Early Projection Of BYU Football’s 2025 Starting Lineup
Jan 30, 2025, 12:08 PM | Updated: 12:41 pm
PROVO, Utah – BYU football has high expectations heading into the 2025 season.
After an 11-2 finish and No. 13 final ranking in 2024 that produced one of the most dominant bowl victories in program history, BYU has turned the page to 2025.
Many outlets have BYU football as a “Way-Too-Early” Top 25 team next year.
A big reason is that BYU has a lot of returning production from last season. But that doesn’t mean there won’t be position battles that Kalani Sitake and his staff will need to resolve this off-season.
Way-Too-Early BYU Football Starting Lineup Projection for 2025
With seven months until the season opener against Portland State on August 30, here’s a way-too-early starting lineup projection for BYU football in 2025.
Quarterback
Jake Retzlaff
There’s no suspense at the quarterback position for BYU football in 2025. Jake Retzlaff is the guy who will look to lead BYU to greater heights next fall.
Entering last season, Retzlaff was tabbed by Pro Football Focus as the 16th-best quarterback in the Big 12. That served as motivation to prove doubters wrong. The expectations are not going to be low this fall.
BYU coaches told ESPN announcers at the Alamo Bowl that they see Retzlaff as a “Top Five quarterback” in 2025.
BYU QB Jake Retzlaff is looking forward to attacking the 2025 season in the blue and white.https://t.co/AT8tOSIBjE
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) January 15, 2025
Can Retzlaff take another leap forward in his development? Many BYU QBs of the past have taken a jump in their final year. Steve Young, Steve Sarkisian, and Zach Wilson are among the notables.
If Retzlaff takes another step and brings down the 12 interceptions he tossed in 2024 while improving his completion percentage of 58%, BYU could win the Big 12 next season.
Running back
LJ Martin
It’s wild, but LJ Martin is already entering his third year at BYU. The El Paso, Texas native earned Offensive MVP honors in BYU’s dominant Alamo Bowl win over Colorado.
Martin rushed for 88 yards and added another 33 yards in the receiving game while finding the endzone twice in the 36-14 rout of the Buffs.
Another 100-yard night for #BYU RB LJ Martin.#BYUFootball pic.twitter.com/9lSiBP1Lch
— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) October 27, 2024
Martin’s challenge is to consistently deliver those types of performances over an entire regular season. During his two years in Provo, he’s had his share of injuries (ankle and shoulder), so keeping him healthy will be a top priority.
But when Martin is healthy, he has produced enough on tape to show he has the talent to be one of the best running backs in the Big 12.
Wide receiver
Chase Roberts, Keelan Marion, Jojo Phillips
BYU senior Chase Roberts leads this group of receivers into 2025. After considering the NFL, Roberts decided to run it back with the BYU football program for one more year.
He suffered an upper-body injury at the Alamo Bowl. He left the Alamodome in a sling that he has continued to sport as recently as the end of January at the BYU Basketball game against Baylor, which he attended at the Marriott Center.
View this post on Instagram
When healthy, Roberts will be the number one receiver for BYU. He has led the team in receiving yards the past two seasons. In 2024, Roberts finished with a career-best 854 receiving yards on 52 receptions.
Roberts’ improvement last year was impressive, especially his ability to make difficult catches in traffic. He added weight last season to better handle the physicality of the Big 12. It paid off, as Roberts was one of Jake Retzlaff’s top targets last year, but his workload should increase this fall.
Keelan Marion had 24 touches in BYU’s last four games of the 2024 season. That includes receptions and rushes, where he was a weapon for the offense late in the season.
Jojo Phillips had 10 catches for 211 yards and two touchdowns last season. He was a target late in games last year against Oklahoma State and Arizona State.
There has been no official word yet on Darius Lassiter, who was looking into getting a JUCO waiver from the NCAA to play this season potentially.
BYU offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick said on the KSL Sports Zone last week, “I think the deal with the quarterback from Vanderbilt led everyone to believe that maybe all the junior college guys we’re going to get another year. But now we’re finding out that doesn’t necessarily apply to all of the JUCO guys.”
