thirteen games and even got meaningful defensive snaps in a few of them, recording his first career TFL in the Arizona game. Singh could possibly have competed for a starting job in 2025, but may have wanted a more certain opportunity. He entered the portal on April 23 and committed to Vanderbilt on April 30.
Porter Small, DE
Another signature Tuiaki/Hadley recruit, Small was a low three-star prospect out of Springville who, like Joshua Singh, had no competing FBS offers. He was signed as part of the class of 2022—Hadley and Tuiaki's last. Then, he left on a mission, and Jay Hill arrived in Provo. Coach Hill was generous enough to honor the offer Tuiaki and Hadley had made to Small, but it seems to have become clear pretty quickly that he wasn't in the defensive staff's future plans. After a few weeks of spring ball, he saw the writing on the wall and entered the portal on April 17, committing to Weber State on April 25.
Carson Su'esu'e, QB/LB
Well, clearly I was wrong about the closure of the portal on April 25 ensuring that we wouldn't see any more entries. Freshman linebacker and erstwhile quarterback Carson Su'esu'e apparently entered the portal before it closed but didn't announce his entry until April 28. The coaching staff had recruited him as a quarterback out of high school, but moved him to linebacker this Spring, which he may not have appreciated. He committed to Oklahoma State on May 4.
Harrison Taggart, LB
This is not ideal, to say the least. Taggart was an outstanding defensive contributor for the Cougars in 2024 and was expected to be a starter again in 2025. His path to BYU was a bit strange to begin with—despite being a Utah County native and one of the most coveted linebackers west of the Mississippi in his recruiting class, he wasn't even contacted by Ilaisa Tuiaki's staff. When he grew dissatisfied with his situation at Oregon, though, Jay Hill and Justin Ena were ready and waiting to correct the previous staff's error and immediately reached out. In his two seasons at BYU, Taggart grew from a reliable special-teamer into one of the three best linebackers on the roster and a leader off the field. Like the wide receivers room, which lost a key contributor in Keelan Marion, the linebackers room will be fine—steadied by the veteran leadership of Jack Kelly and Isaiah Glasker, and with an array of young talent, it will be one of the strengths of the defense in 2025 even without Taggart. But Taggart is a major loss nonetheless, and one that confuses me somewhat since he was basically guaranteed a significant role in the defense going forward. It's not as though he was battling for playing time or something. He entered the portal on April 19 and committed to Cal on May 1.
Malae Tanuvasa, S
A cousin of former BYU linebacker Pepe Tanuvasa and incoming DT transfer Keanu Tanuvasa, Malae started his career at Utah in 2022 following his mission, but transferred to BYU for the 2023 season after redshirting his freshman year. He has never appeared in a game for the Cougars.
Carson Tujague, DE
Carson Tujague was a legacy recruit in the class of 2022—he's the son of former BYU offensive lineman and offensive line coach Garrett Tujague. After serving a mission, he redshirted the 2024 season and entered the portal on April 17. I'm never too upset at BYU coaches for chasing legacy guys, but Carson was a low three-star prospect with no competing P4 offers and did not appear to have much of a future role in the program. He subsequently committed to Utah State.
Crew Wakley, S
This one hurts a bit. Crew Wakley was a walk-on this year, but established himself as one of the best defensive backs on the team. His game-saving interception against Baylor was one of the defensive highlights of the season, and he and Tanner Wall anchored what had been expected to be a questionable safeties room, turning it into one of the strengths of the defense. Wakley will probably get a nice NIL deal in the portal, but a BYU defensive backfield that will be low on experience this year could really have used him. He committed to Purdue on January 8.
Tyler West, WR
There's not a whole lot to say about this one. West was a true freshman walk-on this season who, as far as I can tell, was unstarred by the major recruiting services and never appeared on a gameday roster. His odds of getting playing time at BYU looked slim, and he entered the portal on December 12, subsequently transferring to Utah Tech.
