PROVO, Utah — BYU football head coach Kalani Sitake highlighted the Cougars' 2026 recruiting class on Wednesday as part of college football's traditional national signing day.
FEBRUARY 2026 UPDATE—In addition to the 21 high school signees who signed in December, BYU also added nine transfers and eight newcomers in January from previously signed classes as midyear enrollees for 2026.
The 247Sports composite score of 87.22 for BYU's incoming nine transfers ranks No. 15 nationally for the highest average composite rating for transfer additions. BYU's high school signing class in December previously earned a No. 21 national ranking with an 89.00 composite average.
The nine transfer portal additions incude 247's top-rated transfer linebacker Cade Uluave (Cal) along with Jake Clifton (LB, Kansas State), Paki Finau (OL, Washington), Kyler Kasper (WR, Oregon), Walker Lyons (TE, USC), Roger Saleapaga II (TE, Oregon), Jr Sia (OL, Utah State), Jayven Williams (CB, Mississippi State), Zak Yamauchi (OL, Stanford).
BYU also added eight players from previously signed classes returning from missions as midyear enrollees: Owen Borg (LB), Matthew Frederick (TE), Blake Lowe (LB), Jett Nelson (WR), Tui Pututau (OL), Adney Reid (DE), David Tangilanu (DT) and Enoch Watson (QB).
View all of BYU’s 2026 signees at BYU Signing Day Central 2026.
The following information is from BYU's December signing day release.
The 21 high school recruits have an average composite rating of 89.00 via 247Sports, the highest average score of any BYU football recruiting class. As a group it represents the top-ranked recruiting class in school history at No. 21 nationally and No. 2 in the Big 12.
The class includes 11 offensive players and nine on defense and one athlete.
BYU collected 10 recruits from its own backyard in the state of Utah, with two each from California and Texas, along with signees from Arizona, Colorado, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Idaho, Nevada and Oregon.
OFFENSE
On the offensive side, BYU added four receivers, three tight ends, two offensive linemen and one running back and quarterback.
Headlining the entire class, quarterback Ryder Lyons signed, becoming one of the highest-rated recruits in the history of the program with a composite score of 98.18. The top-ranked of the Kalani Sitake era, he was the 2024 California Gatorade Player of the Year and No. 35 on ESPN’s Top 300 recruits.
Lyons, from Folsom, California, topped 3,000 yards every year as a starter, totaling 9,859 passing yards and added 1,880 rushing yards. He recorded 118 passing touchdowns and 52 rushing touchdowns at Folsom High School.
Devaughn Eka adds to the running back room, a 5-foot-11, 190-pounder from Lehi High School. Eka ran for 3,276 rushing yards in his prep career.
BYU signed four wideouts, including, four-star Jaron Pula (Lone Peak HS), Graham Livingston (Ridgeline HS), Legend Glasker (Lehi HS) and Terrance Saryon (Evergreen HS).
Pula, one of the top in-state prospects, posted more than 1,800 receiving yards and 20 touchdowns.
Livingston was one of the most productive receivers in the state of Utah with 1,636 yards and 21 touchdowns his senior season at Ridgeline High School.
Glasker, the cousin of BYU linebacker Isaiah Glasker is a versatile receiver with 676 yards receiving, 206 yards rushing and 11 total touchdowns last year. Saryon added 1,299 yards and 10 touchdowns out of Evergreen High School.
The Cougars added three tight ends, including the two of the top 10 tight ends in the country with Brock Harris (Pine View HS) and Ty Goettsche (Cherry Creek HS) along with Parker Ord (Panther Creek HS).
Harris, a four-star 6-foot-6, 245-pounder, totaled 61 receptions, 1,118 yards and 16 touchdowns as a senior and is a two-time All-American out of Pine View High School in St. George. Harris is the No. 8 overall tight end in the country.
Right behind him at No. 9 is Ty Goettsche, another four-star recruit out of Cherry Creek High School in Colorado. Goettsche posted 689 yards and 14 touchdowns while competing also in basketball and track and field.
BYU also added Ord, a 6-foot-4, 215-pound tight end out of Texas that posted 1,512 receiving yards and 18 touchdowns at Panther Creek High School.
The Cougars also added two offensive linemen, including four-star Bott Mulitalo, the No. 4 interior offensive lineman nationally and Jax Tanner out of Meridian, Idaho.
Mulitalo, 6-foot-5, 300 pounds out of Lone Peak High School, played primarily defensive tackle until his senior year and moved to offensive line, becoming one of the top-rated recruits in the country.
Tanner, 6-foot-4, 275 pounds, is the No. 2 overall player in Idaho and the No. 36 overall interior offensive lineman nationally.
DEFENSE
On defense, BYU added to the backfield with four safeties, one cornerback, one linebacker, three along the defensive line and one athlete, likely headed for the defensive backfield.
The four safeties include Kaue Akana (Orem HS), Sefanaia Alatini (Saint Francis HS), Antonio Johnson (Arlington Heights HS) and Matthew Mason (Faith Lutheran HS).
Athlete Kennan Pula (Lone Peak HS) the four-star prospect who spent time on defense and as a receiver like his twin brother Jaron, is likely headed to defense but has the skills to play on offense as well.
Length was a priority, as Akana is 6-foot-3, Alatini 6-foot-2, Johnson 6-foot-4 and Mason 6-foot-3.
Akana played both ways at Orem, logging more than 1,800 yards as a receiver and had 21 tackles and an interception and earned a spot on the Polynesian Bowl roster.
Alatini totaled 103 tackles as a varsity player while Johnson posted seven interceptions in the state of Texas as a senior out of Arlington Heights High School.
Mason was one of the most productive players in Nevada, racking up 313 total tackles, 25 tackles for loss, three picks, two fumbles recovered for touchdowns and had 466 kick return yards.
At corner, BYU added Justice Brathwaite, the son of former Cougar running back Reynaldo Brathwaite. At Higley High School, Brathwaite snagged 10 interceptions and 119 total tackles.
Another legacy player, Adam Bywater signed as a linebacker, the younger brother of former Cougar Ben Bywater.
Bywater, a 6-foot-4, 215-pound linebacker posted 46 tackles and five interceptions as a senior at Olympus High School in Salt Lake City.
Three defensive linemen joined the program, Braxton Lindsey (Rogers HS), Nehemiah Kolone (Stillwater HS) and Lopeti Moala (Orem HS).
Lindsey, a 6-foot-3, 230-pounder on the edge is from Rogers, Arkansas is another one of the top athletes of the class, posting 1,139 yards receiving and 28 tackles with nine sacks as a junior.
Kolone, 6-foot-4, 265 pounds, is out of Stillwater, Oklahoma and totaled 11 sacks and 57 tackles as a senior.
Moala is a four-star signee from Orem, adding another 6-foot-4, 255-pounder to the inside that posted 83 tackles as a senior and is one of the most productive linemen in the region.