Watching true freshmen make an instant impact on BYU’s roster two weeks into fall camp might catch some by surprise, but not Jeff Hansen. He tabbed the Cougars’ 2026 recruiting class as the best in program history for a reason.
“You see those wins, you are already hearing buzz about those true freshmen, Legend Glasker (receiver) and Kennan Pula (safety), they are already making an impact on a team that is a top-15 team,” Hansen told the “Y’s Guys” podcast this week. “That’s a really good class of true freshmen and a really good sign for the future of BYU football.”
Hansen, of CougarSportsInsider.com and 247Sports, has watched Cougars coach Kalani Sitake maximize his closing tool — the BYU brand.
“It is a weapon for Kalani on the recruiting trail. You can sell the power of BYU and the BYU network. Anywhere you go in the world, not just the country, not just Big 12 country, not just the state of Utah, but anywhere you go in the world you are going to have a BYU network that is available to you. They are everywhere,” Hansen said. “That’s not something most schools can say. That’s not a recruiting pitch that is going to resonate for everybody, but it’s going to resonate for some people. As they have broadened their recruiting reach, they are finding a lot more guys where that recruiting pitch and the brand of BYU does pay off.”
The current Cougars don’t kick off their season for a few more weeks, but for three big pieces of BYU’s future, the here and now is front and center and squarely on Hansen’s radar.
Tight end and linebacker Tytan DeJong (6-foot-3, 215 pounds) and Mountain Ridge defeated Skyridge 41-26 on Thursday.
Hansen on DeJong: “This is the guy I’m most excited about. He committed first to BYU. I think people have forgotten how good he is. He does everything for that Mountain Ridge team. He is a phenomenal (pass catcher), and BYU is going to turn him around and play linebacker on the defensive side of the ball. He’s dynamic, he’s explosive and he’s a leader. He reminds me of (former BYU linebacker) Ben Bywater. He’s got the leadership that you want to have inside your locker room.”
Defensive end Uhila Wolfgramm (6-foot-3, 245 pounds) leads Maple Mountain against Lehi on Friday.
Hansen on Wolfgramm: “He burst onto the scene as a defensive end his sophomore season, but something happened over the last eight months. He went from ‘Hey, this kid is really intriguing’ to ‘Holy cow, this is a Division I-ready grown man.’ He looks like he could play for BYU right now. BYU had to beat out Oklahoma to get him. He is explosive, he’s big, he’s strong, he gets double-teamed on nearly every play and he still finds a way. This kid is phenomenal.”
Edge rusher Jag Ioane (6-foot-3, 185 pounds) and the Orem Tigers play at Kamehameha in Hawaii on Saturday.
Hansen on Ioane: “He doesn’t take a back seat to anybody. A slender pass rusher, Jag reminds me of Nusi Taumoepeau when he was at Westlake. Nusi played with his hand in the dirt; he’s a little bit bigger now that he’s at BYU, but when you watch his highlights from Westlake, Nusi was slender. He was quick. Jag Iaone has a lot of that. He’s a really explosive, fast defensive edge rusher.”
Hansen’s 5 toughest games on BYU’s schedule
5. At TCU (Oct. 3): “BYU has historically struggled playing in Fort Worth. TCU tends to get up for BYU. That’s going to be a hostile environment. I think the Frogs have a really good team. They lost their quarterback, but (head coach) Sonny Dykes has never had a problem scoring points. That’s a sneaky difficult game for BYU.”
4. At UCF (Oct. 24): “BYU will be coming off Notre Dame the week before. If BYU beats Notre Dame, if there is a close and competitive game, this (UCF) is that classic let-down game. You go to UCF and don’t expect them to be as good. You don’t have that humble and hungry mindset. UCF has enough talent that they can beat anybody.”
3. Arizona (Sept. 12): “That was a really good team last year and you can bet that they want revenge. They felt like they let one get away and BYU stole a win in Tucson. Arizona is going to be motivated. They have talent and they feel like they are being overlooked coming into the season. I think that’s going to be a really tough game.”
2. At Utah (Nov. 7): “Utah is a really good team. I don’t know if they are as good this year as they have been. They have a lot of uncertainty. Anytime you lose as much from a coaching perspective, especially as long as (Kyle Whittingham) was there, I don’t care how long (Morgan) Scalley was there, it’s a different ball game for him as a head coach. We said it for years as an independent BYU team — that it doesn’t matter what the talent looks like, it doesn’t matter who is ranked what, that game is going to be close. We can’t say that in 2013 and not say it in 2026. It doesn’t matter what the talent is going to look like, it doesn’t matter who is coaching on the sidelines, that game is going to be tough for both teams.”
1. Notre Dame (Oct. 17): “Whenever you listen to a national analyst about BYU this year, it’s ‘Hey, this is a good team. They are going to compete for a Big 12 championship, but that Notre Dame game is their opportunity to make a statement.’ I think everybody in the locker room, they all know how big an opponent that is. The mentality going into that game is different, and then once you do get on the field, then you have to contend with the elite talent Notre Dame has. I think BYU can do it. I think they match up pretty well, but that’s going to be a tough challenge. The margin for error is thin. They’ve got to play near perfect football, but that’s what it takes to beat the elite teams and Notre Dame is elite in every sense of the word.”
Dave McCann is a sportswriter and columnist for the Deseret News and is a play-by-play announcer and show host for BYUtv/ESPN+. He co-hosts “Y’s Guys” at ysguys.com and is the author of the children’s book “C is for Cougar,” available at deseretbook.com.