Kelly Poppinga adding his own touch and ‘twist’ to BYU’s defense

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To the untrained eye, BYU’s defense in 2026 may look a lot like it did 2025; however, if new defensive coordinator Kelly Poppinga has his way, a closer observation will reveal a few tweaks of his own.

“There are things that I’ve liked that I did with Bronco (Mendenhall) and there are things that I’ve gathered from this defense,” Poppinga told the “Y’s Guys” livestream show this week. “I would tell myself and I have a journal of it — ‘If I ever become defensive coordinator, these are the things I’m doing in this defense, and these are the things I’m doing in (that) defense.”

Sitake elevated Poppinga in January after Jay Hill left for the same job at Michigan. His former special teams coordinator and defensive ends coach has a reservoir of knowledge to draw upon. Poppinga played for Mendenhall at BYU (2006-07) and coached for him in Provo (2010-15) and again at Virginia (2016-21). He was also on defensive guru Andy Avalos’ staff at Boise State (2022) before returning to BYU to be tutored by Sitake, Hill and Gary Andersen.

“I think for the most part, teams are going to look at it and say (the defense) looks pretty similar but there are going to be a little twist in the coverage that will be a little bit different, some fronts and blitzes that will be a little bit different,” he said. “For the most part though, this is what I know — the scheme works.

“The Sitake-Gary Andersen-Kyle Whittingham, that tree, (has been) the same system for 30 years. I’m sure (Utah coach) Morgan (Scalley) has tweaked it a little bit, but that man-free, man-pressure, cover-three with a twist of cover-two — it’s been so successful for so long. I keep telling everybody, I’d be pretty dumb if I steered away from that too much.”

Helping Poppinga develop his identity is the bevy of returning players from last year’s 12-2 squad. The Cougars finished the season ranked No. 1 in the Big 12 in red-zone defense, No. 2 in rushing defense and No. 3 in total defense and scoring defense.

“Jay taught me a ton over the last three years. Then adding Gary in 2024, and then Kalani would come in and give his insights. I’ve had a lot of insight from Kalani really over the last three months of just his mentorship. It’s a combination of all of that,” Poppinga said. “At the end of the day, everybody keeps telling me, ‘You have to be you. You can’t be Bronco. You can’t be Jay. You can’t be Kalani. You can’t be Gary. You have to be you.’”

Installation

When it comes to BYU’s roster depth, Poppinga has a lot to work with.

“I think we are very talented and experienced,” he said. “We have a lot of guys back who made a ton of plays. It has been super competitive.”

The circumstances have allowed Poppinga to stay on schedule.

“This week we will finish our installs and get pretty much the entire defense in,” he said. “Kalani really wants us to go back to (work) on going back to our base defense. That’s the key to this whole thing is to make sure they know the main things we are going to do.”

Accountability

Poppinga brings his defense together after scrimmages and practices for a makeshift group therapy session. It’s a concept he learned from Mendenhall.

“I was brought up to play hard and be tough, but I think Bronco was the one that got it out of me and got that out of our defense and our team,” Poppinga said. “I think the best way to get the most out of the guys is putting them in front of their peers in a room and showing them clips of the good and the bad. I call it our ‘accountability session.’ Is it reaching the standard? When it’s reaching the standard, we praise it, and when it’s not, we try to help them elevate it. I think it’s a really good strategy that I’ve learned from him.”

Bear facts

Amid all the changes, including new coaches in the secondary and talented newcomers trying to impress, there is one glaring detail that’s challenging the defense like no other.

“The thing I’ve noticed most is our quarterback is freakin’ good!” Poppinga said of soon-to-be sophomore Bear Bachmeier. “I think he has taken major strides from a year ago.”

Poppinga noted at times during fall camp, the defense would go two to three weeks without surrendering a touchdown while the true freshman was trying to figure things out. After going 12-2 and earning Big 12 Offensive Freshman of the Year honors, Poppinga sees a much different quarterback.

“He is seeing things so quick, which has made us be more disciplined to make sure we aren’t showing things too fast, making sure we are disguising well,” he said. “Because if you show him, right now he’s getting the ball out of his hands so quick that he is going to make you pay.”

Nothing better

Coaching the defense at the school where he played defense is a dream come true for Poppinga, an All-MWC linebacker in 2007. He loves his current challenge, but if given the choice to go back in time and lace up his cleats again — he’d probably take it.

“There is nothing like playing. I tell all my players, play as long as you can because there is nothing like it, but coaching is the next best thing,” Poppinga said. “There is (also) nothing like calling a blitz on third down and you get a sack and that rush of emotion and energy that comes through.

“I would say it’s really close, but I think playing still, there is nothing like making the play and being able to celebrate with your teammates and the fans. I don’t think you can top that.”

Dave McCann is a sportswriter and columnist for the Deseret News and is a play-by-play announcer and show host for BYUtv/ESPN+. He co-hosts “Y’s Guys” at ysguys.com and is the author of the children’s book “C is for Cougar,” available at deseretbook.com.

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