Depth chart: Cougars’ offense in 2026 should be even better than it was in 2025

NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...

At first glance, it appears that BYU’s football team in 2026 will have one of the best and most explosive offenses in the Big 12 in the program’s fourth season in that power conference.

Back for the Cougars after a stellar season in 2025 that saw coach Kalani Sitake’s squad go 12-2 and win the Pop-Tarts Bowl are Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year LJ Martin, a first-team all-conference running back; quarterback Bear Bachmeier; and three standout senior offensive linemen — Andrew Gentry, Kyle Sfarcioc and Bruce Mitchell.

Throw in two all-conference-caliber transfer tight ends — USC’s Walker Lyons and Oregon’s Roger Saleapaga — and a couple of highly sought after offensive linemen in the portal who picked BYU, Washington’s Paki Finau and Stanford’s Zak Yamauchi, and the Cougars should be able to replicate what they did last year offensively, perhaps even surpass it.

Expectations for offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick’s group are sky-high, and for good reason.

“We’re developing depth at every position. We like all the new guys, and we have a lot of veteran players who have played a lot of football, too,” Roderick said last Thursday as spring camp concluded in Provo. “I think we’re going to be good at every position. We have a good football team.”

“We’re developing depth at every position. We like all the new guys, and we have a lot of veteran players who have played a lot of football, too. I think we’re going to be good at every position. We have a good football team.”

BYU offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick

The only concern is that the Cougars are a bit thin and inexperienced at running back and receiver, especially with expected contributing running back Jovesa Damuni sustaining a serious injury in spring camp.

The offense was already trying to replace highly productive receiver Chase Roberts, tight end Carsen Ryan and reliable offensive linemen Isaiah Jatta, Weylin Lapuaho and Austin Leausa. So there’s work to do.

“We’ve had a good spring,” Roderick said, while noting that the Cougars played a lot of “fake football” and did not do a lot of tackling and live work. “I have seen improvement all around. … We’ve had some days where (the offense) has had a lot of success. Our defense has had some good days, too. That’s what you kind of want in spring ball — good, healthy back and forth (scrimmages).”

To replace Roberts, BYU brought in Oregon receiver Kyler Kasper, a four-star recruit out of high school who didn’t do much in Eugene, mostly due to injury. Coaches didn’t do anything to replace Parker Kingston, believing that returning receivers such as Cody Hagen, JoJo Phillips, Tei Nacua and Tiger Bachmeier — Bear’s brother — will step up and fill that sizable void.

“I am pleased with where we are at. I think we’re gonna have a chance to be really good, and we’ve moved the ball well this spring,” Roderick said. “Our passing game has taken some really good strides forward, which is kind of by necessity, because it is tough to run the ball in spring ball when they can just tag you and you’re down.

“So it’s a good chance to work on your passing game and I think we’re taking strides,” Roderick concluded.

It also should be noted that Martin missed spring camp after having had shoulder surgery in December. Probable starting guard Sonny Makasini has not participated in contact drills, either.

Also, here’s the annual reminder that nothing is set in stone. Last year, for instance, this annual article focused on how quarterback Jake Retzlaff was going to be a fringe Heisman Trophy candidate for the Cougars in 2025. BYU fans know how that turned out.

Actually, it wasn’t that bad, as Bachmeier joined the program in June, won the starting job in August, and guided BYU to one of its best seasons in school history. Absolutely nobody saw that happening.

After all the gnashing of teeth, Bear Bachmeier and Roderick combined to engineer an adequate, opportunistic offense that solved every defense except Texas Tech’s. And in the Big 12 championship game against the Red Raiders, Bachmeier played hurt after driving the Cougars to a touchdown on their first possession.

