1 / 2

BYU forward AJ Dybantsa (3) is defended by West Virginia forward Brenen Lorient (0) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026, in Morgantown, W.Va.

Kathleen Batten, AP Photo

2 / 2

BYU quarterback Bear Bachmeier throws a pass against Georgia Tech in the Pop-Tarts Bowl in Orlando, Fla., on Saturday, Dec. 27, 2025.

Courtesy BYU Photo

❮ ❯

Daily Herald sports writers Darnell Dickson and Brandon Gurney debate and pontificate on the hot BYU sports topics of the week.

1. What in the heck is wrong with the BYU men’s basketball team?

DICKSON: Something Kevin Young said recently after a loss sticks in my mind. He said, “It’s something different every game,” when referring to what went wrong. It probably feels to the coaches that they can’t keep up with repairing all of the breakdowns. Obviously, defense has been a huge issue ever since Big 12 play began: The Cougars are giving up an average of 86.3 points per game in its nine league losses. With Richie Saunders healthy they might be able to keep up but without him, that seems impossible. But I think this team lacks something else that’s really important: A leader. Young has been talking to AJ Dybantsa and Robert Wright III about taking over more of a leadership role but they haven’t embraced it yet. When BYU fell behind by 36 points early in the second half at home against UCF, I thought, “There’s no way Richie Saunders would have allowed that to happen.” That’s leadership. Saunders grew up going to BYU games, wearing Cougar jerseys, taking shots in his church gym while yelling, “I’m Jimmer Fredette!” or “I’m Tyler Haws!” Most of the guys in the regular rotation never gave BYU a second thought before they got recruited there and never put on a Cougar jersey until about four months ago. They don’t know what it means to represent BYU in the same way Saunders did.

GURNEY: How am I supposed to know if Kevin Young apparently doesn’t even know, or at least isn’t telling us? Geez, how many words do I have to answer this question, anyway?

I think you have to start with injuries. Yeah, it’s a thing, and a big thing. But I feel the injuries to both Dawson Baker, but especially to Richie Saunders, have proven extremely debilitating. Both are great players, sure, but I think the bigger loss is what they both added culturally. Maintaining a strong culture is a huge element for any sports team, and what Saunders added in that regard just can’t come close to being replaced.

I think this season is going to provide a big jolt to Kevin Young and his staff, and necessarily so. The same sort of thing happened with Mark Pope early on, and it took some time for him to adjust. Can Young adjust faster than Pope in learning to field a truly competitive BYU team? Well, he’s still landing a level of recruit that Pope never did (see Bruce Branch commit), so that’s a great start.

2. Is there anything that can be done to fix the problems and make a run in the NCAA Tournament?

GURNEY: I actually think there is, but not so much that this team can make the type of deep run most were anticipating at the start of the season. I think the bar now is simply to win one game in the tournament, and I think this team can still accomplish that.

Why?

I’m holding on to the Iowa State win. This team is talented enough to provide big wins. I don’t think anyone would question that, and if Young and his staff can get it working together, the talent will rise to the occasion. Yes, it’s a big ask when you’ve seen the level of basketball BYU as set forth since that win over the Cyclones, but I think there’s something still left with this group. Call me crazy, but I’m not ready to say this BYU team has won its final game of the year.

DICKSON: It’s hard to believe the same team that beat Iowa State (and that was without Saunders) are the same guys that fell behind UCF by 36 points and to Cincinnati by 24 points the other night. Young is trying to build his team’s confidence based on that victory against the Cyclones. For BYU to be successful against Texas Tech and beyond, they’ve got to figure out a way to get stops and get into transition. I think the Cougars are too easy to guard in the halfcourt because defenders simply focus on Dybantsa and cut off his driving lanes. If BYU can force some stops and turnovers and run a little, that opens things up for them.

