BYU Early Signing Day: 5 takeaways on the Cougars' roster needs, NIL and the future at QB

BYU has one more game left this season, but the offseason has already begun.

The transfer portal will open on Dec. 9, and the Cougars have already had four players announce their departures. Before that, the early signing period for high school recruits was Wednesday.

Head coach Kalani Sitake opened up his third Big 12 offseason by signing 18 high school players. The class ranks 55th in 247Sports Composite rankings — 12th in the Big 12. That would be a step back from last year — when Sitake signed a top-50 class that was fifth in the league — if the numbers were final. But BYU will add a few more signees that could change the numbers.

Remember, last year BYU also was ranked in the mid-50s in December and made a jump due to some late adds (including top-ranked in-state player Faletau Satuala).

Here are my thoughts on BYU’s signing day, and what this means for the future.

1. High-end talent?

The gem of this class was going to be Alai Kalaniuvalu, an offensive tackle from Las Vegas who flipped his commitment from Oregon. The Bishop Gorman star, who began at Timpview, was the only four-star recruit in BYU’s class and flirted with Michigan, Oregon, USC and Utah.

But as signing day hits the midway point, Kalaniuvalu is still yet to sign his letter of intent. He could still join the class. But at the moment, the Cougars are without a four- or five-star recruit in this cycle.

Overall, this class is comprised of 18 three-star recruits. The average recruit ranking is the second-lowest in the Big 12, only higher than Cincinnati at the moment. For the last few years, BYU has been near the bottom in the average ranked recruit (dead last a year ago). And even though each recruiting class is getting better for the Cougars statistically, it is still on the lower end of the league.

The other thing to note: BYU still finished with only one top-five composite player in the state (offensive lineman Austin Pay) and two of the top 10.

Last year, it felt like BYU was making inroads with the state’s top talent. It flipped Satuala from Utah, the No. 3 player in the state. It was BYU’s first top-three player in Utah since 2017. Plus it reeled in Devoux Tuataga (No. 7), Kinilau Fonohema (No. 8), Ephraim Asiata (No. 14) and Carson Sue’sue (No. 15). That is five of the top 15. Utah finished with four.

At the moment, BYU has three of the top 15 (Nos. 5, 10 and 14). And it struck out with several of the top five prospects. Offensive lineman Aaron Dunn went to USC. Cyrus Polu went to Utah. Not all is lost, but it didn’t feel like BYU gained ground in-state either. Defensive coordinator Jay Hill still believes recruiting Utah is a priority.

“In our backyard in the state of Utah, we need to do a great job recruiting,” Hill said. “Our backyard is a high, high priority for us.”

2. A healthier Power Four program

Last year, BYU’s focus was on loading up on safeties and high-end defensive line help. It was Hill’s push to develop a pipeline of long, athletic guys that could be more disruptive in the pass rush and get takeaways on the backend. The Cougars are still a work in progress there (with Hill still needing to bring linebackers to get home), but the pieces for the future are now in place.

This year, it looks like the recruiting class is more balanced. BYU brought in a mix of offensive linemen, tight ends and running backs. Offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick said it is a sign of where the roster sits right now — without a dire need. Maybe it is a sign, too, of a healthier program that is getting caught up to Power Four depth and doesn’t need extreme measures to fill in the gaps.

“We got a little bit of everything,” Roderick said. “We didn’t have one position that was extremely deficient this year. We didn’t have one drastic area. Like Jay [Hill] said, they had to sign a bunch of safeties.

“We feel like our overall roster is in really good balance. We are a young team right now and we have a lot of really good players returning next year. So there really wasn’t any needs for immediate help.”

3. Quarterback future

Jake Retzlaff should be the quarterback next season, giving BYU a clear starter this offseason. No more offseason quarterback battles like last year.

But BYU is looking for a backup quarterback with Gerry Bohanon gone. McCae Hillstead is on the roster, the Utah State transfer who had flashes in fall camp. Plus, freshman Noah Lugo and Treyson Bourguet will be in the room.

But BYU signed one more quarterback this cycle with Nolan Keeney. He’s a three-star out of Oregon. His lone Power Four offer was Houston.

Keeney won’t factor into that backup mix in 2025. He will serve a Latter-day Saint mission after his high school basketball season wraps up. He also won’t necessarily play quarterback when he comes back. Roderick said he is a good enough athlete that he could play tight end or even outside linebacker.

4. Roster changes

After the House settlement brings revenue sharing to college football, there will also be cutdowns in roster sizes. All programs will have to get down to 105 spots — that means roughly 85 scholarships and 20 walk-ons. So BYU will have to cut about 20 players from its roster.

BYU kept that in mind this cycle. It roughly equates to one fewer player at each position. So for quarterbacks, BYU may only carry four passers next year. Typically, it has carried five or six.

“For each position group, it won’t be a massive shift. But when you add it all up, it is a pretty big hit to your roster,” Roderick said. “We have been carrying four [quarterbacks] on scholarship and two walk-ons. In the future, it is probably going to be like three on scholarship and one walk-on. Or four on scholarship and no walk-ons. And you have to leave a little bit of flexibility there for the best player available.

“If you are too rigid with those numbers, you could end up passing on a good player. A good quarterback or good receiver just trying to stick to numbers.”

5. An NIL guy?

Head coach Kalani Sitake hasn’t exactly been known as an NIL guy. Whereas some coaches have compiled rosters with massive bankrolls — Ohio State, Oregon — Sitake said he still prefers building through the high school ranks.

He and his coaching staff have been burned before by trying to rebuild a roster only through the portal. Look at 2023 when it brought in over 20 guys and went 5-7.

But Sitake pushed back on the idea that he hasn’t embraced NIL.

“I think people have said that I haven’t embraced NIL enough. Are you kidding? Everybody is going to embrace NIL if they have the money to make it work,” Sitake said.

“My job is I’m embracing the young men. And I want them to have the money work for them and not have them work for the money. It’s the culture we are trying to protect,” he continued. “Those who know anything about it, money can change relationships really quickly. And you see how it’s done it in college football today. So we aren’t going to let that be a distraction for us.”

BYU hired a general manager yesterday — Dave George, a lawyer who specializes in sports law.