Fall 15: Most pivotal players for BYU football in Fall Camp 2026: Jonathan Kabeya
Jaren Wilkey, BYU Photo
Jonathan Kabeya goes through drills during spring practices. (Jaren Wilkey, BYU Photo)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.
Jonathan Kabeya
5-10 180 RS-So. CB
Euless, TX.
The slot corner position is an interesting one at BYU with regards to how much it’s employed throughout the season and it’s often reflective of how good the overall talent is at cornerback during any given year. In recent history, the Cougars have gone with three cornerbacks and two safeties with last season’s presentation of Evan Johnson, Tre Alexander and Mory Bamba the majority of the time standing as a prime example.
But given the relative lack of proven depth this season, along with an abundance of depth and talent at linebacker along with three top safeties in Faletau Satuala, Raider Damuni and Tommy Prassas, fielding a true slot corner may not be the best option for the Cougars this season.
Which brings us to Jonathan Kabeya.
Kabeya entered BYU’s program in 2024 as a pure slot corner and impressed early with his coverage ability and superior lateral movement. The Euless, Texas product played in nine games as a true freshman and proved promising with his play moving forward to an assumed bigger role in 2025. But the injury bug struck Kabeya, holding him out until late in the season, and when he did return, it was apparent to all that he wasn’t on top of his game.
The hope, obviously, is that Kabeya has regained the stellar form he showed forth almost immediately upon entering the program. Kabeya was again limited throughout spring practices, but should he prove fully recovered come fall, then he could demand playing time as one of the only pure slot corners on the roster.
First-year BYU defensive coordinator Kelly Poppinga will have options, and that’s a good thing, although having a capable slot corner to employ during long-yardage situations seems to be a necessity these days. For this reason Kabeya could prove absolutely pivotal to the team’s overall success this coming season.