3. Which BYU football player will be taken earliest in the NFL Draft?

DICKSON: I know Gurney is going to take Jake Kelly, so let me submit a wild card: Wide receiver Chase Roberts. Sure, he looks really good in a beard now, but NFL teams shouldn’t sleep on how good he is. Puka Nacua set a ton of records in high school at Orem High but you know who also had amazing production? Roberts at American Fork. Nacua is great, obviously, but he did his work against 4A competition. Roberts was a stud against 6A teams (97 catches, 1770 yards, 22 touchdowns). He was a go-to guy nearly his entire career at BYU, has a great frame and hands, runs terrific routes and knows the game.

GURNEY: I think the obvious answer is Jack Kelly, who is coming off a very strong NFL combine performance. Kelly proved much faster than I think most scouts were anticipating and demonstrated good mobility for someone of his size and stature. I think he vaulted himself into a mid-round draft pick with his overall performance.

What’s helping Kelly is that he didn’t serve a mission, which makes him relatively young compared with other top BYU prospects. It’s a thing, and NFL teams absolutely factor in age when evaluating players. Also, Kelly is a versatile in that he can mount a very good pass rush off the edge and cover in space, which makes him that much more attractive to teams.

4. What are your early impressions from BYU spring football?

GURNEY: Well, all my impressions have to do with how players and coaches have presented themselves in interviews since we haven’t seen a single practice rep. Well, we did, I guess, but BYU made certain to perform those reps clear on the other side of the practice field and I would have needed binoculars to gauge much of anything.

But this is me whining, and I am grateful for the interview opportunities we’ve been provided.

Two interviews struck me in particular. First was new BYU Defensive Coordinator Kelly Poppinga, who seems to be bursting at the seams with optimism. Sure, Poppinga has typically proved approachable and enthusiastic in most interviews, but it seems to be in overdrive this spring, and for good reason. His defense is very, very talented, and he knows he has the opportunity to show something very special this season.

The second would be the interview we had with Bear Bachmeier. Bear could sometimes prove prickly and standoffish in interviews last season, but the quarterback I saw this spring was one that was very much more relaxed and approachable than perhaps at any time last season. What Bear accomplished last season was exceptional, but I think we tend to forget just how young he was and how much pressure he was under. Now that he rose above all of it, it’s great to see him a tad more relaxed.

DICKSON: Spring football is so much different now than it used to be. Back in the day, coaches didn’t care how much spring football practice the media watched. And there was an actual spring game at LaVell Edwards Stadium. One time they even provided a box lunch for a couple of bucks. It was a showcase that the fans looked forward to with much anticipation. Now, everything the team does is guarded and secret and the spring game is pretty much a non-starter. Offensive Coordinator Aaron Roderick even admitted he didn’t really want to talk about any of his younger players because he’s afraid if he praises them some team will try to buy them away. Honestly, it’s taken a lot of the fun out of spring football. It’s really just an opportunity for the coaches to figure out where their players are currently and what the focus should be in the offseason. For the media, it’s a time to get to know the new guys. Thrilling, huh?

5. Who do you think will emerge from the wide receiver room to be WR1?

DICKSON: A lot of it depends on who develops the best chemistry with Bear Bachmeier, and that will continue through spring, summer workouts and fall camp. I think JoJo Phillips has a lot to prove if he wants to be WR1, because he’s been pretty inconsistent in his career despite having all the tools. I think Cody Hagen has a good chance to be the No. 1 guy. He should be highly motivated after his big fumble in the bowl game. I watched that kid during his high school career at Corner Canyon and he can really fly.

GURNEY: Okay, now this is a great question and I think it’s one of the chief developments we’ll be monitoring from now until the start of the 2026 season. I’m going to go with Reggie Frischknecht here, but could be convinced of any 3-4 guys on the roster, which includes Jojo Phillips, Cody Hagen and some others. And then there’s some real exciting first year players like Jaron Pula, Terrance Saryon and Oregon transfer Kyler Kasper.

But I’m going with Frischknetcht simply based on how high coachers were about him during last year’s preseason before he incurred a soft tissue injury that all but preempted his opportunity. He’s healthy now, and his size and speed combination should work well for him to separate himself from the pack.