BYU football's class of 2018 was weak overall, even by BYU's tempered pre-Big 12 standards.
Only one four-start talent committed that year in wide receiver Gunner Romney. He would go on to have a solid career in Provo with nearly 2,000 career receiving yards.
But after Gunner, the class of 2018 looked weak, at least on paper. After Romney the highest-rated high school prospect that year was quarterback Zach Wilson, and he was just a modest three-star recruit with an 86 rating. There was a reason 247 Sports ranked Kalani Sitake's talent haul No. 78 overall that year, trailing the likes of Louisiana Tech (No. 77), Western Michigan (76), and Florida Atlantic (75).
Just remembering how hard it was for BYU to recruit during its independence era makes me shudder.
Very few members of the class of 2018 went on to have multi-year starting roles at BYU. Center Connor Pay (86 rating) and safety Tanner Wall (zero-star recruit) were impact players. Guys like safety Talan Alfrey (83 rating), defensive back Isaiah Herron (78 rating), and wide receiver Malik Moore (77 rating) had their moments.
Two of the best players in the class unfortunately ended up transferring in offensive lineman Campbell Barrington (Baylor) and tight end Dallin Holker (Colorado State).
But there were three players in the class of 2018 who stand out for being some of the most unlikely impact players in a BYU uniform who would go on to get selected in the NFL Draft. Let's look at their journeys.
Zach Wilson, quarterback (3-star, 86 rating)
Drafted: 2021 1st round, No. 2 overall
NFL stats: 38 games, 6,325 passing yards, 23 TD, 25 INT; 499 rushing yards, 5 TD
BYU fans will forever remember the Zach Wilson experience with joy, but few fans remember how unlikely of a legend he looked like coming out of high school. He was a good-but-not-great three-star prospect with an 86 rating at 247 Sports, and his offers reflected that. Offers came from Boise State, Syracuse, Minnesota, and Cal before he began his career at BYU. He wasn't a hot commodity nationally coming out of high school.
After bursting on to the scene as a replacement starter as a freshman in 2018 followed up by a solid 2019 campaign, Wilson lit the country on fire in 2020. He piloted BYU to an 11-1 season in that wonky COVID-impacted season with only that awful game at Coastal Carolina still lingering in the back of the minds of many BYU fans. Zach made some honorable mention All-American teams that year and finished No. 8 in the Heisman voting.
Nobody could have predicted that three years after arriving in Provo, this mid-three star talent would be the No. 2 pick in the NFL Draft.
Tyler Allgeier, running back, zero-star recruit
Drafted: 2022, 5th round, No. 151 overall
NFL stats: 2,876 rushing yards, 4.3 YPC, 18 TD; 516 receiving yards, 2 TD
Few players have rocketed from high school afterthought to NFL star than Tyler Allgeier. He was a "zero-star" high school player as a running back who eventually moved to linebacker at BYU, recording 26 tackles in 2019.
But in 2020 he moved back to running back and flat out dominated. In 2020 he rushed for 1,130 yards with 13 touchdowns, averaging a ridiculous 7.5 yards per carry. In 2021 he set a BYU single-season rushing record with 1,606 yards and a stunning 23 touchdowns on 5.8 yards per carry.
In 2022 he was a fifth-round pick by the Atlanta Falcons and in his rookie season set a franchise rookie rushing record with 1,035 yards. The following season the Falcons drafted Bijan Robinson in the first round and Allgeier's touches were reduced over the last three years, but he's still churning our quality yards as he joins the Arizona Cardinals this year.
Tyler might be the most unlikely NFL draft pick in BYU program history. He went from "zero-star" status, moved from offense to defense, and then back to offense before breaking out. What a beast.
Dax Milne, wide receiver (2-star, 76 rating)
Drafted: 2021 7th round, No. 258 overall
NFL stats: 28 games, 15 receptions, 120 yards, 1 TD; 40 punt returns, 15 kick returns
Speaking of unlikely draft picks coming out of BYU's class of 2018, let's talk about wide receiver Dax Milne.
First, he was a lowly two-star recruit coming out of high school. Second, while BYU had produced a lot of quality NFL talent in its history, almost none of them were wide receivers. Neither the player himself nor the program he chose screamed "future NFL player" as he came out of high school.
But the surehanded 6-foot-1 wideout defied the odds. As a freshman in 2018 he cut his teeth with a modest 10 receptions for 69 yards and his first college touchdown. In 2019 he made the regular rotation with 21 receptions for 285 yards, and two more scores. But in 2020 he blew up in tandem with quarterback Zach Wilson and simply dominated. That year Milne reeled in 70 catches for 1,188 yards and eight touchdowns before declaring for the NFL Draft.
Milne had a modest role with the Washington Commanders offense for his two NFL seasons, but was a mainstay on special teams with 40 punt returns and 14 kick returns.
He missed the entire 2023 season due to injury, was released in 2024, and wasn't picked up by any other NFL team. Even then, not many two-star high school talents appear in 28 NFL games, let alone get drafted, making Dax Milne a true stud from the class of 2018.
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