Tight end
Carsen Ryan
BYU needs an every-down tight end; they look to have that with Utah transfer Carsen Ryan. After stops at UCLA and rival Utah, the 6-foot-4, 256-pound Ryan comes to BYU for his senior season.
Ryan had 10 receptions for 113 yards and a touchdown last year for Utah.
He should be a plug-and-play guy for BYU’s offense next season.
Other notable options at tight end include Ethan Erickson, Noah Moeaki, Antony Olsen, and incoming freshman Tucker Kelleher.
Offensive line
Isaiah Jatta (LT), Weylin Lapuaho (LG), Bruce Mitchell (C), Kyle Sfarcioc (RG), Andrew Gentry (RT)
Despite losing a lot of talent from last year’s offensive line, BYU remains talented along the offensive line. But replacing Caleb Etienne, Brayden Keim, and Connor Pay is no easy task.
The good news for BYU is that these projected starters to replace them have starting experience.
All five players in my starting lineup projection have started games at the FBS level. Three of them started in games for BYU last season.
Weylin Lapuaho is the best in the group. From the moment he arrived at BYU, he’s started in every game he’s played. He’s best suited at guard, where he has the potential to be an All-Big 12 performer next year.
Bruce Mitchell is my projected favorite to win the center job in replace of Connor Pay. Mitchell shined in relief of an injured Pay last season and helped keep BYU’s undefeated record intact.
Two transfer portal additions in the 2025 cycle make my started lineup projection with Andrew Gentry from Michigan and Kyle Sfarcioc out of Southern Utah.
Go Cougs pic.twitter.com/kYd0yO3czg
— Kyle Sfarcioc (@KyleSfarcioc) December 20, 2024
Gentry could play either tackle spot, but we will slide him in at right tackle. The former Michigan Wolverine is working his way back from a lisfranc injury he suffered last season.
Kyle Sfarcioc was a mainstay along the starting offensive line at right guard for Southern Utah.
At left tackle, I’m giving the nod to former Colorado transfer Isaiah Jatta. The former Colorado transfer redshirted last season but earned valuable snaps in relief of Keim last November.
BYU’s left tackle position is quietly becoming an NFL factory. The player who gets the nod has to perform like an NFL prospect. Jatta gets our early nod to be the first one to earn that spot.
Defensive line
Bodie Schoonover (DE), John Taumoepeau (LDT), Keanu Tanuvasa (RDT), Logan Lutui (OE)
There are going to be a lot of questions with the defensive line entering next season. BYU loses First Team All-Big 12 defensive end Tyler Batty and interior linemen Blake Mangelson and John Nelson.
However, like most positions on BYU’s roster, there’s no shortage of options.
BYU was expected to lose Logan Lutui, but the former Weber State transfer is pursuing a medical redshirt from an injury-plagued season he experienced in 2023. Lutui was a co-starter throughout the 2024 season and had a breakout performance against Colorado in the Alamo Bowl.
BYU significantly boosted its 2025 defensive line by landing Utah defensive tackle Keanu Tanuvasa out of the Transfer Portal. The former Utah star had considered Georgia, Texas, USC, and others before signing with BYU.
Tanuvasa steps into a BYU defensive line where the scheme is similar to what he operated in at Utah.
For the rest of my starting lineup projection, I’m going with Bodie Schoonover at defensive end and John Taumoepeau to join Tanuvasa in the interior.
Linebacker
Isaiah Glasker (SAM), Harrison Taggart (MACK), Jack Kelly (ROVER)
BYU has produced some star-studded linebacker units in the past. Kurt Gouveia/Leon White/Cary Whittingham, Brad Martin/Shay Muirbrook/Spencer Reid, Kyle Van Noy/Alani Fua/Uani Unga/Spencer Hadley, Bryan Kehl/Kelly Poppinga/David Nixon, Ben Bywater/Max Tooley/Keenan Pili/Payton Wilgar are some of the notable ones that come to mind.
However, the starting trio of Isaiah Glasker, Harrison Taggart, and Jack Kelly have a case to be among the best linebacker units in program history.
