Breaking news: The BYU cougars head coach has finally landed a 5-star player from Arkansas due to his lack of….
BYU has also been active in the portal, having received seven commitments as of midday Tuesday. Utah tight end Carsen Ryan and defensive end Keanu Tanuvasa, Michigan offensive lineman Andrew Gentry and Texas defensive end Tausili Akana are among the big gets so far. BYU has also reportedly got commitments from SUU linemen Anisi Purcell and Kyle Sfarcioc and Utah State linebacker Max Alford.
Just looking forward to the momentum that we can gain from this,” head coach Kalani Sitake said after the bowl game. “Obviously, just really happy and want to celebrate with the seniors, but I think this is a really good step for us, and I am glad that we were able to get this done.”
With the winter transfer portal window having closed on Dec. 28, BYU lost a few key players — such as safety Crew Wakley and defensive end Aisea Moa — but mostly kept a lot of the guys expected to be big contributors in 2025. Credit the culture that Sitake has established in Provo, and the coaching staff he has assembled that includes defensive wizard Jay Hill.
“It is a nice cycle of things that are happening,” Sitake said after the bowl game. “I don’t mind it at all. Sometimes as a leader I’ve just got to step out of the way and let these (players) do it.”
Of course, players currently in the portal can sign with their new programs whenever they want, and several former Cougars already have, including receiver Kody Epps (Western Kentucky), tight end Jackson Bowers (Oregon State), running back Miles Davis (Utah State), receiver Prince Zombo (Utah Tech), offensive lineman Jake Eichorn (Utah State) and the aforementioned Moa (Michigan State).
Other BYU players in the portal who hadn’t found a landing spot as of midday Tuesday included safeties Wakley and Micah Harper, defensive linemen Dallin Havea, Dallin Johnson and David Latu, quarterback Noah Lugo and linebacker Sio
ne Moa.
About five BYU players who thought they were out of eligibility, but have been given an extra year if one of their years was in the junior college ranks, have the option to return thanks to the ruling in the case involving Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia. That group includes some of the best players on the BYU roster in 2024 — offensive lineman Caleb Etienne, receiver Darius Lassiter and running back Hinckley Ropati. Also eligible are cornerback Mory Bamba and tight end Ray Paulo
.Adding Lassiter to that group would be all that much better. He was the second leading receiver in terms of yards, second to Roberts, with 703. He was also tied with Roberts for the most TD receptions with four. Bringing back both receivers would give senior quarterback Jake Retzlaff a whole slew of weapons. For an offense that, according to ESPN, was the 40th-best scoring offense, returning Lassiter could be a big help to mainta
in or even increase that ranking.
A recent ruling from the NCAA, which allows an additional year of eligibility to players who “competed at a non-NCAA school for one or more years”, could prove huge for BYU next season. In most cases, this ruling applies to players who attend a junior college before receiving a D1 offer.
One familiar player for the BYU Cougars could use this ruling to return for one final season. Darius Lassiter, who attended Butler Community College in Kansas, could use a waiver and return to an absolutely stacked 2025 wide receiver room. BYU returns Chase Roberts, Parker Kingston, Keelan Marion, Dom McKenzie, Tei Nacua, Jojo Phillips, and several other underclassmen to boost an offense that was dominant for most of the 2024 season
.
