The BYU Cougars kick off the 2025 season in 17 days against Portland State. As we continue counting down the days until kickoff, today we will profile the player who wears No. 17 -- redshirt senior linebacker Jack Kelly -- by providing three interesting, fun facts:
Fun fact No. 1 - He was a four-star transfer from Weber State
When Jack Kelly enrolled at Weber State in 2021 he was something of a below-the-radar prospect. Coming out of high school he was a three-star prospect with an 82 grade from 247 Sports and was ranked as the No. 28 prospect in the state of Utah. After back-to-back solid seasons for the Wildcats in 2022 and 2023 in which he racked up 85 tackles and 16.5 sacks, he hit the portal in 2024 as a four-star transfer. He chose to follow former Weber State coach Jay Hill to Provo in 2024 and lived up to his billing in his first season at BYU.
Fun fact No. 2 - He was outstanding in 2024
In his first season at BYU last year, Kelly quickly emerged as one of the Cougars best defenders. He appeared in all 13 games in BYU's 11-2 season and racked up 51 tackles, five sacks, and 14 quarterback hurries. Kelly was consistently disruptive in the backfield and showed amazing closing speed on the ball. He was named All-Big 12 First Team by College Football Network.
Three weeks into last season and Kelly's explosiveness was noticed by famed NFL Draft guru Mel Kiper Jr. In a publication from ESPN he was quoted as saying, "BYU outside linebacker Jack Kelly was relatively unknown in August, but he is quickly rising, as I have him fifth at the position after three weeks. He added his second sack of the season Saturday against Wyoming, and you can see the high-end closing speed on tape. At 6-foot-2 and 240 pounds, Kelly flies all over the field and can also play off the ball."
Fun fact No. 3 - He could have a Kyle Van Noy-type NFL career
The template for Jack Kelly to dominate in his final year at BYU then blossom in the NFL could look like Kyle Van Noy's career. Like Van Noy, Kelly can both play the run as a traditional linebacker and come off the edge as a pass rusher. Now entering his 12th NFL season, Van Noy has had as many as 92 tackles in a season (2018) or as many as 12.5 sacks as a Pro Bowl edge rusher (2024). Kelly has that same versatility that makes NFL front offices salivate.
Kelly will both start and star in this year's defense. If he can rack up somewhere near double-digit sacks and continue to effectively stop the run, he could realistically become a mid-round pick in next year's NFL draft.