BYU football’s class of 2019 is one of the most forgotten classes in school history.
The 21 players who committed to the Cougars that year reflect the recruiting difficulties Kalani Sitake and his staff had in landing talent during the aimless football independent years before the "Big 12 bump" kicked in.
The Cougars class of 2019 ranked No. 75 in the nation that year at 247 Sports. The average player rating of 82.52 fell below programs like North Texas (83.51), Toledo (83.19), Florida International (82.81), and Louisiana Tech (82.77).
The amount of winning Kalani Sitake was able to do with the relative talent BYU was able to recruit back in the days of independence needs to be the subject of a multi-season Netflix documentary.
While the majority of the players in BYU's class of 2019 never really made an impact for the Cougars, some solid role players emerged. Offensive lineman Sonny Makasini, wide receiver Keanu Hill, and tight end Ethan Erickson saw the field a lot, but didn't emerge as difference-makers. While most of the "forgotten" class of 2019 came and quietly went during their time in Provo, the class did produce three absolute studs.
Blake Freeland, tackle - 3-star, 83 rating
Coming out of Herriman High School, Blake Freeland was a good-but-not great recruit. He was a relatively low three-star recruit with an 83 rating at 247 Sports, making him the No. 11 prospect in the state of Utah that year. He reportedly held just three offers coming from BYU, Utah, and Vanderbilt.
From the moment he arrived in Provo, Freeland exceeded expectations.
As a freshman he started the final seven games of the season at right tackle. He went on to start for the next three seasons playing both right and left tackle. In 2022 he was voted AP All-American Third Team, declared for the 2023 NFL Draft, and was selected in the fourth round by the Indianapolis Colts.
In his first two NFL seasons he appeared in 25 games with nine starts before missing the entire 2025 season due to injury.
Bruce Mitchell, center - 2-star, 79 rating
What a ride it has been for Bruce Mitchell!
He was an overlooked recruit coming out of small town Kamas, Utah. After serving a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the 6-foot-4, 305-pounder began his college career as a defensive lineman. He redshirted in 2021 then as a redshirt freshman in 2022 he registered three tackles in seven games and followed that up in 2023 with six tackles over four games.
Then everything changed in 2024 when he moved from the defensive side of the ball to center on offense. Incumbent center Connor Pay ended up missing some time that year and Mitchell played very well as a fill-in. He earned the starting job in 2025 and was named First Team All-Big 12. He enters 2026 on a number of preseason All-American and All-Conference teams and could very well be selected in next year's NFL Draft.
Bruce Mitchell's journey hasn't been the norm for players who reach the heights of success he's currently enjoying, and he's going to fly even higher in 2026.
Chase Roberts, wide receiver - 3-star, 88 rating
The 6-foot-4, 210-pound wide receiver was the No. 1 signee back in BYU's class of 2019 as a high three-star talent with an 88 rating from 247 Sports.
While not a four-star talent, Chase lived up to the hype as the top player in the Cougars' class that year.
After serving a mission then redshirting in 2021, he produced well as a redshirt freshman in 2022 with 22 receptions for 357 yards and three touchdowns. The next season that jumped to 42-573-5 and he looked like he would "make the leap" as an upperclassman in 2024, and that's exactly what happened.
Between 2024 and 2025 Roberts hauled in 106 receptions for 1,656 yards and 10 touchdowns. The team captain was named Third Team All-Big 12 last year.
After going undrafted this year he quickly signed with the Las Vegas Raiders and will compete for a roster spot throughout camp and the preseason. Only time will tell if he can carve out an NFL career, but there's no doubting Chase Roberts was one of the few gems of BYU's class of 2019.
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