The BYU Cougars will kick off the 2025 season in 85 days against Portland State. As we continue counting down the days until kickoff, today we will profile the player who wears No. 85 - redshirt junior tight end Anthony Olsen.
Anthony Olsen’s background
Olsen joined BYU’s class of 2022 after a solid career at Olympus High School just outside of Salt Lake City. He didn’t receive much national attention as a high school recruit and was a zero-star recruit at 247 Sports. While most of his offers were from small schools like Tennessee State, Austin Peay, and Buffalo, the in-state Utah schools viewed him as a diamond in the rough.
Olsen received interest from Utah, BYU, Utah State, and Weber State. After originally committing to Utah, Olsen flipped his commitment to BYU and joined the team in 2022 as a preferred walk-on.
The redshirt junior saw his first (and only) live game action last year against Southern Illinois without recording any offensive stats.
Olsen’s potential impact in 2025
While Carsen Ryan will be the mainstay at eight end, the depth chart after him is pretty wide open. Olsen at least saw the field last year for the Cougars, though it was limited action in a blowout win, and has had time to learn tight end coach Kevin Gilbride’s system. At 6-foot-4 and 250 pounds, Olsen has a good blend of size, experience, and two years of eligibility to warrant a spot on the depth chart.
This will be a massively important season for Anthony Olsen, both for this year and next. Carsen Ryan is a one-year rental, Ethan Erickson is a redshirt senior, and talented freshman Ryner Swanson will miss this year and next while serving a mission.
If Anthony Olsen can crack the depth chart in 2025, he could be positioned to contribute even more in 2025