The BYU Cougars will kick off the 2026 season in 4 days against Utah Tech. As we count down the days until kickoff, today we will profile the players who wear No. 4: running back LJ Martin and transfer linebacker Cade Uluave.
Will LJ Martin break BYU records and be an All-American?
It's almost scary to contemplate what a healthy LJ Martin could do over a full season of BYU football. The senior running back has been a beast over the last three seasons, but he has also been a beast that has been dinged up a lot.
As a freshman in 2023 he rushed for 518 yards and four touchdowns while averaging a healthy 4.8 yards per carry. In his 2024 sophomore campaign he rushed for 718 yards and seven touchdowns while boosting his yards per carry to 5.2. Then last year he went absolutely ballistic rushing for 1,305 yards with 12 touchdowns while averaging 5.5 yards per carry.
For his brilliance last year he was named the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year.
His 2,541 career rushing yards currently ranks ninth in BYU history. Jamaal Williams holds the all-time record with 3,901 yards, so if Martin replicates last year's outstanding play, he'll be within a few yards of rewriting the record books.
Martin will be playing behind what could be a special BYU offensive line and sharing the backfield with quarterback Bear Bachmeier, who is not longer and inexperienced freshman. The stars are aligning for LJ Martin to have a historic senior season that could vault him to All-American status if BYU can reach the College Football Playoffs this year.
Martin was named to Phil Steele's All-American preseason squad, and deservedly so.
Cade Uluave could be BYU's next great linebacker
BYU fans will be in for a treat with Cal transfer linebacker Cade Uluave.
Like LJ Martin, he was also named to Phil Steele's All-American preseason team.
The 6-foot-1, 235-pound senior played his high school ball at Mountain Ridge High School in Herriman, Utah. In the class of 2023, he was a solid three-star prospect with an 86 grade, making him the No. 14 prospect in the state of Utah that year. He signed with Cal out of high school and has had three special seasons with the Golden Bears. As a freshman, he had 66 tackles, 2.5 sacks, and two interceptions. As a sophomore, he registered 71 tackles, half a sack, and one interception.
Then last year as a junior he took his game to an entirely different level. A season ago he racked up 100 tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss, and three sacks. When he decided to transfer after last season, 247 Sports ranked him as the No. 1 linebacker in the portal with a gaudy 94 grade.
He's going to have a monster final season with BYU playing behind Keanu Tanuvasa and Justin Kirkland and alongside Isaiah Glasker. He's going to have the freedom to pursue the ball and the line of scrimmage and also get into the backfield.
Conference awards will likely follow, as could All-American honors.
It took Cade Uluave three seasons to make his way back home to the Beehive State. He likely has one season left, and he's going to make the most of it.
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