Prince Zombo, WR
A preferred walk-on recruit out of Liberty High School in Philadelphia, Zombo wasn't even covered by 247Sports before committing to BYU and didn't appear on a gameday roster as a true freshman this year. He entered the portal on December 19 and committed to Utah Tech, his only publicly announced offer, four days later.
Tausili Akana, DE
Tausili Akana is among the signature highlights of a loaded defensive transfer class for BYU. Rated as the #52 overall prospect in America out of Skyridge High in the class of 2023, Akana had interest from across the P4. Every SEC team and a decent chunk of the Big 10 and Big 12 (with a smattering of ACC teams for good measure) offered him, and he ultimately settled on Texas. After redshirting his freshman season, he played sparingly in 2024 before entering the portal. Long, athletic, and versatile, Akana has a shot at being one of the best edge rushers in the Big 12 when all is said and done. He's a massive get for Coach Hill at a position of serious need.
Max Alford, LB
Alford was expected to be one of the stars of Utah State's defense as a true sophomore back in 2023, but then suffered a season-ending injury in their first game. He came back healthy for 2024, but played in just four games for the Aggies before once again missing the rest of the season. In other words, he's been hurt a lot. But when healthy, he's a great athlete with elite closing speed—he was a standout running back in high school. Where he fits into a linebacker room that's already crowded and will need to be trimmed down, I don't know. But clearly, the BYU coaches see something in him that they like and want to develop.
Bear Bachmeier, QB
The Bachmeier brothers became major targets for the coaching staff over the last couple of months, as they were known to be dissatisfied at Stanford and considering a move. They are the younger brothers of former Boise State quarterback Hank Bachmeier. Bear was a coveted 2025 four-star recruit with offers from Alabama, Georgia, Notre Dame, Michigan, Oregon, Utah, and a slew of other P4 programs, but decided to join his older brother Tiger at Stanford. However, when Stanford fired head coach Troy Taylor in March, the brothers elected to move on. Bear is an incredibly talented quarterback prospect who could very well compete for the starting job this year and should be the prohibitive favorite to start in 2026. He is, by a significant margin, the highest-graded freshman quarterback ever signed by Aaron Roderick.
Tiger Bachmeier, WR
Like Bear, Tiger Bachmeier was a heavily-recruited four-star prospect out of high school who turned down Oregon, Arizona State, Colorado, and others to sign with Stanford. As a true freshman in 2023, Tiger was a dynamic receiver and punt returner, finishing as the Pac-12's leader in receiving yards among freshmen and earning the team's Outstanding Freshman award. However, as Stanford's offense fell apart in 2024, his production dropped significantly. That shouldn't be taken as any kind of future indicator; Tiger is likely to be one of BYU's top two receivers over the next couple of seasons. He's also brilliant off the field—he graduated from Stanford with a CS degree in just 2.5 years, a phenomenal achievement. It's not a stretch to say that signing the Bachmeiers is one of Aaron Roderick's crowning wins of the portal era.
Tayvion Beasley, S
Beasley flew under the radar somewhat as a transfer target, but make no mistake—he's a really nice pickup for Jay Hill's defense. BYU actually recruited Beasley out of high school under the previous defensive staff, and he had a slew of P4 offers at the time (Michigan, Oregon, and Arizona State among them), but he ultimately chose to sign with Deion Sanders at Jackson State. He spent his true freshman season there in 2022 before transferring to San Diego State, where he redshirted the 2023 season before playing mostly special teams snaps in 2024. He is an instant injection of experience into a safeties room that is talented but relatively young behind Tanner Wall and Raider Damuni.
