IRVING, Texas — Led by Big 12 Preseason Offensive Player of the Year, LJ Martin, six BYU football student-athletes were today named to the 2026 Preseason All-Big 12 Team for the upcoming season.
Martin, a senior running back and the reigning Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year, is joined by senior center Bruce Mitchell, senior defensive back Evan Johnson, junior safety Faletau Satuala, senior defensive lineman Keanu Tanuvasa and senior linebacker Cade Uluave.
A total of 29 individuals from 12 of the leagues 16-teams were selected to the 2026 All-Big 12 Preseason Football Team, chosen by media representatives who cover the league. The team includes 13 players on offense and 13 on defense, with three specialists. Texas Tech led all schools with seven selections with BYU in second with six, followed by Houston with three. See the full list below.
MARTIN, a 6-foot-2, 225-pound running back from El Paso, Texas, is coming off a 2025 campaign that saw him earn Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year honors while helping BYU to a 12-2 record and the Big 12 Championship game for the first time in the program's three years in the league. The first-team All-Big 12 running back also received Pro Football Network All-America Second Team honors and was a semifinalist for the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award. in addition he named All-Big 12 by the Pro Football Network, Pro Football Focus and Sports Info Solutions.
Martin’s 1,305 rushing yards last season ranked No. 11 nationally and his average of 100.38 yards per game ranked No. 12. He was also No. 13 nationally with 120.0 all-purpose yards per game. Martin's 1,305 yards were the seventh-most in school history for a single season.
MITCHELL, a 6-foot-4, 305-pound center from Kamas, Utah, was a Rimington Trophy candidate last year in his first year as the full-time starter. He also received All-Big 12 honors from Pro Football Focus and Pro Football Network for his strong play leading BYU's offensive front.
With Mitchell anchoring the middle of the offense line, BYU averaged 31.4 points per game and ranked in the top 25 in 10 offensive statistics, including time of possession (No. 9), rushing first downs (No. 12), sacks allowed (No. 12), rushing touchdowns (No. 13), rushing plays of 10+ yards (No. 18), total plays of 10+ yards (No. 19), first downs (No. 19), total offensive plays (No. 22), points scored (No. 23) and fewest interceptions (No. 23).
JOHNSON, a 6-foot, 185-pound senior cornerback from Monterey, California, finished the 2025 season with 47 tackles (38 solo), five interceptions, a sack and seven passes defensed. His five picks led BYU and tied for the most in the Big 12.
Following the 2025 season, Johnson was named Sports Info Solutions First-Team All-Big 12, Pro Football Network Second-Team All-Big 12 and Honorable Mention All-Big 12 by the league. He was also recognized as the Jim Thorpe National Defensive Back of the Week on Sept. 23. Johnson was recently named the No. 4 returning cornerback in the country by Pro Football & Sports Network and was selected to the Phil Steele 2026 Preseason All-Big 12 Second Team.
SATUALA, a 6-foot-4, 215-pound safety from Bountiful, Utah, led BYU with 84 total tackles in 2025 en route to earning second-team All-America from the FWAA. He also received All-Big 12 Third Team honors and was named the Lott Trophy Player of the Week and Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week and for his play in helping BYU defeat Iowa State in Ames last fall to improve to 8-0 on the season.
Among his 84 total tackles, Satuala recorded 47 solo takedowns and had one sack. He forced two fumbles and had three interceptions, helping the BYU defense rank No. 9 nationally in total interceptions (17); and No. 10 in defensive touchdowns (3).
TANUVASA, a 6-foot-4, 300-pound defensive tackle from Mission Viejo, California, was a team captain and started all 14 games for BYU as a junior in 2025. At the conclusion of the season, he was named All-Big 12 Honorable Mention.
Tanuvasa also totaled 25 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, three pass breakups and blocked a kick. He recorded a season-high four tackles against Stanford and Cincinnati, had sacks against Stanford and TCU, batted down passes against Utah, Iowa State and Texas Tech in the Big 12 Championship and blocked a kick against Georgia Tech in Pop-Tarts Bowl.
ULUAVE, a 6-foot-1, 235-pound linebacker from South Jordan, Utah, is a 2026 Lott IMPACT Trophy candidate in his first year at BYU after transferring from Cal. A 2025 All-ACC First-Team performer, Uluave played in 34 games for the Bears over three seasons, starting 26 games. He recorded 237 tackles (21.5 for loss), 6 sacks, 3 interceptions and 2 forced fumbles at Cal.
In addition to earning first-team all-conference honors in 2025, Uluave was named All-ACC honorable mention in 2024. He was a first-team Freshman All-American selection by the FWAA, College Football News and The Athletic in 2023. He was also named the Pac-12 Defensive Freshman of the Year, Super West Sports Defensive Freshman of the Year and a Phil Steele All-Pac-12 Third Team honoree.
BYU kicks off the 2026 football season against Utah Tech on Saturday, Sept. 5 at LaVell Edwards Stadium. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN+ with the kickoff scheduled for 6 p.m. MDT