Eleven of the 16 Big 12 teams presented quarterbacks to the media with BYU among the five that did not travel any quarterback on its roster to Frisco, Texas. The simple answer why the Cougars didn’t travel a quarterback is that they didn’t have one worthy of presentation, considering last year’s starter Jake Retzlaff is on his way out according to multiple reports and a wide open battle for the starting nod on tap for the fall practice session.

But what BYU can present, and did as much throughout Tuesday’s media marathon, is a stout defense that returns plenty of talent among some notable additions highlighted by Utah transfer defensive tackle Keanu Tanuvasa.

It’s a Cougar defense that led the entire Big 12 in points allowed per game (19.6), yards (308.8) and interceptions (22) last season. It can well be argued that BYU’s defense was the unit most responsible for the team’s standout 11-2 season, much more than the offense, and it’s apparent that same defense will lead the charge again in 2025.

And that’s a substantive sell, according to BYU Head Coach Kalani Sitake, who made note of the fact that standout defenses have always been a feature in the Cougar football programs success dating back for some time now.

“When LaVell Edwards was coaching everybody was talking about the offensive side of BYU. No one mentioned the defense,” Sitake said during an interview conducted by ESPN. “But if you go back and look at the great teams, the defense was a key in all of them…The offense gets all the attention, but the defense needs to be stable and have a good foundation.”

That foundation is set by Sitake himself, who was tutored effectively by Utah Coach Kyle Whittingham during his 10 years coaching for the Utes. The same can be said for BYU Defensive Coordinator Jay Hill, who coached at Utah for 14 seasons and defensive line coach Sione Pouha, who both played and coached for the Utes before joining Sitake’s staff in 2022.

Whittingham was of course tutored by Edwards while playing for BYU, with Sitake readily noting that Edwards himself coached on the defensive side of the ball before taking the Cougar head coaching job in 1972.

So it’s come full circle, with Sitake bullish about the defensive foundation that he believes was set last season by Hill and the rest of the defensive staff that he hopes to retain for some time in Provo.

“I think the main thing is that we were able to keep the staff intact,” Sitake said regarding his team’s defensive success. “Without the resources that (we have) in the Big 12, I don’t know if we could have gotten that done. When you’re looking for consistency, that’s where it starts.”

But you have to marry a strong coaching foundation with capable personnel in order to field a top unit on either side of the football. For BYU, that talent foundation for a stout defense perhaps begins with its linebacking corps, at least for this coming season, with standouts like senior Jack Kelly and junior Isaiah Glasker leading the way.

Both Kelly and Glasker were among BYU’s five players participating in Big 12 Media Days, with Glasker providing his top reason why his team excelled defensively last season and looks to even improve this year.

“It’s the unity. Our team is super close,” Glasker said. “All of us are doing team activities together and I think that’s what made us the type of team we are now. I can talk to and hang out with anyone on my team, and…that’s what really made us united.”

Considering the question marks BYU has at quarterback relative to its Big 12 competition, its defense will likely need to prove at least as competent as last season in order to realize any amount of success. Fortunately, for the Cougars, the pieces appear to be well in place to repeat last year’s defensive strides with the hope of equaling or even surpassing the team’s overall success.