The BYU Defensive Players With the Best and Worst PFF Grades

The BYU football program will have the weekend off before traveling to take on ECU next weekend. Since it's the first bye week, we will look back at the three highest-graded players and the three lowest-graded players for the BYU offense through two games. We already reviewed the offensive side of the ball, so now we turn our attention to the defensive side of the ball.

For the purposes of this article, we will focus on the players that have played 35 or more snaps. 15 players have played 35 or more snaps on defense, so this article will be limited to the starters and key rotation players.

The Three Highest-Graded Players

1. Faletau Satuala - 89.1

BYU's highest-graded player through two games is true sophomore Faletau Satuala. Satuala was fantastic against Stanford, finishing with a pair of TFLs including one that was a safety. He also had an interception late in the fourth quarter.

Satuala hasn't allowed a reception for positive yards this season in 35 coverage snaps.

Satuala arrived at BYU as one of the most coveted recruits in recent history. The top in-state recruit in the 2024 class played at times as a true freshman last year, but he looked like a true freshman playing his first college football. It's important to remember that Satuala was not an early enrollee, so he saw the field with only a few weeks of college experience under his belt. Now with a year in the weight and conditioning program and better knowledge of Jay Hill's defense, Satuala looks like one of BYU's best players.

2. Jack Kelly - 76.0

Jack Kelly has lived up to the hype in the first two games. Kelly was dominant off the edge against Stanford - he had a strip sack that gave BYU the ball deep in Stanford territory. He also had a TFL that setup Satuala's safety.

Kelly's is BYU's highest-graded pass rusher by a wide margin. He has tallied 4 pressures in 14 pass rush attempts. For BYU's defense to reach its full pass-rushing potential, Kelly will need to come off the edge more often.

3. Logan Lutui - 73.8

Logan Lututi is the only veteran defensive end on BYU's roster and he has looked like a veteran through two games. Lutui is tied with Jack Kelly for the most "stops" on defense with five.

The Three Lowest-Graded Players

1. Mory Bamba - 57.2

Senior cornerback Mory Bamba is the lowest-graded player on a BYU defense that has been dominant. When Stanford got a few first downs in the fourth quarter, they were targeting Bamba and Tommy Prassas.

The only real question about the BYU defense is how they will handle a dangerous passing attack. That question will be answered against ECU. The Pirates can move the ball through the air and the secondary will be tested.

2. Tommy Prassas - 60.9

When BYU starting nickel Jonathan Kabeya suffered an injury in Fall Camp, Tommy Prassas was moved from his natural position at safety to nickel. To Prassas' credit, he has been tasked with covering more than he is used to. He has allowed the most receiving yards of anyone on BYU's defense while he gets up to speed at his new position.

3. Hunter Clegg - 64.5

It's not uncommon for true freshmen to get lower grades in their first college action. Still, a 64.5 grade is not bad for a true freshman that was on a mission this time last year. Clegg being in the bottom three is a nod to how dominant this BYU defense has been - all other contributors are graded higher than 64.

Clegg has flashed his potential in his limited snaps this season. What's most notable, in the opinion of this author, is his snap count. Clegg has been playing in critical moments, even with the first-team defense.

Clegg's situation is similar to Satuala's last year. It's only a matter of time before he finds himself near the top of the defense.

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