BYU Roundup: Urbaniak signs with BYU men’s basketball
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- Jakub Urbaniak has signed to play for BYU men’s basketball in the 2026-27 season. (Courtesy BYU Athletics)
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- BYU junior running back LJ Martin runs the ball during the Big 12 game against Utah at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025. (Courtesy BYU Photo)
It took nearly five months, but the BYU men’s basketball team finally has a center on the way.
Jakub Urbaniak, a 6-foot-9 big man from Poland, is the newest player to officially be added to the roster.
“We’re excited to add Jakub to our team,” Cougar head coach Kevin Young said. “He brings size, skill, athleticism, and experience. All things we were looking to add. He will fit in well with the way we want to play because of his versatility on both ends of the floor. We love his motor and competitiveness. We look forward to getting him on campus.”
Urbaniak signs and joins the Cougars for the 2026-27 season after spending last season with WKS Slask Wroclaw. In his first season in the Polish Basketball League, Urbaniak averaged 9.4 points and 6.0 rebounds per game while shooting 55.0 percent from the field. He recorded a trio of double-doubles, including a 13-point, 12-rebound performance in a win over Dziki Warszawa, going 6-of-7 from the field.
In 18 EuroCup appearances in 2025-26, Urbaniak averaged 7.7 points and 4.7 rebounds. He scored in double figures four times, highlighted by a 17-point performance in a 92-81 win over Hamburg Towers. He also had a career-high 11 rebounds, six of those coming on the offensive glass against Aris BC.
26 of his 29 appearances for CB Gran Canaria came during the 2023-24 campaign, where he averaged 15.2 points and 7.7 rebounds per game. He had seven double-doubles for the Granca, including an 18-point, 19-rebound performance, 15 of those boards coming on the defensive glass. He scored a career-high 32 points in a win over Pajarraco CB Santfeliuenc, going 10-of-14 from the field and 3-of-7 from 3-point range.
Urbaniak made his Polish National Team debut earlier this year in an 84-82 win over Latvia on Feb. 27 in the first round of the FIBA World Cup European Qualifiers. Nine days later, he would go 4-of-4 from the field en route to scoring 11 points in a 123-77 victory over Austria.
He represented Biało-czerwoni in the youth ranks, averaging 8.7 points, 9.0 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game at the 2023 FIBU U20 European Championships. He recorded back-to-back double-doubles in the knockout rounds, finishing with 19 points and 15 rebounds in a 71-62 win over Estonia.
BYU still has a couple of roster spots to fill and one of the prospects is former Skyridge and Michigan State big man Jaxon Kohler, a beneficiary of several lawsuits against the NCAA suing for a fifth year of eligibility. Kohler has already reportedly been in contact with Young and meeting with the Kentucky coaching staff (ie, former BYU head man Mark Pope) via Zoom as well.
Martin named second team Sporting News All-American
CHARLOTTE, North Carolina — BYU running back LJ Martin, the reigning Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year, was today named Sporting News second-team Preseason All-America.
Martin, a 6-foot-2, 225-pound senior from El Paso, Texas, rushed for 1,305 yards to rank No. 11 nationally in 2025. He was also No. 12 nationally in average yards per game (100.38) and No. 13 in all-purpose yards per game (120.0). Martin’s 1,305 yards rushing were the seventh-most in school history for a single season.
At the conclusion of the 2025 season, Martin was named Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year and first-team All-Big 12 running back. He also received Pro Football Network second-team All-America honors and was a semifinalist for the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award. In addition, he was named All-Big 12 by the Pro Football Network, Pro Football Focus and Sports Info Solutions.
Martin was recently selected as the 2026 Big 12 Preseason Offensive Player of the Year and was named preseason All-America by Athlon Sports and Phil Steele. He was also named a candidate for the prestigious Maxwell Award and was selected preseason All-Big 12 by Phil Steele, Athlon Sports and Sports Info Solutions.
Lyons makes Mackey Award Watch List
NASSAU COUNTY, New York — BYU tight end Walker Lyons was today named a candidate for the 2026 John Mackey Award Preseason Watch List, presented annually to the best tight end in college football.
The 6-foot-4, 245-pound junior from Folsom, California, was one of 43 tight ends nationally named to the watch list and one of five from the Big 12 Conference.
Prior to joining the Cougars for the 2026 football season, Lyons appeared in 23 games at USC over two seasons. He played in 12 games in 2025, catching 20 balls for 223 yards and two touchdowns for the Trojans. Lyons also appeared in 11 games with three starts as a true freshman in 2024, where he recorded 6 catches for 36 yards.
Lyons was a four-star recruit out of Folsom High School where he was touted as the No. 2 tight end in the nation by ESPN, No. 4 by Rivals and No. 9 by 247Sports. He was selected to participate in the 2023 Under Armour All-American game where he was honored as the All-American Bowl’s Man of the Year for his high standard of excellence in community service and athletic distinction.
Following his high school career, Lyons served a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Norway from 2022-24 before enrolling at UCS.
Mitchell tabbed for Rimington Award Watch List
NEW YORK — BYU center Bruce Mitchell was named to the Rimington Trophy Watch List for a second consecutive season. The trophy is presented annually to the most outstanding center in NCAA Division I football.
The Rimington Trophy is named after Dave Rimington, a two-time Consensus All-America center at Nebraska in 1981 and 1982. Rimington also became the only two-time winner of the John Outland Trophy, presented annually to college football’s top interior lineman.
Mitchell, a 6-foot-4, 305-pound senior from Kamas was recently named Phil Steele Preseason All-America Second Team and Athlon Sports Preseason All-America Third Team. He was also named to the All-Big 12 Preseason Team and received preseason All-Big 12 recognition from Phil Steele, Athlon Sports and Sports Info Solutions.
A co-captain in 2025, Mitchell started all 14 games for BYU as a junior, after replacing three-time Rimington Trophy Watchlist honoree Connor Pay. Mitchell anchored the middle of an offense line that averaged 31.4 points per game in 2025, ranking in the top 25 in 10 offensive statistics, including time of possession (No. 9), rushing first downs (No. 12), fewest sacks allowed (No. 12), rushing touchdowns (No. 13), rushing plays of 10+ yards (No. 18), total plays of 10+ yards (No. 19), first downs (No. 19), total offensive plays (No. 22), points scored (No. 23) and fewest interceptions (No. 23).
