BYU has been looking for dominant edge rushers seemingly going back to the days the state of Utah was still known as Deseret.
As we look back at the Cougars' recruiting class of 2021, the Cougars finally found the answers with John Henry Daley and Logan Fano. Unfortunately for BYU fans, both players transferred before making an impact in Provo.
And to make matters worse, Daley and Fano both transferred to Utah. Ugh.
BYU's two stars from the class of 2021
But before we dwell on what could have been if Logan Fano and John Henry Daley had stayed loyal to the blue, let's take a look at BYU's recruiting class of 2021 as a whole.
Overall, it was another underwhelming crop of signees overall with few of them going on to make a mark in a Cougars uniform. 247 Sports ranked the Cougars No. 67 nationally with their relatively small class of 18 new recruits. As with previous classes before the "Big 12 bump", most of BYU's players were low- to mid-three star talents with most individual ratings hoverings somewhere around 82 or 83.
While very few of these 18 players played meaningful snaps for the Cougars, the class still produced two absolute ballers:
Isaiah Glasker, linebacker. Glasker was among those low-three star recruits with an 82 rating, but despite the humble beginnings he has blossomed into a superstar. After serving a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Glasker's first couple of seasons were quiet before dominating over the last two years. Between 2024 and 2025 he put up 137 tackles, 23 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks, and five interceptions. As he now enters his redshirt senior season in 2026, he could have an All-Big 12 season and be a hot commodity in next year's NFL Draft.
Raider Damuni, safety. Raider was a four-star prospect coming out of high school and was destined for greatness. He also served a church mission and returned to find a safety room that was jam packed with talent. Damuni has had to earn his snaps behind Tanner Wall, currently with the Las Vegas Raiders, and fellow safety Faletau Satuala, who could be an early pick in the NFL Draft. In three seasons Damuni has 90 tackles and an interception. He should start in the secondary this year for the Cougars and could have a breakout senior campaign.
Two that got away
And now it's time to tell the story of the two players from BYU's class of 2021 who got away.
As previously stated, BYU has needed effective pass rushers coming off the edge for what feels like generations now. The irony is the Cougars found them in the class of 2021 with commits John Henry Daley and Logan Fano, but they just couldn't keep them in Provo.
John Henry Daley was the No. 3 recruit in BYU's class of 2021 with his 88 rating. After serving a mission, he played sparingly in 2023 with two tackles in three games. In 2024, he transferred to Utah and had a quiet season before absolutely dominating in 2025. In 11 games last year, he had 48 tackles, 17.5 tackles for loss, and 11.5 sacks for the Utes before unfortunately tearing his Achilles late in the season. He has since transferred from Utah to Michigan with coach Kyle Whittingham.
Logan Fano was the No. 1 recruit in BYU's class of 2021 along with Raider Damuni as a four-star with a 90 rating. After serving a church mission he enrolled at BYU in 2022 but missed the entire season with an ACL injury. In 2023 he transferred to Utah and over three seasons on a stacked Utah defensive line he registered 93 tackles, 18 tackles for loss, and 10.5 sacks. In 2026 he went undrafted in the NFL Draft but signed with the Cleveland Browns where he's competing for a roster spot.
BYU won't need to face either Daley or Fano this year for the first time in many years, but imagine what could have been over the last couple of years with those guys coming off the edge in royal blue instead of crimson red.
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