We are officially through three weeks of the 2026 BYU football season, but now is not the time to pat yourself on the back. After all, what is the point of college football if you -- yes, you -- the fan, haven't learned anything?
As we approach a bye week -- the dividing line between BYU's road contest with Colorado State and another road game against a Big 12 foe in TCU -- now is as good a time as any to look back on what the young season has delivered so far, and reflect on what we've learned about the latest edition of Cougar football.
So everybody, turn off your cell phones, close ChatGPT before it closes you, and unsheath your trusty number-two Ticonderoga, because it's time for a review.
What have we learned about the 2026 BYU football team?
The receiver room is just fine
The receiving corps was perhaps the biggest question mark facing BYU football this season after losing the team's leading receivers, Chase Roberts and Parker Kingston, over the offseason. Add tight end Carsen Ryan's NFL departure to the mix. Then Cody Hagen suddenly retired due to injury struggles.
Aaron Roderick coordinated a very run-heavy offense last season behind work horse running back LJ Martin (who is back for another year), but when young QB Bear Bachmeier dropped back to pass, he was typically looking for one of three targets -- now none of those players are with the team.
Three games through, however, and Bear has no shortage of options through the air.
First we have to address the obvious leader of the bunch: true freshman Legend Glasker. Glasker generated electricity in the preseason Provo air as a player who could potentially run an All-Big 12 campaign from his wide receiver spot. Many, including myself, remained hopeful while tempering expectations about a three-star prospect who hadn't played a single snap of collegiate football.
It didn't take long to verify the -- pardon the pun -- Legend. A three-touchdown day against Utah Tech, elite explosion and athleticism on display every time he touches the field, and this marvelous one-handed grab against Colorado State make Glasker the most dangerous downfield threat in the Cougars' arsenal.
WHAT A CATCH BY LEGEND GLASKER 😳 @BYUFootball pic.twitter.com/tKMfOwRfbA
— CBS Sports College Football 🏈 (@CBSSportsCFB) September 20, 2026
There's far more to the receiving room than just Glasker, of course.
Kyler Kasper, a tall, long pass-catcher out of Oregon has emerged as an unstoppable red zone option, and he proved that on his multiple-touchdown day against Arizona.
Jojo Phillips has shown some shifty feet and delivered as many hoped he would so far this season.
Even the tight end position is back in business in the wake of Ryan's departure, with Walker Lyons and Roger Saleapaga providing a deadly one-two punch as both blockers and pass-catchers.
Kalani Sitake values sportsmanship above brownie points
Sitake takes a knee when others would run up the score; that hasn't been the most popular policy among a BYU football fanbase that has grown tired of being overlooked by the College Football Playoff selection committee over the past two seasons. No, Cougar Nation would rather their team leave no doubt in games that BYU football controls.
When the Cougars took a knee inside the three-yard line against Arizona, fans groaned knowing an 11-point lead could have finished as an 18-point advantage.
When BYU sent their starters to the bench in a road-trip rout of Colorado State, the home Rams dropped a meaningless 16 points in the fourth to diminish a 38-7 lead to just 18 points in a 41-23 final.
BYU could have driven the nail through the coffin and danced on the grave of their adversaries. But that's not how the Cougars operate. We all understand that this is the Kalani Sitake experience -- it's his mode of operation. There are far worse problems in the world of college football than a head coach who is kind.
Let's be honest, the College Football Playoff Committee is never going to value BYU's resume, whether they win by 7 or 70. In the eyes of the decision-makers, the Big 12 is historically a one-bid league, which means you either win the Big 12 Championship or you send your note of grievance to a reception desk that strongly resembles a trash can.
It's really not that deep
And by "it", I mean BYU football. We saw how the reserves struggled to slow down Utah Tech's offense in the first game of the season, as the Trailblazers approached the endzone too often in the fourth quarter,
This issue was especially apparent when the Cougars struggled to stop Colorado State's third-string quarterback as the Pac-12 representatives shrank BYU's commanding lead into one that certainly won't earn the Cougars any bonus points toward their postseason resume -- unless Colorado State somehow finishes the year 11-1.
But the issue of depth is one that should scare BYU football, because you never know when you'll need the next man up to make a play.
This is the most complete BYU team in the Big 12 era
I don't need to ramble on about the significance of LJ Martin any more than I already have, but returning the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year is a big deal for a football team attempting to reach the CFP for the first time in program history.
Bear Bachmeier returns at quarterback after an exceptional freshman year. Now, he's slimmer -- more streamlined -- and has looked razor-sharp through the first three weeks, save for a careless interception in his final play against Colorado State.
A veteran, talented offensive line returns to inflict horror upon opposing defenses, headlined by preseason All-American Bruce Mitchell at center.
Evan Johnson, Keanu Tanuvasa, Therrian Alexander, Faletau Satuala, Isaiah Glasker, and more exceptional veterans return for another year in Provo after serving as one of the best defenses in the Big 12 a season ago.
And it's all held together by head coach Kalani Sitake, who turned down an offer from Penn State at the end of last season to continue with his alma mater.
In the modern age of college athletics, BYU football has something that most programs do not: continuity. And it's coming together to form what is perhaps the best and most complete BYU football roster in the program's Big 12 history -- if not their history as a whole.
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