BYU 1-on-1: Is it all good news coming out of spring football?
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- BYU receiver Legend Glasker (left) makes a catch against Jordyn Criss during spring practice on Friday, March 27, 2026.
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- 26FTB PRAC 3-27 058 26FTB PRAC 3-27 2026 BYU Football – Spring Camp Jaren Wilkey/BYU March 27, 2026 © BYU PHOTO 2026 All Rights Reserved photo@byu.edu (801)422-7322
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- Quarterback Treyson Bourget throws a pass during spring practice on Friday, March 27, 2026.
Daily Herald sports writers Darnell Dickson and Brandon Gurney debate and pontificate on the hot BYU sports topics of the week.
1. It’s spring football, which generally means it’s all unicorns and rainbows for the BYU football program with a spot in the CFP and even a national championship guaranteed. Okay, but seriously, what’s the best news you’ve heard coming out of BYU’s spring practice session?
GURNEY: There’s been a lot of good news, but with our extremely limited viewing opportunities it’s not easy to discern what’s really going on. That being said, interviews with coaches can usually give a window into what to expect and what’s exciting to them with regards to team developments.
Which leads me to Cal transfer Cade Uluave. When asked what he’s seen from the defense so far this spring, BYU offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick pointed out how impressed he’s been with the middle linebacker, stating that he’s making a lot of plays out there. I didn’t think the play at middle linebacker was bad last year, but I did feel it was one position that could use an upgrade. So don’t be surprised if Uluave, or even Kansas State transfer Jake Clifton don’t help produce significantly improved returns to what is a very important defensive position.
DICKSON: Maybe I’m just a Worrying Willie, but I’ve been around long enough to know that quarterback injuries can absolutely derail a season when you least expect it — unless BYU is playing Utah State, which ended Taysom Hill’s season three times. Bear Bachmeier is a solidly built dude but college football is a brutal sport and the way he runs the ball, well, you know what I’m saying. So the good news I’ve heard out of spring ball is the confidence Roderick has in backup Treyson Bourget and freshman returned missionary Enoch Watson. Maybe those guys don’t get in at all in 2026, but it’s good to know the Cougars have adequate depth there. The transfer portal often makes a mess of depth but it looks like BYU coaches are doing good work at quarterback.
2. Okay, enough with the unicorns and rainbows. Which position group or aspect of this BYU football is still cause for concern with spring practice officially wrapping up this week?
DICKSON: College football coaches are expected to simply go out into the portal every season, grab a couple of offensive linemen and plug them in without a hitch. I’m always concerned about the BYU offensive line, which is the lynchpin for everything. Got a great running back in LJ Martin? Fine, but he needs holes to run through. Got a returning hotshot quarterback? Great, but if it’s hard to throw dimes if he’s running for his life on every pass play. Fortunately for the Cougars, they’ve got an excellent and proven offensive line coach in TJ Woods. There are experienced returners in Bruce Mitchell, Andrew Gentry, Kyle Sfarcioc and Sonny Makasini along with transfers Paki Finau, Jr. Sia and Zak Yamauchi and youngsters such as Joe Brown and Bott Mulitalo. Getting the right five guys on the field and working together is something that always has my attention from Game 1.
GURNEY: To me, it’s absolutely the wide receiver position. Replacing both Chase Roberts and Parker Kingston was always going to be a tremendous task, and while BYU has some good talents in house, I’m not convinced any of them will come close to the abilities of either Roberts and Kingston by the time the season rolls around.
Coaches have been very positive regarding the development of Oregon transfer Kayler Kasper and the continued development of Jojo Phillips, but I just can’t see any scenario where BYU’s wideouts can come close to the production achieved last season. Of course the tight end position looks very good with transfers Walker Lyons (USC) and Roger Saleapaga (Oregon) apparently living up to their respective hype, and that could help quite a bit with the passing game. But if there’s one position group to be concerned with, it’s the receivers, at least from my perspective.