Reggie Frischknecht, WR
Frischknecht spent the 2024 season at Snow College, where he put up fantastic numbers for a freshman before hitting the portal and transferring to Weber State. Shortly after arriving there, though, he re-entered the portal and committed to BYU on April 29. He's got a big, tall frame at 6'4" and 200 lbs, and should be a useful development piece for BYU with the potential to play a major role in the future. Virtually every program insider has indicated that the coaching staff is significantly higher on Frischknecht than the recruiting services; physically and in terms of skillset, he is the ideal Fesi Sitake receiver.
Andrew Gentry, OL
Andrew Gentry made Cougar fans' Christmas Eve a merry one by announcing his commitment to BYU and offensive line coach TJ Woods. The Cougars pursued Gentry aggressively out of high school—he was, after all, one of the top prospects in America and a mission-first kid. Gentry initially committed to Bronco Mendenhall at Virginia, but decommitted during his mission when Mendenhall retired. This kicked off a dramatic new recruitment process—ESPN did a feature on Gentry's missionary service, and Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh ultimately recruited and signed him while he was still in the field. Gentry began last season as a starter for Michigan after serving as a backup on the Wolverines' 2023 national championship team, but his 2024 campaign was cut brutally short by a season-ending foot injury a couple games in. Joining the Cougars as a true junior, he's a strong candidate to start immediately at one of the tackle spots. Landing Gentry is a massive win for the Cougars—proof that this program can command the resources needed to bring in major talent at positions of need.
Garrison Grimes, LS
In need of a long snapper following Dalton Riggs' surprise departure into the portal, the Cougars found their new starter in Baylor's Garrison Grimes. Grimes is a legacy BYU guy, of sorts—he's the son of former BYU (and Baylor and Kansas) offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes. A redshirt senior, Grimes was a three-year starter at Baylor, though he missed much of the 2023 season with an injury. He adds yet more experience to one of the best special teams units in the nation.
Justin Kirkland, DT
With the recent loss of Joshua Singh to the portal, BYU needed another big, experienced interior lineman to pair with the incoming Keanu Tanuvasa. They got their man, and a significant upgrade, in Oklahoma State transfer Justin Kirkland, one of the most coveted Big 12 players left in the portal. Kirkland was high school teammates with Parker Kingston at Roy High and was a lightly recruited prep prospect, with his only D1 offer coming from Utah Tech. However, after proving his mettle at the FCS level as a freshman in 2022, he was poached by Oklahoma State and played significant snaps on both their 2023 and 2024 teams, emerging as a key contributor last season. Kirkland is a really nice pickup for the Cougars and should start next to Keanu Tanuvasa this year.
Keayen Nead, TE
It's telling that BYU's first two commitments of the spring portal cycle were both tight ends—Ethan Wood on April 23, and Keayan Nead a day later on April 24. The coaching staff was pretty clearly nervous about the tight ends' depth behind Carsen Ryan. Nead was originally a two-star recruit out of high school and served a mission before signing with Weber State. He redshirted the 2022 season and played in 20 games for the Wildcats in 2023 and 2024 before transferring to New Mexico in January. His stay in Albuquerque was a short one, though, as he re-entered the portal in the spring cycle and transferred to BYU as a three-star transfer prospect. Like Wood, Nead is almost certainly intended to fill out the roster as a depth piece. Still, he was a significantly more coveted transfer than he was a high school prospect, and took an official visit to Kentucky before committing to BYU.
Alvin Puefua, DT
Alvin Puefua is only a redshirt freshman, but he's an absolute unit, standing at 6'4" and 325 lbs. A Utah native and one of the top in-state recruits in his class, Puefua turned down Oregon, Miami, Arizona, and Utah to sign with Hawaii. He redshirted his true freshman season in 2024, appearing in two games, and will arrive in Provo with four years of eligibility left. The motive behind this move is pretty clear: Sione Po'uha wants to build a bigger, heavier defensive tackles room going forward. Puefua probably won't play much in 2025, but he could be a key part of BYU's core in the future.
