The BYU Cougars kick off the 2025 season in 20 days against Portland State. As we continue counting down the days until kickoff, today we will profile the player who wears No. 20 - redshirt senior tight end Carsen Ryan - by providing three interesting, fun facts:
Fun fact No. 1 - He was a big-time Utah high school recruit
Ryan has Utah roots and prepped at American Fork High School. As a member of the class of 2022 he was a big-time recruit as a high three-star prospect with an 89 rating from 247 Sports. He was the No. 8 prospect in the state of Utah that year and the No. 24-ranked tight end nationally. The recruiting battle for his services coming out of high school was intense, and he ultimately chose UCLA.
Fun fact No. 2 - He has played at both UCLA and Utah
The 6-foot-4, 250-pound tight end began his college career at UCLA and spent his first two seasons with the Bruins. As a freshman he appeared in five games with six receptions for 82 yards. He followed that up with a solid 2023 campaign with 12 games, 13 receptions, 205 yards, and three touchdowns.
In 2024 Ryan transferred to Utah and was an important part of an overall anemic Utah offense. In 12 games with the Utes last year he had 10 receptions for 113 yards and a touchdown. In Utah's loss to BYU last year he had one reception for seven yards.
Fun fact No. 3 - He's going to have a massive senior season in Provo
Outside of a healthy Isaac Rex, BYU hasn't had an impactful tight end in the passing game for several years now. Cougar fans have been clamoring to get the tight ends more involved in the passing game, and Ryan appears to be the person to make that happen. He is locked in as BYU's starting tight end this season.
The Deseret News reported that offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick said the following in spring camp about his new tight end, "We have been making a point of getting the ball to Carsen every day in practice… Through seven or eight practices, Carsen is one of our best players on offense.”
Carsen Ryan has the experience and the talent to have an impactful year in 2025. BYU will be breaking in a new quarterback this year, and sometimes a smart, experienced tight end is a new quarterback's best friend.