Three Storylines for BYU Football Heading Into Fall Camp

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BYU’s fall camp begins next week. We are now less than 40 days away from BYU kicking off the 2026 season against Utah Tech. Kalani Sitake leads BYU into his 11th season at the helm. His squad is coming off of one of the most impressive seasons in school history, finishing 12-2 with a Big 12 Championship Game berth and ranked 11th in the final AP poll, tied for his best finish as head coach. That will be a tough season to top in 2026. Still, the Cougars will try.

What are the top three storylines heading into camp for the Cougars?

Who is catching passes from QB Bear Bachmeier?

We all know who QB1 is in Provo. That wasn’t the case this time last year. Then Bachmeier took the reins and put together a campaign worthy of being the Big 12 Offensive Freshman of the Year. His dual-threat skills along with a maturity beyond his age led the Cougars to an explosive season. Unfortunately, several key pieces of that offense are gone for various reasons. Receiver Chase Roberts and tight end Carsen Ryan aged out, trying their hand at NFL camps this fall. Cody Hagen retired. Parker Kingston is no longer with the team or the school after facing serious legal trouble.

That leaves the Cougars without their top three pass-catchers from a season ago. Returning is Jojo Phillips along with players like Tiger Bachmeier, Tei Nacua and Reggie Frischknecht who were down on the depth chart last season. The two biggest arrivals on offense via the transfer portal came via Kyler Kasper from Oregon and Walker Lyons from USC. Those two salvaged what could have been a disastrous offseason for BYU’s passing attack. Both have experience catching passes in the Big 10. Kasper is a 6-foot-6 receiver, one of the tallest receivers BYU has ever had. Don’t forget about talented youngsters Jaron Pula and Legend Glasker, either.

While it’s certainly a new looking group, it doesn’t have a shortage of talent or experience. They just need to gel with Bachmeier in time for the 2026 schedule to heat up.

How different will the defense look under new DC Kelly Poppinga?

This was quite a noisy offseason for BYU. First, Penn State came calling about Kalani Sitake, essentially forcing BYU’s hand in giving him an extension. Then, after Kyle Whittingham and Utah parted ways, he came the head man at Ann Arbor and brought former BYU defensive coordinator Jay Hill along with him to Michigan. Hill had transformed BYU’s defense into one of the best in the Big 12 and even the entire country. Can they replicate a unit that ranked 19th in scoring last year?

Poppinga takes over after spending four seasons as the Cougars’ special teams coordinator and defensive ends coach. The players speak glowingly about the system in place. There may be a few different wrinkles but expect the same aggressive attack under Poppinga that made Jay Hill so successful in Provo. It certainly helps that a few major pillars are back on the team in defensive tackle Keanu Tanuvasa, linebacker Isaiah Glasker, and defensive backs Evan Johnson and Faletau Satuala. Indeed, Jack Kelly is gone, getting picked in the sixth round by the Giants. The Cougars quickly replaced him in the transfer portal with coveted linebacker out of Cal, Cade Uluave. That could be a seamless transition.

The short answer is it might not look very different schematically or in personnel. Let’s all hope it looks the same, or even better, with the results on the field.

Can LJ Martin top his stellar 2025 season?

2025 was a glimpse into what it looks like when it all comes together for running back LJ Martin. Finally, he got a full healthy season after two bumpy campaigns. Missing just one game, he led the Big 12 in rushing attempts (236) and yards (1,305), ranking fifth among all Power Conference running backs in the latter category. For his efforts, he was named the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year.

What can the BYU back do for an encore in 2026? Getting him back in Provo was one of the biggest positive developments of the entire offseason. If he has another season akin to last year’s, he will go down as one of the best running backs in BYU history. He is 1,361 yards away from becoming BYU’s all-time leading rusher. Even if he simply has 915 yards this year, that will be good enough for him to pass Harvey Unga for second all-time. The Cougars likely go in 2026 as LJ Martin goes. When he and Bachmeier are healthy and synchronized, this offense will be very difficult to stop.

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