Bear-led offense in 2025 was above average

Here’s where BYU’s offense finished in several statistical categories in 2025:

• No. 33 in scoring offense, 31.4 points per game
• No. 54 in total offense, 399.5 yards per game
• No. 39 in rushing offense, 178.4 yards per game
• No. 73 in passing offense, 221.1 yards per game
• No. 51 in third-down conversion percentage, 41.4% conversion rate
• What did Bear Bachmeier see from this group this spring?

“We have so much talent,” he said. “Spring ball was a great process for us to just refine everything and obviously get the new guys jelling. We got a lot of talented guys, and if we can put it all together, we are going to be dangerous.”

Without further ado, here’s the Deseret News’ seventh-annual post-spring stab at what the two-deep offense chart will look like when preseason training camp concludes in August and BYU turns its attention to its fourth season in the Big 12.

Our annual look at the defensive depth chart will be published soon.

Who will be the backup QB?

Coming out of spring ball last year, Roderick challenged Retzlaff to complete 70% of his passes for 4,000 yards and 30 touchdowns. He isn’t making the same demands on Bachmeier this year, although the rising sophomore is clearly QB1.

“You always want to think about (those high numbers), but no, statistics aside, we just want to see the win column (totals) go up,” Bachmeier said.

Roderick said there are no plans to add another player from the portal to the offense, let alone the quarterback position, so the Cougars will likely go into May when they reconvene after final exams with senior Treyson Bourguet and freshman Enoch Watson battling to be Bear’s backup. Snow College transfer Max Barker and returned missionary Owen Geilman were the other QBs on the spring roster.

Roderick declined to name a QB2 when spring camp ended, but Bourguet appears to be the front-runner, based on getting slightly more work with the ones and twos than Watson did.

Bourguet and Watson “are both very talented and they are both playing really well,” Bachmeier said.

Cougars could be thin at running back, again

No question, BYU’s running back situation in 2026 will be strong, as long as Martin and Sione Moa stay healthy. Martin, in particular, is a proven commodity with the ability to break some school rushing records in his senior season.

“My only goal is to just win as many games as possible,” he said last Friday. “With football, so much could happen and nothing is for certain. I am just grateful for the opportunity to play for BYU, and that’s just how I have always been — even last year. So (the goal) is to get through the whole season, and just play hard.”

Moa told the Deseret News last week that he is around 90% recovered from a compartment syndrome malady that kept him out of 10 games, and expects to be at full strength when the season begins Sept. 5 against Utah Tech.

The loss of Damuni hurts, as the redshirt sophomore showed flashes of speed and brilliance in the 25-21 win over Georgia Tech in the Pop-Tarts Bowl. The key RB backups are now senior Preston Rex, a converted safety, and freshman Devaughn Eka out of Lehi High.

“It is no secret. We are going to hand the ball to LJ 20 times a game next year, just like we did last year,” Roderick said. “And then it is up to those other guys to find their way in. I think you will see Sione (Moa) in the game a good amount with LJ, where they are both on the field together, or whenever LJ needs a break.

“Devaughn has had a good spring; I think he’s going to play for us this year,” Roderick continued. “Preston Rex has improved.”

Questions remain at receiver after spring camp

Sitake was asked after spring camp ended if there is a position that he’s concerned about. He didn’t bring up the obvious one — receiver — and instead talked about replacing the specialists, kicker Will Ferrin and punter Sam Vander Haar.

So maybe the head coach knows something about the receiver situation that the rest of us don’t. Also, receivers coach and passing game coordinator Fesi Sitake has said that he’s confident there is enough talent and depth in the group to carry on.

Really, a lot will depend on whether Kasper can deliver, and whether returning backups JoJo Phillips, Tiger Bachmeier, Reggie Frischknecht and Cody Hagen can become more productive.

“There’s a lot of turnover on a lot of teams,” Bachmeier said, when asked about replacing Roberts and Kingston. “I think spring ball is a great time to jell with the incoming guys and then the guys that have been here. Great teams are defined by how they adapt, and again, I think we’re going to be really dangerous on the perimeter.”