Anisi Purcell, DT
BYU's much-needed reload at the defensive tackle position began early in the fall portal cycle with an FCS talent, Anisi Purcell of SUU. Purcell is headed into his redshirt junior season having been a two-year rotational player for the Thunderbirds. He is probably intended to be more of a depth piece given the other talent the Cougars have landed this offseason, but experience is what Sione Po'uha's group needs, and Purcell has plenty of that.
Carsen Ryan, TE
BYU's first commit of the fall portal cycle was a big one! Carsen Ryan was a heavily recruited prospect in the class of 2022 who had offers from Texas, Michigan State, Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, and Washington (among many others) before ultimately committing to UCLA. He spent his freshman and sophomore seasons there, then transferred to Utah, where he was Brant Kuithe's backup in 2024 before entering the portal again. That may not sound like the most dazzling resume, but make no mistake—Ryan is a talented, athletic player with great hands and, more importantly in Aaron Roderick's scheme, great blocking mechanics. He's got a lot of freshman Isaac Rex in his skillset, but with a heavier build. With TE1 Keanu Hill and TE2 Mata'ava Ta'ase both graduating, Ryan looks like a lock to be the Cougars' starter in 2025, which will be his final year of eligibility. He brings needed experience to a position that was starting to look precariously depth-poor.
Kyle Sfarcioc, OL
Kyle was a two-star OL prospect out of Liberty High in Arizona whose one and only D1 offer was from SUU, where he naturally committed. He proved his worth quickly in Cedar City—he was a three-year starter at guard who never gave up a sack! He's a big, tough, athletic, experienced dude, and while the transition from FCS play to the Big 12 won't necessarily be easy, he is—at minimum—a very valuable depth piece for this team heading into his final season of eligibility.
Keanu Tanuvasa, DT
It's difficult to overstate exactly what a massive win this is for BYU. Tanuvasa was one of the best players on a very good Utah defense this year—a guy who started 19 games for the Utes and still has two seasons of eligibility left. Standing at 6'4" and 300 lbs, he's a massive and imposing physical presence who stuffs the run as well as anyone in college football and demands constant double teams in pass rush scenarios, opening up lanes for other rushers in the process. His player profile is similar to Khyiris Tonga, but...he might be better than Tonga, which feels insane to even write. BYU made a strong push for Tanuvasa after he entered the portal, and for a while, insider sources were projecting him as a virtual lock. But both USC and Michigan reportedly jumped into the fray at the last minute, each allegedly offering huge NIL deals, and Utah also made a concerted effort to retain him (although that was probably impeded by the firestorm of criticism that Tanuvasa faced from Ute fans on social media after he entered the portal). For a moment, it looked like he might slip away—but in the end, he decided on BYU and stuck to his choice. Defensive tackle was perhaps the Cougars' #1 position of need this offseason, with both starters and an important backup graduating and three bench guys entering the portal. The BYU staff has now very successfully addressed that need. Tanuvasa might be BYU's most important transfer win of the portal era. Not only is he a high-level talent who will immediately make the defense significantly better and has a great shot at the NFL down the road, but his commitment—coming on the heels of Carsen Ryan's transfer—represents a change in the landscape of football in Utah. The Utes' top players are abandoning ship to come to BYU. For most of my life, frankly, that has been a vanishingly rare occurrence. BYU is flat-out winning the recruiting battle with Utah right now. It's a new feeling for me, and I could get used to it!
Ethan Wood, TE
Not every portal addition can be splashy. And with the end of the tight ends bench absolutely gutted by transfers as guys have sought playing time elsewhere, BYU's tight end depth was looking a little shaky behind star Carsen Ryan. Enter Ethan Wood, an intriguing New Mexico State transfer who began his career at Snow College. Wood has good size at 6'5" and 255 lbs, but didn't play at all in 2024 after transferring to New Mexico State as a result of ongoing rehab from an ACL tear suffered at Snow. He committed to BYU on April 23 with three years of eligibility left, and pretty clearly appears to be a developmental piece.