BYU Football 2025 Running Backs Preview

Martin was used in the passing game against Colorado in the Alamo Bowl, and we expect more of the same in 2025.

Martin has been BYU's leading rusher in each of the last two seasons. The Big 12 was loaded at the running back position in 2024. Whether it was Cam Skattebo at Arizona State, Devin Neal at Kansas, DJ Giddens at Kansas State, or RJ Harvey at UCF, there were NFL-caliber running backs all across the conference. BYU's LJ Martin, meanwhile, remained under the radar as he missed a good portion of the season due to injury.

Now an upperclassman, Martin has the potential to not only lead the BYU offense through a quarterback transition, but he also has the talent to become one of the best backs in the conference. When healthy, Martin is one of the top two weapons on BYU's offense.

We expect Martin to surpass the 1,000-yard mark for the first time in his career.

Two Former Freshmen Will Play a Bigger Role

Sione Moa and Pokaiaua Haunga were both freshmen in 2024. Both saw limited playing time. Moving to 2025, both are expected to play a bigger role for the BYU offense.

BYU running back Pokaiaua Haunga played a role as a true freshman in 2024. The former high school wide receiver was plugged into the lineup in September when injuries took LJ Martin and Hinckley Ropati out of the lineup. Haunga did not play more than four games to preserve his redshirt. He will be a redshirt freshman in 2025.

We expect Haunga to play a much bigger role in the BYU offense this Fall. Haunga has been effective carrying the football, but he is really special as a running back coming out of the backfield. We believe BYU will find creative ways to use him in 2025.

A Late Addition to the Room

Running back Hinckley Ropati announced his plans to return to BYU for one more season. Ropati was the backup running back for BYU last season. He ran for 368 yards on 68 attempts. Ropati was granted a bonus year of eligibility for the 2025 season. He entered the transfer portal in the Spring transfer window, then he made the decision to return to BYU according to his podcast.

Most notably, Ropati was not on the roster for Spring camp. BYU lost true freshman Cale Breslin to the transfer portal after Spring camp and Ropati was added back. Those two things may or may not be related. Regardless, Ropati is back for another year at BYU.

Depth is important at running back. BYU has needed three or four running backs to survive a season in the past, so having four capable running backs is a good place to be heading into the season.

Depth Chart Projection

1. LJ Martin
2. Sione Moa
3. Pokaiaua Haunga OR Hinckley Ropati

The addition of Ropati is going to be fascinating to watch during Fall camp. Ropati did not participate in Spring camp while he waited for a ruling on his eligibility. While Ropati was away, young running backs Sione Moa and Pokaiaua Haunga looked really good in practice.

Sione Moa and Pokaiaua Haunga bring two different skillsets to the backup running back spot. Moa and Haunga will play but they will be used differently. Aaron Roderick said BYU can use Haunga in a myriad of ways. Where will Ropati factor in? Since Ropati did not participate in Spring camp, we think he will need to climb up the depth chart. He will have to be significantly better than Moa and Haunga to take away their reps.

At minimum, Ropati will provide great depth for the BYU running back room. If the 2024 season was any indication, you can never have too much depth at running back.

Other Players in the Room

Jovesa Damuni, Enoch Nawahine, and Logan Payne are some of the names that will round out the rest of the room. Nawahine played sparringly for BYU last season. Damuni signed with BYU as part of the 2021 recruiting class. He did not make an impact for BYU as a true freshman in 2024.