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BYU defensive end Bodie Schoonover

Sterling Funk, special to the Daily Herald

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BYU's Bodie Schoonover tackles Utah quarterback Byrd Ficklin in a Big 12 football game at LaVell Edwards Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025.

Marcia Harris, Special to the Herald

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BYU defenders Isaiah Glasker (16), Bodie Schoonover (48) and Logan Lutui tackle West Virginia quarterback Khalil Wilkins in a Big 12 football game at LaVell Edwards Stadium on Friday, Oct. 4, 2025.

Harold Mitchell, Special to the Daily Herald

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American Fork's Bodie Schoonover (28) evades Herriman defenders after intercepting a pass during a game against Herriman on Thursday, Sept. 6, 2018. 

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

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Bodie Schoonover hasn’t become the player anyone anticipated coming out of high school, although he’s definitely found his groove and should make a big impact for the BYU football team during his final 2026 season.

Hailing from American Fork, Schoonover signed with the BYU football program in 2020 as a tight end/outside linebacker prospect. Following a two-year mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints served in South Africa, the highly-rated 3-star prospect spent his first three seasons with the Cougars in relative obscurity, searching for his spot as his body took on a different form.

It was only this past season, which was Schoonover’s fourth in Provo, that he began to make serious on-the-field contributions, albeit as a 6-foot-3, 270 pound hybrid edge/defensive tackle. And those contributions steadily increased throughout the season to the point where he now stands as one of the chief standouts of BYU’s deep and experienced defensive front.

“I never thought I’d be where I’m at right now,” Schoonover said following one of the team’s spring practice sessions last week. “But the way my body has grown and everything and the way that just things have happened. I’m where I am and I love it now. I’m super comfortable and the coaches believe in me a lot … I love where I’m at.”

Entering his final season at BYU much is anticipated from not only Schoonover, but for the rest of his teammates that coaches hope develops into a solid defensive interior.

“They should be bigger than they were during the bowl prep (last season),” observed BYU coach Kalani Sitake. “And they’ll be bigger when we hit fall camp in August.”

Some of the notable developments along BYU’s defensive interior mentioned by Sitake include the return of Justin Kirkland, who was thought to spend just one year at BYU following his transfer from Oklahoma State. But a lingering lower-body injury preempted much of his play in 2025 and brought about a redshirt season.

“We’re very thankful that we redshirted him,” Sitake said. “If you remember last year we were kind of struggling with our interior defense, getting guys bigger and then just getting stops … So it’s good to have a presence that’s over 330 pounds.”

Kirkland is seeing full action in spring with the hopes that he can take at least some of the burden away from Keanu Tanuvasa in playing the middle defensive tackle position.

“I think it’s going to pay off huge for him, but also for Keanu,” Sitake said. “We had to use Keanu a lot on the interior side … Now Keanu can be a little more on the outside and probably make more plays for us.”

Other top anticipated contributors along BYU’s interior line include junior Villiami Po’uha (6-3, 278), who was played extensively last season, senior Anisi Purcell (6-3, 305), who was hampered with a hand injury throughout the latter part of 2025, freshman Ulavai Fetuli (6-4, 285), who has been turning heads throughout spring, and of course, Schoonover.

As for the group, in general, Schoonover takes an optimistic group of those combining to form a solid interior, and readily credits several of his teammates along with one coach in particular who has aided his development.

“Coach (Gary) Anderson has definitely helped me a lot,” Schoonover said of Anderson, who held several head coaching and defensive coordinator positions prior to joining BYU’s staff as a special assistant. ” … Not only is he a coach, he’s also just a great guy and he really cares about us. So it’s easy to be coached from him because we know it’s coming from a place of love.”

Anderson, along with BYU defensive tackle coach Sione Po’uha and several notable teammates have all contributed, according to Schoonover, as has Sitake himself.

“There’s so much love here, but also push to be your best and to be just excellent. To be great,” Schoonover concluded. “Greatness really is built here, and it’s apparent in the way that coaches love you and push you and want you to be your best.”