BYU football's class of 2020 is a reminder of how hard the grind had become for Kalani Sitake and his staff to attract talent as a long-time football independent.
The class had 31 commits. The two highest-rated prospects were three-stars Bodie Schoonover (88 overall) and Kody Epps (86). Of the 31 signees that year, 27 of them had a 247 Sports rating of 83 or lower. The average player rating from the class was 82.46, putting the Cougars high school talent pipeline below programs like Louisiana (83.25), Louisiana Tech (83.22), Rice (82.64), Southern Miss (82.59), UAB (82.54), Western Michigan (82.65).
Despite a large number of commits in a class of 31 players, BYU's 2020 class ranked No. 80 in the country.
Almost none of those 31 players would go on to have meaningful starting roles during their tenure with the Cougars.
Now, before I proceed, I just want to clearly state up front that I'm not denigrating or criticizing the players who signed with BYU in 2020. The only two feelings I have for any BYU player is respect and admiration. Any athlete who plays Division One sports is the top one-percent of athletes in their sport. College athletes invest their blood, sweat, and tears into their sport while also balancing their studies, and back in 2020 they were doing this before they could be compensated via NIL. I have nothing but respect for these athletes.
The best players from the class of 2020
Earlier I mentioned how few of the 31 players BYU signed in 2020 went on to have impactful careers in Provo. Here's a snippet of the players with the most impactful careers:
John Nelson, defensive tackle. Despite being a low three-star recruit with an 80 rating back in 2020, John Nelson blossomed as the most impactful player in the BYU's class that year. Over four seasons he started 23 of 46 games with 69 tackles and 4.5 sacks in a BYU defensive scheme that was brutal for interior defensive lineman.
Micah Harper, safety. As a freshman in 2020 Harper had a solid season with 25 tackles, but he missed the entire 2021 season with an injury. He returned in 2022 with a really strong performance with 62 tackles and three passes defended, but then in 2023 he tore his ACL and appeared in just one game. After playing just seven games in 2024 he transferred to Montana last year.
Kody Epps, wide receiver. Epps had a breakout redshirt freshman campaign in 2022 with 39 receptions for 459 yards and six touchdowns, but that would be his best season at BYU due mostly to injuries. He finished his career with 73 receptions, 819 yards, and seven touchdowns.
Bodie Schoonover, defensive end. The American Fork product was the highest-rated signee from the 2020 class as a three-star prospect with an 88 rating. After serving a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, he has appeared in 36 games over four seasons with 44 tackles and three sacks. He's expected to be a key player in the upcoming 2026 season.
In summary, of the 31 players BYU signed in 2020, the four most impactful were a defensive lineman in John Nelson who mostly ate blocks, two injury-plagued starters in Micah Harper and Kody Epps, and a rotational defensive end in Bodie Schoonover.
What the class of 2020 reveals about BYU football back then
The class of 2020 just reflects where BYU was as a program at that period of time and how insanely difficult it was for Kalani Sitake and his staff to land marquee talent, including those from Utah and LDS players.
In 2020 the Cougars were treading water having gone 18-21 between 2017 and 2019. Heading into the 2020 season the program was entering its 10th year as a football independent. In-state rival Utah was beginning to take off in the Pac-12, was beating BYU on the field, and cleaning up on talent in the Beehive State.
In 2020 the Cougars signed just one of the Top 10 high school prospects in the state of Utah -- defensive end Bodie Schoonover, the No. 5 prospect in the state, while the Utes signed five of the state's top eight recruits.
In the pre-Big 12 and pre-NIL days, there was little incentive for top players to sign with BYU. It hurts me to say this six years later, but it was true. Despite its glorious history and stellar brand reputation, the Cougars were losing the war for talent. The class of 2020 highlights this backsliding more than any other class in program history.
And yet...
Despite the talent gap, in the COVID-impacted 2020 season BYU went 11-1 in a magical season, other than the Coastal Carolina game that still brings a bitter taste to the mouths of Cougar fans everywhere.
In 2021 NIL became the law of the land and in that same year it was announced BYU would join the Big 12 in 2023. BYU beat Utah a few days later, and the program's trajectory changed almost over night.
With the success BYU football is currently riding, it's hard to remember the degree of difficulty the Cougars faced only a few years ago. The class of 2020 is a reminder of the lows the team went through before arriving at today's glorious highs.
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