3. BYU signed some highly-rated prospects this past year, of which most are participating in spring practices. Which true freshman do you feel will have the biggest impact on this year’s team?
GURNEY: I’m going with wide receiver Legend Glasker here. I’ve written about this previously, but I can’t remember covering a Lehi football game last season when Glasker didn’t break away in the open field for a touchdown. The cousin of BYU linebacker Isaiah Glasker has true game-breaking ability and he’s already showcased at least some of it during Spring football practice sessions.
I like players who have extraordinary abilities, and Legend certainly has that. I like him as a potential option in the receiver rotation, but even more as a kick returner and possibly as the team’s primary punt returner.
DICKSON: Gurney stole mine, but we both saw what Glasker did at Lehi High the past couple of seasons and he’s going to be special. I think his high school teammate, running back Devaughn Eka, could surprise fans with strong contributions this season. But let me go back to Mulitalo. He originally played defensive line at Lone Peak, so he’s got that dog in him to be very aggressive. I think he’ll earn a spot in the two-deep with the offensive line and get some solid playing time as a freshman, stepping in without any drop-off when he gets his chance.
4. We’re about to enter what should be a very interesting offseason for BYU men’s basketball with regards to which players are brought back and which ones are shown the door. In your opinion, which player do the Cougars need to retain above all others?
DICKSON: Besides the obvious (Rob Wright) I think it’s crucial that BYU retains freshman shooting guard Aleksej Kostic. Cougar head coach Kevin Young said he values shooting and Kostic has the goods. It was an interesting year for him. Under normal circumstances, he likely wouldn’t have played that much, especially during the Big 12 schedule, but injuries provided more opportunities. He was a little bit inconsistent, which is understandable. But I saw enough growth from him in the latter part of the season that I think he’s a perfect fit for the BYU offensive system. I think he grew defensively, too, which is important.
GURNEY: I know Rob Wright is the easy answer, and probably the right answer, but for me, I really like the prospects and upside of Khadim Mboup. He’s very athletic and very raw with his overall abilities, and that’s exciting. If he can develop any semblance of an offensive game then he could form into a very productive player for the Cougars in the near future.
Even if the Senegal native lacks in his offensive development, I feel his impact otherwise will be a very necessary component for the team moving forward. Sure, we’re all in love with shot-making, but a guy like Mboup who is willing to do the dirty work and do it well is essential. Also, he seems to really enjoy being part of BYU’s culture, which I think was lacking with too many Cougar players this past season.
5. The BYU women’s basketball team just completed a very impressive run in the WBIT tournament. Coach Lee Cummard’s team is relatively young, and given the fact that the team exceeded just about everyone’s expectations this past season, what’s the team’s overall potential short term?
GURNEY: I really like how the Cougars played under Cummard this season, and given the fact this was Cummard’s first ever season as head coach, the near future is certainly bright. BYU has several top players with a lot of years left, most notably sophomore Delaney Gibb, who is certainly one of the top backcourt talents ever to play at BYU.
But then there’s other parts such as sophomore Brinley Cannon, who did a bit of everything for Cummard’s team and true freshman Sydney Benally, who was a key starter for the team throughout the season. Add freshmen like Bolanle Yussuf, Olivia Hamlin and Kailey Woolston, who sat out the season with an injury, and yeah, the future is very bright for this team.
DICKSON: I’ve got to be honest, this team was a hard watch sometimes this season. Cummard wanted to push the tempo and all I could see were multiple 20+ turnover games. I felt like this group simply wasn’t skilled enough to pull off the style Cummard was pushing. He’s got way more patience than I do and eventually, things turned around. The Cougars started to value the ball and possessions more, Delaney Gibb began to cook offensively and others around her started to produce more consistently. The run in the WBIT has been nice for the program, which has had kind of a slow start ramping up to competing in the Big 12. I’m starting to see the progress so kudos to Cummard and his coaching staff — and the players — for their hard work.
