We all celebrated in different ways when we heard the news that BYU football had won its latest recruiting struggle with the Oklahoma Sooners, poachers of the Beehive State. For some, a silent fist pump in your cubicle may have been in order. For others, perhaps a yelp and a high five were dished out to an unaffected stranger. Perhaps your victory lap was little more than a satisfied grin paired with a rhythmic head nod.
No matter your reaction, there was no better way to commemorate the occasion than the method of BYU football's defensive coordinator, Kelly Poppinga, who still fondly remembers the time that he squared off against the third-ranked Sooners in Cowboy Stadium and won.
Poppinga was a linebacker on that BYU team back in 2009 on a date that would live on in BYU football lore forever. Against Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Sam Bradford and the national championship-contending Sooners, Bronco Mendenhall's top-20 Cougars made a 14-13 statement victory on opening weekend. Poppinga hasn't forgotten, and took a moment to remind us all that securing the commitment of Uhila Wolfgramm isn't the first time he's gotten the better of OU.
A picture is worth 1,000 words, and this article is well short of that mark. I think this post largely speaks for itself, though.
👀👀👀 #GoCougs pic.twitter.com/BFQ6gAh916
— coachkellypoppinga (@Coach_Popp) July 2, 2026
Say it with your chest, coach!
Uhila Wolgramm's commitment saved BYU football's skin in the 2027 recruiting cycle, as they had zero top-10 recruits in the Beehive State before his announcement. Had the Maple Mountain product opted to follow fellow top-three recruits Krew Jones and Bode Sparrow to Norman, Oklahoma, the Sooners would have locked out the top three recruits in the state and confirmed BYU football would miss out on any top-10 prospect.
A major addition to Coach Popp's defense and more evidence that the Cougars will recover comfortably from the sudden departure of Jay Hill, the program's previous defensive coordinator, who joined Kyle Whittingham in Ann Arbor this offseason.
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