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BYU kicker Matthias Dunn attempts a kick during the spring practice session. March 21, 2026

Nate Edwards, BYU Photo

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BYU kicker Matthias Dunn greets several children attendees to a spring practice session. February 27, 2026

BYU Photo

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BYU football’s fall practice session is set to get underway during the first week of August and with it will come a lot of reporting on the preparations for the coming 2026 football season. Several players will receive focus throughout the month of August with more than several of them likely to prove pivotal for the Cougar’s overall success this season.

In the lead-up to the fall football practice session we’ll be previewing 15 such players whose contribution and progress throughout August will very likely play big in determining how successful of a team BYU proves to be in 2026.

Matthias Dunn

6-0 200 RS-Sr. PK

Heber City, UT

Kickers are football players, too, and BYU has enjoyed a very good one in Will Ferrin over the past three seasons. Ferrin registered several key moments during his career, although none will be remembered more fondly than his game-winning 44-yard field goal with just seconds remaining during the Cougar’s 22-21 win over Utah in 2024.

Ferrin connected on 24 of his 27 field goal attempts in 2024, and although his numbers dipped a bit this past season, he played out his eligibility as a dependable kicking option that aided significantly in winning out in close contests. The Boise State transfer also proved very effective during kickoffs, often pinning opponents behind the 25-yard line to begin drives.

In short, Ferrin is going to be very tough to replace.

Although the kicking competition is still technically open entering fall camp, most indications are that the primary responsibility will rest on Dunn. A product of Wasatch High School, Dunn entered the BYU program the same season as Ferrin, and the kicking competition proved very competitive up until the point that Ferrin inched ahead and put together a much-needed kicking boost to the team.

Freshman Ian Sanches will battle Dunn into the fall camp session, with new BYU special teams coordinator Justin Ena indicating the battle will likely continue until the middle of the fall practice session. But given Dunn’s experience within the system, he’s a good bet to inherit primary place-kicking responsibilities.

Certainly kicking will prove pivotal this coming season, and Dunn, as the odds on favorite to win the starting nod, stands as one of the more pivotal players on BYU’s roster entering the fall camp session.