PROVO, Utah – Four BYU football players have been named to the Phil Steele Preseason All-Big 12 Team for the 2024 football season.
Highlighting BYU’s selections is senior defensive end Tyler Batty, who was named to the All-Big 12 First Team by Phil Steele. Senior cornerback Jakob Robinson and junior linebacker Jack Kelly were selected to the third team and offensive lineman Weylin Lapuaho received fourth-team recognition.
Among BYU’s most consistent performers last season, Batty had a banner year in a new-look defense while earning All-Big 12 Second Team accolades. He led the Cougars for the third year in sacks, picking up 5.5 with nine total tackles for loss. Batty finished with 57 total tackles to lead the defensive line and had eight quarterback hurries as the most effective pass-rusher on the squad, while also forcing two fumbles and recovering another.
Off the field, Batty also earned a spot on the prestigious AFCA Allstate Good Works Team, which is awarded to players that not only excel on the field but also are exemplary in their service to the community. He was recognized at halftime of the CFP Playoff at the Sugar Bowl. (read more).
A semifinalist for the 2023 Jim Thorpe Award given to the nation’s top defensive back, Robinson was twice named the Jim Thorpe Award National Defensive Back of the Week last season while receiving All-Big 12 honorable mention. He totaled four interceptions as a playmaker in the defensive secondary to rank in the top 20 nationally and give him eight picks for his career. Robinson returned one of his interceptions for a touchdown while adding a season-high 10 tackles in a win over Texas Tech. He made 59 tackles on the year with 11 total passes defended.
Kelly, a junior linebacker, enters his first season for BYU in 2024 after transferring from Weber State. He is expected to make an immediate impact as a four-star transfer. Kelly had 85 tackles, 20 tackles for loss, 16.5 sacks, five forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, seven pass breakups and an interception in 28 games played for Weber State, where he led the Big Sky Conference in multiple statistical categories.
Lapuaho enters his junior season on the interior of the BYU offensive line in 2024 with two years of starting experience. The transfer from Utah State started in all 10 games he played for the Cougars last season in his first year in Provo after starting 13 games at guard as a true freshman for the Aggies in 2022.