The BYU Cougars will kick off the 2026 season in 13 days against Utah Tech. As we count down the days until kickoff, today we will profile the two players who wear number 13: redshirt junior wide receiver Jojo Phillips and defensive end Tausili Akana.
Jojo Phillips needs to have a massive 2026 campaign
Few BYU players are going to face as much pressure to deliver this season as wide receiver Jojo Phillips. He is the only returning member of BYU's "core four" wide receivers from a season ago. Chase Roberts graduated, Cody Hagen unexpectedly retired from football due to medical reasons, and presume No. 1 receiver Parker Kingston is also unexpectedly no longer with the program due to off-field issues.
That leaves Jojo Phillips as the only proven commodity in BYU's wide receiver room.
And calling him a "proven quantity" might be a bit of a stretch.
Phillips redshirted for the Cougars in 2023 while appearing in three games with one reception. In 2024, his redshirt freshman campaign, he took a noticeable step forward with 10 receptions for 211 yards and two touchdowns over 13 games. Jojo entered last year as a presumed impact player, but his promising season was derailed by injuries.
In 2025 the 6-foot-5, 205-pound receiver suffered an "upper-body injury" against Stanford in BYU's second game of the season. The injury required surgery and a multi-week recovery period. He came back to play in BYU's final six games of the season with his best performance coming in the Pop Tarts Bowl with four receptions for 53 yards. He ended the season with 14 receptions for 161 yards.
Jojo Phillips enters 2026 with the pressure of the "WR1" label. Provided he's healthy, he could have a monster season with Bear Bachmeier and the BYU offense.
Can Tausili Akana consistently get to the quarterback?
The big question surrounding defensive end Tausili Akana is if he's big enough to make a big impact by repeatedly getting to the quarterback.
Back in 2023, Akana was a huge high school recruit as a four-star talent with a 96 rating, making him the No. 2 prospect in the state of Utah that year and the No. 52 prospect in the country. He signed with Texas out of high school and spent two quiet seasons with the Longhorns, appearing in nine games with just one tackle. At 6-foot-4 and just 225 pounds, he lacked the bulk needed to succeed in the SEC.
Last year he delighted BYU fans by transferring to Provo. And he made an impact in his debut season with the Cougars, though it was still somewhat muted. Over 13 games, he had 15 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, and 0.5 sacks.
Now listed at 235 pounds, he's still a bit undersized coming off the edge, though he did show flashes last year.
Cougar fans know that BYU has yearned for years now for a dominant sack machine off the edge. With a season in Provo now under his belt, the hope is Tausili Akana can claim that title. He will be competing for snaps against talented defensive ends like Bode Schoonover, Nusi Taumoepeau, and Hunter Clegg. The players that produce the most will get the most snaps, period.
BYU fans are hoping this is the year Tausili Akana pops at the college level.
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