As BYU football in 2026 continues to sign four-star and high three-star talents, we as fans have almost become immune to it. Kalani Sitake and his staff have the credibility and resources of a Power Four program, and they're taking advantage of it. The Cougars' incoming class of 2026 ranked No. 24 in the nation, and life is good in Provo.
Life was very different for Cougar players and fans back in 2017.
In rewinding nearly a decade, the Cougars class of 2017 ranked No. 66 in the country as the Cougars navigated their way through the doldrums of football independence. The Cougars did sign two four-star players that year in Chaz Ah You and Langi Tuifua, but both of their careers were derailed by injuries. The next highest rated players in 2017 were three-star recruits with 87 ratings.
Yet despite the underwhelming talent haul by the 247 Sports star standards, the Cougars managed to sign and develop these five absolute legends.
Khyiris Tonga, defensive tackle - "Zero star" recruit
BYU stats: 130 tackles, 15 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks
NFL stats: 67 games, 113 tackles, 5 tackles for loss, 0.5 sacks (still active)
Yes, that's right, Khyiris Tonga was a zero-star recruit when he signed with BYU back in the class of 2017. The 6-foot-4, 321-pound immovable object was a four-year starter in Provo and dominated the interior defensive line like few BYU players have done before or since.
He was a seventh round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft and has carved out a successful professional career, including signing a 3-year, $21 million free agent contract this offseason to team up with BYU coaching legend Andy Reid and the Kansas City Chiefs.
Tyler Batty, defensive end - 3-star recruit, 80 rating
BYU stats: 53 games, 224 tackles, 33.5 tackles for loss, 16.5 sacks
NFL stats: 12 games, 12 tackles, 2 tackles for loss
Batty flew under the recruiting radar at Payson High School, but ultimately developed into one of the better defensive ends in recent BYU history. He was often just about the only legitimate weapon coming off the edge for what was a passive defensive scheme for most of his time at BYU, and even then he was effective. Batty was All-Big 12 First Team in 2024 and All-Big 12 Second Team in 2023.
He went undrafted in 2025, but managed to make the Minnesota Vikings 53-man roster as a rookie. Despite missing the team's first five games to injury last year he ultimately appeared in 12 contests last year with 12 tackles as a rookie.
Ryan Rehkow, punter - 2-star recruit, 72 rating
BYU stats: 176 punts, 47.4 yard average
NFL stats: 34 games, 49.9 yard average (still active)
Punters don't get enough love in general, and that's true for BYU legend Ryan Rehkow. Coming out of high school in Washington state he was a low two-star recruit. He made his way to Provo, served a two-year mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, then produced one of the best punting careers in program history. In 2023 he was named All-Big 12 Second Team and was an ESPN Second Team All-American.
He went undrafted in 2024 but immediately won the Cincinnati Bengals starting punter gig and shows no sign of relinquishing it.
Isaac Rex, tight end - 2-star, 79 rating
"Sexy Rexy" was an unheralded recruit coming out of San Clemente, California. The only scholarship listed on his 247 Sports profile came from BYU. After serving a mission to Samoa, Rex had one reception in his 2019 redshirt season.
He broke out a season later. In 2020 as a redshirt freshman he reeled in 37 receptions for 429 yards and 12 touchdowns. He tied for the most receiving touchdowns by a freshman that year and ranked No. 3 nationally in receiving touchdowns regardless of position. That year he was named to The Athletic's All-Freshman team.
A gruesome ankle fracture in 2021 limited his production that year and after multiple surgeries he played most of 2022 at less than 100%. Even hobbled in 2022 he still put up a 22-320-6 season. In his final 2023 campaign he had 34 catches for 422 yards and three touchdowns.
Over the course of his solid career, Isaac Rex had 112 receptions for 1,385 yards and a ridiculous 24 touchdowns.
He went undrafted in 2024 and spent some time in the preseason with the Detroit Lions and Los Angeles Chargers, but never made an NFL roster.
Ben Bywater, linebacker - 3-star, 87 rating
After prepping at Olympus High School, Bywater was a solid recruit and the No. 4-rated player in BYU's 2017 class. After serving a church mission he played sparingly in his first two seasons in Provo, registering 15 total tackles between 2019 and 2020.
But in 2021, Bywater went nuts. That year he had a team-leading 102 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, and a sack. He followed that up in 2022 with 98 tackles, four tackles for loss, one sack, and three interceptions. He had a memorable pick-six against SMU as BYU won the New Mexico Bowl to cap off his season.
As he entered his redshirt senior season in 2023, the sky seemed to be the limit after racking up 200 tackles over the previous two years. He was named to a couple of Preseason All-Big 12 teams, including Pro Football Focus and Athlon Sports. He got off to a great start to begin the year with 32 tackles in four games, but he suffered a season-ending shoulder injury and medically retired from football.
Bywater was a beast at BYU, making him one of the five outstanding players the Cougars landed in what looked like a "ho-hum" 2017 recruiting class.
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