Between his pro football career, family life and other obstacles, former BYU football star linebacker Kyle Van Noy hadn’t been back to Provo since he wrapped up his college career in 2013.

But that changed this weekend.

“Man, it’s been amazing,” Van Noy said at halftime of the rivalry game between the Cougars and Utah at LaVell Edwards Stadium on Saturday. “It’s been an awesome two days being back. It’s be fun to have my son come and the family, my wife and my daughter. So it’s been good. It’s been good to see a lot of familiar faces, new faces, and just see the atmosphere that’s here.”

Courtesy BYU Photo

Van Noy and former BYU star running back Jamaal Williams, who has also had an impressive NFL career, joined the Fox college football TV show Big Noon Kickoff on Saturday morning.

“It was an awesome experience,” Van Noy said. “I enjoy working with Fox every chance I get. They’ve been awesome to me. It was an awesome experience to be with Swag Daddy, Jamal Williams, who brings the same type of energy. We had a good time. It was awesome to be with that crew. They did good job.”

Williams, who played for the Cougars from 2012-16 said it was kind of a surreal moment.

“I told Kyle, ‘look, we’re over here doing Big Noon interviews and my first images of us was him, Cody Hoffman and Ross Apo taking me out on my official visit,'” Williams said. “Those three will always be my big homies. I was just loving for what they done, showing me this culture and just doing the best to make me feel involved and making it a safe place for me.”

Williams said that he still loves returning to BYU even though it’s been almost a decade since he was a Cougar player, especially on a big night like the BYU-Utah game.

FILE, Associated Press

“I’m just having a great time, just enjoying the moments again,” Williams said. “It’s great to be here, especially in this moment with both teams ranked. I like the energy. I love that it’s so many people are here right now, just enjoying the moment.”

Van Noy said the rivalry between BYU and the Utes is one of those contests in sports that goes beyond just what happens on the field.

“It’s both teams’ Super Bowls,” Van Noy said. “Obviously everybody wants to win championships but when you live in this county and you go to Salt Lake and you get bragging rights for the year, there’s a lot of trash talk. It’s been good for both sides. We (the Cougars) have had the better of it as of late, and it’s been fun. I want them (the Utes) to do well, obviously, outside of this game.”

Both Van Noy and Williams said the current BYU squad has some players in their positions that they believe have potential to have a lot of success down the road.

Van Noy talked about Cougar linebackers Jack Kelly and Isaiah Glasker, both of whom have been excellent for BYU this year.

Isaac Hale, Daily Herald

“I think they are NFL caliber players,” Van Noy said. “Obviously, they always got to get better but as of now I love what I see from those two. I think they do a good job leading a group, and I think they make impact plays every single game they step on field. That’s what you want to see from your star players.”

Williams, for his part, said he sees a lot of great things from Cougar running back LJ Martin (127 carries, 774 yards, 4 TDs in 2025).

“I think he’s good power back,” Williams said. “He runs hard. He honestly could get breakaway speed. It’s just letting him keep doing his thing. I think he’s a great back and he can do it all. I feel like they could give him more screens, give him the ball more with room to run.”

While there is a lot to like from what they see on the gridiron from BYU, both Van Noy and Williams also said that being part of the program shaped them far beyond just being football players.

“I know it’s had an impact on a lot of us, not only myself but on a lot of my teammates,” Van Noy said. “I can speak for a lot of them as far as saying that it made an impact on all of us as not only football players, but as men. Just seeing the impact of the dads that most of my teammates are. I’m just proud to see them transition into dads and have jobs and just be good human beings. I’m super proud to be able to call a lot of the guys teammates. That’s what I think about, just being able to see how it’s impacted me and my teammates in a positive light. We just continue to ride that light that we got and continue to bless other others with it.”

Williams added: “I’m proud just of my hard work and I’m just grateful for everybody being here, for supporting me, my teammates, and literally just letting me come back. I’m just glad to be somewhere where I’m loved and I’m appreciated and respected. I just like being here, just because it gave me my opportunity to start everything. It’s had its ups and downs, but I just loved every minute of it. It made me who I am now and what type of person I am right now.”

They hope that the next generation of Cougar players realize what they have now and make the most of it.

“My advice for them to just embrace it,” Williams said. “Not everybody gets this opportunity and, believe it or not, this time goes by fast. I just let them know to just have fun. When you get into the interviews or you doing anything, show your personality, show who you are, because you never know what it’ll take. Be able to brand yourself. And don’t just be just a football player. Be able to show people you on and off the field.”