The BYU Cougars will kick off the 2026 season in 23days against Utah Tech. As we count down the days until kickoff, today we will profile the player who wears No. 23 - true freshman wide receiver Terrance Saryon.
Terrance Saryon's background
Landing the 5-goot-11, 170-pound wide receiver was a good get for the Cougars in this year's freshman class. Saryon was a high three-start talent at 247 Sports with an 88 rating. He was the No. 8 prospect in the state of Washington last year, and top talent in the Pacific Northwest always falls on the radars of both Oregon and Washington.
That was the case with Saryon. In addition to offers from the Ducks and Huskies, he reeled in scholarships from the likes of Illinois and Cal, amongst others. He initially committed to the University of Washington in November 2024 to play closer to home, but BYU offered him in April 2025, had him on an official visit in May, and he quickly decommitted from Washington to pledge to the Cougars.
Interestingly, on his BYU player profile page it notes his mother is named Olga and he speaks fluent Russian. I'm not sure if that's going to help him get open over the middle against Utah, but it's a fun fact nonetheless.
Saryon's fit at BYU as a freshman
Terrance joins BYU's wide receiver room at an interesting time. Chase Roberts is now in the NFL, Parker Kingston is dealing with unforeseen legal issues, and Cody Hagen unexpectedly retired due to medical reasons. If there's one position group in Provo that's a giant question mark going into 2026, it's wide receiver.
Jojo Phillips is the only returner with any sort of significant production, and even he was limited for much of last season due to injury. Oregon transfer Kyler Kasper has turned heads since arriving in Provo, but he's had a host of injury issues. Returning players who made fringe contributions like Reggie Frischknecht, Tiger Bachmeier, and Tei Nacua have shown flashes but haven't locked down starting spots.
That gives talented freshmen like Terrance Saryon a legitimate chance to earn some reps this year. He participated in Spring camp and will be as familiar with the playbook as a freshman can be. Adjusting to the speed and physicality of Power Four football is another matter, and Saryon is on the smaller side, but BYU needs some smaller, fleet-footed wide receivers to complement their stable of taller players.
At least a couple of wide receivers need to break out this year for the Cougars. Why not Terrance Saryon?
And if all Sayron does this year is play with the scout team, get some limited action in blowouts, and come back in 2027 as a redshirt freshman primed to break out, then that's still a long-term win for both him and the BYU Cougars.
Add us as a preferred source on Google