Isaiah Glasker: Defensive MVP in the 2024 Alamo Bowl pic.twitter.com/AWzPaIBb4m
— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) December 29, 2024
What’s impressive is that BYU retained all of these guys to run it back in 2025.
Isaiah Glasker led the Big 12 in tackles for loss last season.
Jack Kelly, who told KSL Sports he was “50/50” on whether to move on to the NFL, led BYU in sacks last season with five.
Harrison Taggart is the heart and soul of the defense. His injury early in the Arizona State game in November was a significant blow to BYU’s defense.
What’s promising for BYU is that there is quality depth behind these three if they have to turn to the second unit.
Cornerback
Mory Bamba*, Jonathan Kabeya
Losing Jakob Robinson and Marque Collins are significant losses to the cornerback unit. Robinson was one of the best cornerbacks in the Kalani Sitake era, and Marque Collins stepped in from Weber State and was an instant starter as a grad transfer.
BYU will look to former JUCO transfer Mory Bamba to fill those voids. Defensive coordinator Jay Hill told BYUtv last week that they expect to “hopefully” have Bamba, who was a senior last year, in 2025.
Mory Bamba could be the player that benefits the most from the JUCO waiver.
If he chooses to return in 2025, he has the ability to be a star in BYU's defense.
— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) December 29, 2024
He could potentially qualify for the NCAA waiver given to some JUCO athletes after Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia received an extra year of eligibility.
If Bamba is part of the team in 2025, he would be a starter. The 6-foot-3, 195-pound Bamba has NFL potential with his measurements and speed. During the Alamo Bowl, he had two pass breakups, one against Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter.
My other projected starter in the “NICKEL”/Cornerback spot that Eddie Heckard and Jakob Robinson have occupied the past two years in Jay Hill’s defense is Jonathan Kabeya.
The sophomore out of Euless, Texas, quickly rose to the second unit on the depth chart last season for the Big 12’s top defense. When you dig into his snaps from last season, some were in key spots, late in games, such as the win at Baylor in September.
If I tabbed a third cornerback in my starting lineup here, in situations when BYU football has five defensive backs on the field, Evan Johnson would get that pick. Johnson was one of the most improved players in 2024.
Safety
Tanner Wall (FS), Raider Damuni (SS)
BYU football defensive coordinator Jay Hill wants an All-Big 12 performer to emerge at the backend of the defense at safety. Will someone emerge as that player in 2025? The early favorites to get the starting nod are Tanner Wall and Raider Damuni.
Wall was a co-leader in interceptions this past season and became the first Academic All-American at BYU since 2010.
Raider Damuni took a big step in his development in year two. During bowl practices in December, Damuni pointed to his comfort level in the scheme as a reason for his improved play, and that showed up in the Alamo Bowl victory when he had a sack on Shedeur Sanders.
Wall and Damuni will have to continue improving, as talented sophomores Tommy Prassas and Faletau Satuala, and redshirt freshman Matthias Leach will be vying for the starting nods as well.
Kicker
Will Ferrin
Ferrin was 24-of-27 on field goals last year and was 4-of-5 from attempts 50 yards or longer. The former Boise State transfer has already etched his name in BYU lore with the game-winner over Utah last November, earning the “Big Game Bill” nickname from teammates such as Jake Retzlaff.
Blessed beyond measure 🙏 pic.twitter.com/KW00fO77ak
— Will Ferrin (@wtferrin) January 1, 2025
The 2025 season will be a chance to put Ferrin among the all-time great kickers in program history.
Punter
Sam Vander Haar
The former Pitt transfer emerged as BYU’s starter last season after being in a position battle with Landon Rehkow that carried into the first three games of the season. Vander Haar had a net of 40.7 yards per punt in 2024.
Punt Returner
Parker Kingston
Kick Returner
Keelan Marion, Enoch Nawahine
Marion was an All-American kick returner, and Parker Kingston was one of the nation’s most dynamic punt returners. The return game is in good hands.
Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for KSLsports.com and hosts the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (12–3 p.m.) on KSL Newsradio. Follow Mitch’s coverage of BYU in the Big 12 Conference on X: @Mitch_Harper.
