New BYU basketball coach Kevin Young has made headlines around the nation the past two months with his recruiting success, having landed three four-star prospects and Russian Egor Demin, a projected first-round pick in next summer’s NBA draft.
Meanwhile, BYU’s football coaches have been hard at work as well, albeit in less headline-grabbing fashion. June has been a big month for the Cougars — and all college football programs — in that regard, as members of the 2025 signing class are the primary focus.
That’s right. BYU coaches have shifted their attention from assembling the last few pieces of the 2024 roster via the transfer portal, and have spent the last three weeks conducting camps and hosting official and unofficial campus visits from some of the top prospects in the country.
Head coach Kalani Sitake told the Deseret News nearly three weeks ago that BYU continues to “cast a wider net” for recruits as it prepares to play its second season in the Big 12. He said there might be only one or two more additions via the portal to the 2024 team.
The Cougars would like another top-flight defender, such as a cornerback to replace Eddie Heckard or a nose tackle to make up for the last-minute departure of junior college transfer Danny Saili, now at Arkansas.
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“The amount of interest and the doors we are getting in is a lot different than it was a few years ago,” Sitake said. “As I have said before, being in the Big 12 has (heightened) our profile, especially among kids who are not members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,” which supports and operates BYU.
As of midday Friday, BYU had seven pledges from members of the 2025 recruiting class, although it should be noted that this has been a huge recruiting weekend for the Cougars, with more than a dozen prospects with offers from BYU on campus for a couple of days since last Monday.
Generally, Sitake had a group of prospects in town Tuesday through Thursday, then another group that arrived Thursday and is scheduled to leave Sunday. Obviously, BYU is hoping to get as many commitments as possible before the calendar turns to July, but Sitake said it is not critical.
“Getting the right fits — guys who really want to be at BYU and can thrive there — is the priority,” he said.
7 prospects from 2025 class have committed
More on those key prospects in a bit. First, here’s a look at the seven recruits who already said they will be future Cougars; all seven are three-star recruits, according to 247sports.com:
- Will Walker, a towering 6-foot-5, 210-pound kicker from Riverton (Utah) High was the first prospect from the 2025 class to commit, having pledged way back in July 2022 before his sophom*ore year of high school.
- Tyler Payne, a 6-2, 210-pound linebacker and tight end from northern Utah’s Weber High. Payne committed in January and is the son of former BYU kicker and punter Matt Payne. He made 115 tackles for the Warriors last season.
- Blake Bryce, a 6-5, 228-pound tight end from California’s Newbury Park High, committed in mid-March and is also the son of a former Cougar. His father, Gary Bryce, played tight end for the Cougars in the early 2000s.
- Cale Breslin, a 5-11, 190-pound running back from Las Vegas (Faith Lutheran High) became the fourth player to commit, pledging back on May 10. Breslin also had offers from Wisconsin, Syracuse and Indiana, according to 247Sports.com.
- Kelepi Vete, a 6-5, 250-pound offensive lineman from Oakland, California, committed to BYU a few days after Breslin did. Vete’s twin brother, Siosiua, has committed to Stanford.
- Sale Fano, an edge rusher out of Westlake High in Saratoga Springs, committed on May 23. He is the cousin of former BYU player and current Ute Logan Fano.
- Nolan Keeney, a 6-4, 215-pound quarterback from Tualatin, Oregon, became the seventh player to commit to Sitake, pledging on June 6. Brandon Huffman of 247sports.com called Keeney the top-rated quarterback in the Pacific Northwest among the 2025 class. He had offers from Houston, Boise State and San Diego State.
Here are more top BYU targets from class of 2025
According to Cougar Sports Insider on the 247sports.com network and Cougs Daily of the SI.com network, the aforementioned Breslin, Payne, Bryce and Kelepi Vete were on BYU’s campus last week for visits, along with more than a dozen other prospects who hold offers from BYU.
Cyrus Polu, a three-star linebacker from St. George’s Desert Hills High, visited BYU the previous week. Polu was at UCLA on Tuesday and Wednesday and received an offer from the Big Ten-bound Bruins. He also has offers from Utah, Stanford, Michigan State and others and is considered a high priority for all those schools.
The Cougars have also hosted, and are targeting, Spanish Fork offensive lineman Aaron Dunn, a four-star prospect who stands 6-7 and weighs nearly 300 pounds. Dunn is visiting Oregon this weekend, per 247sports.com, and also has offers from the likes of Utah, USC, UCLA and Texas.
Another top BYU target is Lone Peak OL Austin Pay, the 6-6, 295-pound brother of current BYU center Connor Pay. Austin Pay has offers from Oregon, Baylor, Texas A&M and Arkansas, among others.
Other top BYU targets who were in town early last week
- Nusi Taumoepeau, a linebacker/edge rusher from Westlake High in Saratoga Springs. Taumoepeau has said he will announce his college choice on his birthday, Aug. 1. His top five consists of BYU, Utah, Stanford, Cal and Oklahoma State.
- Stevie Amar, a tight end from Oaks Christian High in Southern California. Amar, a three-star prospect, also has offers from Boston College, Baylor, Cal, Arizona State and others.
- Cole Cogshell, an edge rusher from Pasadena, California, who is 6-3, 240 and also coveted by San Diego State, Boston College and Colorado State.
- Shelton “Manny” Fuller, a running back and safety from El Paso, Texas (Del Valle High) who also has offers from Utah, Texas Tech, Oregon State and Baylor.
Here are some of BYU’s highest-profile visitors this weekend:
- Jackson Doman, a linebacker and tight end from Canby, Oregon, who is the nephew of former BYU player Sam Doman.
- Lamason Waller, a 6-2, 170-pound receiver from Hesperia, California (Sultana High). Recruiting expert Greg Biggins of 247sports.com has predicted that Waller will commit to BYU, despite offers from dozens of Power Four programs.
- Andrew Williams, a 6-7, 275-pound offensive lineman from Kirksville, Missouri, who has offers from BYU’s Big 12 rivals such as Kansas State, Iowa State and Kansas. Williams is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints but has told reporters he does not have mission plans.
- Sam Turner, a 6-1, 195-pound receiver from DeKalb, Georgia, who committed to Georgia Tech on June 9 but is apparently still making the preplanned visit to BYU this weekend. Turner was high school teammates with BYU defensive back Therrian “Tre” Alexander III.
- Siosiua Vete, the 6-5, 250-pound defensive lineman and twin brother of BYU commit Kelepi Vete, who is also in Provo this weekend.
- McKay Madsen, a 6-2, 220-pound athlete from Clovis, California, (Clovis North High) who plays running back and linebacker in high school and also excels in track and field throwing the discuss and doing the shotput. Madsen also has offers from UCLA, Washington, Arizona and Air Force.
