Eye to eye. Toe to toe. BYU football is officially a full-share member of a power conference, the Big 12, and planted its flag at the top of the summit. As it stands today, the Cougars boast the strongest 2026 recruiting class of their peers and sit crouched, eager to pounce on a new season powered by expectations unseen in years.
BYU football holds the top recruiting class in their league for the first time since joining the Big 12, holding the likes of Baylor, Texas Tech, and Arizona State at arm's reach.
This likely doesn't come as a tremendous surprise, as securing 5-star quarterback Ryder Lyons was seismic enough news to grace national television with a segment on the Pat McAfee Show. The highest-rated recruit in the history of the team, and an indicator that BYU football isn't content to tread water in the ever-shifting current of college athletics.
The BIG12 is doing some things. These 3 programs have already surpassed last years classes point total and it’s only July pic.twitter.com/qdffQpVGAS
— Joe Wheat (@joewheat27) July 13, 2025
Yet seeing the stretch Y at the top of the list is therapeutic; Kalani Sitake won't have to do more with less. The task has become doing more with more. Quickly rising to become a favorite to claim the conference crown may feel new to many fans, but the preached mentality must remain the same behind the scenes: Prove something to the doubters. Go out there and win.
After last season gave the team a brief window of College Football Playoff expectations (let us never forget when the 9-0 Cougs sat ranked 6th in the nation), complacency was never an option. Stronger. Faster. Quicker. Smarter. BYU football has to evolve if the goal is to compete on a national scale.
Importantly, on-field success is not delivered courtesy to off-field mathematics (sorry, Billy Beane). No, it comes from the team's culture, coaching guidance, and pure determination to compete. The pieces in play are only as good as the positions they're placed. As exciting as these recruiting standings appear, the Cougars are still 0-0 on the season, and no wins are guaranteed.
Kalani's toy box is just the best on the block. That's all.