The BYU Cougars will kick off the 2026 season in 63 days against Utah Tech. As we count down the days until kickoff, today we will profile the player who wears No. 63 - redshirt senior center Bruce Mitchell.
Bruce Mitchell's background
Hailing from small town Kamas, Utah, Bruce Mitchell helped South Summit High School win back-to-back 2A state championships in 2017 and 2018. Back then he was a wrecking ball on the defensive line, plugging running lanes and dropping running backs for tackles for loss.
As with most small town prospects, he flew below most recruiting radars as a two-star prospect in the class of 2019. The only offer he has on record came from BYU, whose recruiting prominence had yet to get the "Big 12 bump", and Mitchell looked like a project on the defensive line.
He served a full-time mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 2019-2021 in the Seattle, Washington area.
Mitchell's past and present with BYU
After returning home from his mission, the 6-foot-4, 305-pounder had a decent freshman season playing defensive line with three tackles over seven games. His 2023 sophomore campaign produced similar results with six tackles in four games.
Then in 2024, his redshirt sophomore campaign, he made the switch from defensive line to offensive lineman. He took to his new position like a duck takes to water. He played in 13 games that year with six starts and almost inexplicably showed potential playing offense that far surpassed his ceiling as a defensive lineman.
In 2025 he was an anchor for BYU's offensive line in the Cougars impressive 12-2 season. He started all 14 games at center and was named a team co-captain. His stellar play earned him an All-Big 12 First Team selection and was named to the Rimington Trophy Watchlist for the most outstanding center in the nation.
Entering 2026, his fifth and final season of college football, Bruce Mitchell could emerge as the nation's best center. He was named to the Phil Steele Preseason All-America Second Team. While quarterback Bear Bachmeier is still very young, he'll be playing behind one of the smartest, most technically sound centers in college.
While Bruce Mitchell's journey to stardom has been unorthodox, he'll quite literally be right in the center of BYU's aspirations to win the Big 12 and make the College Football Playoffs this year.
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