Another receiver to keep an eye on is true freshman Legend Glasker. The Lehi product isn’t on our projected depth chart now, but coaches have said he will have a role in 2026, perhaps a big one if the aforementioned receivers don’t step up.

Tight end is again a position of strength

BYU quickly moved to replace Carsen Ryan in the offseason, adding Lyons out of USC and Saleapaga out of Oregon. Guys such as Noah Moeaki and Keayen Nead are also capable of contributing a bit more than they did last year.

“Those two tight ends have (already) proven that they’re two of our best players,” Roderick said of Lyons and Saleapaga. “So you’re gonna see those guys a lot. They’re good blockers, they’re excellent receivers. They’re good teammates, they’re tough. They both came from good programs where they know how to work, they know how to operate on a day-to-day basis, like you’re supposed to do it at a high level.”

Transfers will bolster a good offensive line

BYU successfully filled the shoes of Caleb Etienne, Brayden Keim and Connor Pay last year with the emergence of Isaiah Jatta, Weylin Lapuaho and Austin Leausa, and now the process starts over again for third-year offensive line coach TJ Woods, one of the most valuable members of the BYU coaching staff.

Woods has turned BYU’s offensive line into one of the top OLs in the country in two years, and the unit was largely responsible for the success of Martin and Bachmeier in 2025.

What’s next?

Seniors Mitchell and Gentry are the mainstays, along with senior Sonny Makasini, who played a lot last year while rotating with Leausa. Knowing they would need a little more depth in 2026, the Cougars brought in projected starting left tackle Paki Finau (Washington), possible starting left guard Yamauchi (Stanford) and Junior Sia, a junior from Utah State.

Other possible two-deep guys on the O-line are freshmen Bott Mulitalo and Siosiua Latu-Finau, sophomores Joe Brown and Trevor Pay, and senior Trevin Ostler.

“I am not ready to say exactly what that starting five is, but we have more than five, so that gives me a lot of confidence,” Roderick said. “Just like last year, we had more than five. I think we played eight guys all year, and we have more than five that can play. So we’re gonna be fine there.”

Bachmeier also said the offensive line will have plenty of able bodies in 2026.

“I think they’re deadly. I mean, they’re just ferocious. And we don’t just have five guys who can play,” he said. “Having depth is really good, and I just love these guys. They don’t get as much credit as they should. They are awesome and they have a pivotal role in what we do.”

BYU projected depth chart (2026)

Offense

Starter; backup

• QB 47 Bear Bachmeier (So.); 10 Treyson Bourguet (Sr.)
• RB 4 LJ Martin (Sr.); 12 Preston Rex (Sr.)
• RB 30 Sione Moa (So.); 25 Devaughn Eka (Fr.)
• WR 13 JoJo Phillips (Jr.); 0 Tei Nacua (So.)
• WR 3 Kyler Kasper (Jr.); 18 Reggie Frischknecht (So.)
• WR 5 Cody Hagen (Jr.); 19 Tiger Bachmeier (Sr.)
• TE 7 Walker Lyons (Jr.); 2 Roger Saleapaga (Jr.)
• LT 58 Paki Finau (So.); 52 Bott Mulitalo (Fr.) or 59 Siosiua Latu-Finau (Fr.)
• LG 51 Sonny Makasini (Sr.); 56 Zak Yamauchi (So.) or 72 Joe Brown (So.)
• C 63 Bruce Mitchell (Sr.); 67 Trevor Pay (So.)
• RG 64 Kyle Sfarcioc (Sr.); 74 Trevin Ostler (Sr.)
• RT 75 Andrew Gentry (Sr.); 62 Junior Sia (Jr.)

Other offensive linemen: 72 Joe Brown (So.); 78 Ethan Thomason (Fr.); 79 Kaden Chidester (Jr.); 68 Andrew Williams (Fr.); 59 Siosiua Latu-Finau (Fr.)

More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos