The BYU Cougars kick off the 2025 season in 4 days against Portland State. As we continue counting down the days until kickoff, today we will profile the player who wears No. 4 - redshirt senior cornerback Mory Bamba - by providing three interesting, fun facts:
Fun fact No. 1 - He has come a long, long way in his college career
The rangy, 6-foot-3 cornerback began his college football journey below the radar as a junior college player. Bamba played at Tyler Junior College in Tyler, Texas before entering the transfer portal in 2022. Even with some college experience under his belt, Mory was still only lightly recruited. His 247 Sports recruiting profile showed him as a "zero star" and listed offers from Utah State, Incarnate World, Presbyterian, and Austin Pea. BYU was his only Power Four offer, and he chose to transfer to Provo in 2022.
Fun fact No. 2 - He has slowly gained experience
In his first season at BYU in 2022, Bamba appeared in five games with one tackle as he adjusted to Division 1 football. In 2023, BYU's first season in the Big 12, he appeared in seven games with six tackles and one pass defended. Last year Bamba took on a more prominent role in Jay Hill's defense, playing in 10 games with 17 tackles and four passes defended.
He has been something of a project for cornerbacks coach Jernaro Gilford, who loves to mold long, athletic defenders, and it looks like the years' worth of investment will pay off this year.
Alhamdulillah pic.twitter.com/qCpiMiiiqI
— Mo (@morybamab4) February 14, 2025
Fun fact No. 3 - He's going to play a massive role in BYU's secondary
After BYU lost last year's starting corners in Jakob Robinson and Marque Collins, incumbent rotational players like Mory Bamba were given a golden opportunity to claim a starting spot. Based on everything coming out of Provo thus far, Bamba will on the field a lot this year. As a redshirt senior, this is his last opportunity to prove to the NFL what he can do as an every-down player in a Power Four conference and that he deserves a shot at the next level.
Mory Bamba has come a long, long way from his junior college roots.