How many BYU players made The Athletic’s top 100 rankings?
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Isaac Hale, Deseret News
BYU is entering the 2026 campaign with one of its most star-studded rosters in program history.
But some of these players have proven to be household names far outside of Provo on the national scale.
The Athletic has published its list of the top 100 players in college football, and two Cougars — LJ Martin and Cade Uluave — made the cut.
Throughout the long college football offseason, we rank a lot of things: Coaches, teams, freaks…
Today, let’s rank the best players.@skhanjr’s top 10 ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/oPmDzApj2m
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) August 25, 2026
Martin, the reigning Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year, came in at No. 52, while Cal transfer and former First Team All-ACC selection Uluave ranked No. 99.
Fourteen players from the Big 12 were included in the top 100, including Utah safety Jackson Bennee (No. 93) and five different Texas Tech starters.
Notre Dame, who BYU faces on Oct. 17, has six players on the list, including two in the top 10.
In three seasons at BYU, Martin has accounted for 2,939 total yards and 26 touchdowns, rushing for 1,305 yards last year at an average of 5.5 yards per carry.
“Martin, a senior, was the primary cog in the BYU offense and earned Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year honors after leading the conference in rushing with 1,305 yards and finishing second with 12 touchdowns on the ground,” wrote The Athletic’s Sam Khan Jr.
Uluave, who spent three years at Cal and competed in both the Pac-12 and ACC, racked up 235 career tackles, six sacks, two forced fumbles and three interceptions prior to landing in Provo, where he’s an early candidate in the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year race.
“The first-team All-ACC pick transferred from Cal, where he started 26 games over three seasons and led the Bears in 2025 with 100 tackles and 12 TFLs and broke up six passes,” wrote Khan of Uluave.
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Nate Edwards, BYU Photo
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