TCU Football Opponent Preview: BYU Cougars

BYU's transition to the Big 12 was rocky. Its first season in the "big leagues" resulted in a disappointing 5-7 season with little optimism on either offense or defense. Despite heading into the season with relative unknowns across the board, Sitake led BYU to an astonishing 11-2 season in which the Cougars didn't lose until November. At their peak, the Cougars breached the national top 10 and just barely missed out on playing for a Big 12 championship.

QB Jake Retzlaff burst onto the scene with 26 total touchdowns; by the fourth game, Retzlaff became a recognizable name. However, it was the defense that really propelled this team to the heights it soared.

BYU put the college football world on notice by Game 4 when it dismantled Kansas State (at the time, a top-15 team nationally), 38-9, on national TV. Defensive coordinator Jay Hill successfully implemented his system in Year 2, leading BYU to a top-30 finish in points per drive. The Cougars stifled opposing passing attacks–slightly helped along by playing bottom-rung passing teams like Arizona, Oklahoma State, and Houston–and nearly led the nation in early down defense.

Though they missed out on Arlington, the Cougars finished the season with a 30-16 bowl win over nine-win Colorado.

BYU Cougars Offense Preview

At the turn of July, Retzlaff left BYU due to a combination of allegations (that were ultimately dropped) and violations of the school's strict honor code; he transferred to Tulane. That leaves BYU scrambling to find another option, likely between backups Treyson Bourguet and McCae Hillstead. The former is a two-time transfer who found minimal success at Arizona State–to his credit, that was an atrocious ASU program at the time–and moderate success at Western Michigan. The latter is a sophomore transfer from up the road at Utah State.

Are either great options? Not really. But does BYU drop from a possible 9-3 team to a 5-7 one? No, certainly not.

Leading rusher LJ Martin returns (718 yards, 8 TD), as does top receiver Chase Roberts (854 yards, 4 TD). Stanford transfer Tiger Bachmeier adds real athleticism to the receiving room, and sophomore Jojo Phillips averaged 21.1 yards per reception in limited action last year. Just two starters are back along the offensive line, but losing a first-team all-conference tackle hurts this unit.

BYU's offense did exactly what was asked of them. It benefitted from advantageous field position set up by the defense and took advantage of some really bad defenses. That's not to say this offense isn't good – a top-35 mark in points per drive debunks that. Neither QB has given us a reason for excitement and is some form of a decline from Retzlaff (though his "star" status is arguable in itself). Chances are there's some regression inbound.

BYU Cougars Defense Preview

Hill was a lauded hire in Provo. His defense is extremely disruptive, physical, and creates significant problems for opposing offenses. It took a full season to implement–in 2023, BYU's defense stunk because (a) Hill's system takes time to implement and (b) there was minimal talent on it–and when it did, BYU jumped to near the top of the conference.

Just three starters from last year's defense return, but do-it-all linebacker Isaiah Glasker is one of them (70 tackles, 11 TFL, 3.5 sacks, 3 INT). Glasker and running mate Jack Kelly (51 tackles, 14 QB hits) make up one of the better linebacking duos in the Big 12 this season. Outside of that, there are real questions about personnel.

Nobody from last year's defensive line returns, though BYU was able to poach defensive tackle Keanu Tanuvasa, a 19-game, two-year starter from arch-rival Utah. Size isn't the issue up front – Tanuvasa stands 6-foot-4 and 300 pounds, and tackle Justin Kirkland (Oklahoma State) stands 6-foot-3 and 345 pounds. Projections place this defensive line near the bottom of the Big 12, but don't be surprised if Sitake and Hill get more out of these guys than expected.

Three starters need replacing in the secondary. Safety Tanner Wall (3 INT) is the lone starter back from last year's Cougar defense, though the other three–Evan Johnson, Mory Bamba, and Raider Damuni–were on the roster and had spot starts for BYU in the last couple years under Hill. Of the unknown units on the defense, the secondary is of least concern.

Best Case Scenario For BYU

Sitake has built a career out of getting more with less. Aside from the rocky 2023 transition, BYU hasn't gone under .500 since 2017 and is a total 45-18 since 2020 (including '23). Year after year, Sitake finds talent on his roster and relies on smart coordinator and assistant hires to create a team that's always better than expected. Why should 2025 be the year that changes?

Discourse surrounding Retzlaff's departure from Provo was largely alarm and panic. But is his departure really that big of an issue? The sophomore threw 12 interceptions, finished 10th in the Big 12 in adjusted completion percentage (removing drops, throwaways), and was rarely the sole reason for victory. This isn't a dunk-on-Retzlaff section – it's a word of caution overreacting to the departure.

Hill's defense is going to be physical and disruptive again. According to an opposing coach in Athlon's preview magazine, that's always on the minds of BYU's foes. That and playing at LaVell Edwards Stadium has always been a nightmare. For those able, it's worth witnessing in person.

The 2025 BYU Cougars should do what Kalani Sitake teams have always done: Do just enough on both sides of the ball and pick one area to be excellent in (in this case, defensive disruption). BYU could still finish 8-4 even if regression is almost a certainty.

Worst Case Scenario For BYU

Unfortunately, BYU's schedule both (a) did them lots of favors last season and (b) does them no favors this season. The Cougars catch Iowa State and Texas Tech on the road, as well as Utah and TCU at home. A non-conference trip to East Carolina could be a tricky spot. That ECU game kicks off a stretch of three road games in four weeks and four road games in six weeks without a bye. Toward the end, that's when BYU catches rival Utah (in the "Holy War") and Iowa State.

Though I'm not fretting too badly about Retzlaff leaving, neither QB behind him has shown to be all that good. Bourguet was so ineffective at ASU (again, a terrible ASU team) that he was benched in favor of RB Cam Skattebo as wildcat. I'm not convinced a year in the MAC is rehab enough, but Sitake sees enough there to have brought him on as a transfer last year. Hillstead is young and played on a terrible Utah State team. Perhaps either or both are diamonds in the rough, but there's a lot of reason for caution.

And finally, depth on both lines is concerning. Neither front is a strength of this team, making a transition to another QB a bit daunting.

But even the absolute floor for this team, reasonably, is 6-6. It's not a sub-.500 disaster, and I wouldn't constitute anything about this roster or staff to be truly bad. There are spots to succeed, especially early, and handling some of those toss-up games (Utah, TCU, UCF) at home really helps.

2025 BYU Cougars Schedule

TCU Opponent Previews

• Week 1 - North Carolina
• Week 4 - SMU
• Week 5 - Arizona State
• Week 6 - Colorado
• Week 7 - Kansas State
• Week 8 - Baylor
• Week 9 - West Virginia
• Week 11 - Iowa State