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When Brock Harris announced Monday he would take his tight end skills to BYU, it marked a noticeable tick upward in Kalani Sitake's football program and recruiting efforts. Harris, a four-star recruit from St. George, chose BYU over Georgia, Miami, Michigan, Oregon and Utah. That is a remarkable list of suitors who wanted his services.
Harris is the third-highest ranked recruit to commit to BYU behind Ben Olson (2002) and lineman Ofa Mohetau (2003).
What Harris will do for BYU's class of 2026 is open the doors for others to follow and it will decidedly mark a higher projected ranking by Rivals and 247sports recruiting services that label classes by schools.
In 2024, BYU's recruiting class was ranked 42nd by Rivals and 44th by 247. In 2025, Rivals had BYU's recruiting class at 50th and 247 marked it as 40th. The projected 2026 BYU class at this stage of the cycle in spring of 2025 has BYU ranked 39th by Rivals and 37th by 247.
With BYU getting the commitment of tight end Brock Harris, what, if anything, does this signify about Kalani Sitake and his staff recruiting for the class of 2026?
Jay Drew:Kalani Sitake is living his best life, enjoying what very well may be his finest hour. All the cliches apply to this one. The BYU coach who signed a long-term contract extension last December, then guided the Cougars to a 36-14 Alamo Bowl win over Colorado, has seen everything fall nicely into place the past year.
Obviously, that includes recruiting, as Sitake and his staff continued their momentum Monday by securing the commitment of the top football recruit in Utah, Pine View's Brock Harris, a tight end from St. George.
The commitment follows the pledge last week from three-star TE Ty Goettsche and should solidify the Cougars' tight end situation for years to come; Ryner Swanson is in Kenya serving a mission now, while Harris ad Goettsche also have plans to serve.
What Sitake and other BYU coaches would like to see now is a domino effect. They'd love to see the likes of five-star quarterback Ryder Lyons and Jaron and Kennan Pula jump aboard the train as well. This could be a recruiting tidal wave, if everything falls into place.
Consider that Harris picked the Cougars over Michigan, Oregon, Miami, Georgia and, most importantly, Utah. That has rarely happened in the past. BYU's 2026 recruiting class is shaping up to be one of its best ever. Indeed, it is good to be Kalani Sitake these days.
Dick Harmon:The saying success begets success may be Kalani Sitake's theme in 2025 with his 2026 recruiting class. The commitment by Brock Harris, arguably Utah's top high school player and top-four-rated football recruit in BYU history could be the start of a significant recruiting upturn, especially with Latter-day Saint athletes.
Harris is very close with Ryder Lyons, one of the nation's top three quarterbacks in the 2026 cycle out of Folsom High in northern California. This could lead to other top players in that class following Harris, potentially Lyons as well as Lehi running back Devaughn Eka, Honolulu offensive tackle Malakai Lee, American Fork lineman Bott Mulitalo and edge rusher from Orem Lopeti Moala to name a few.
BYU has the potential to climb into the top 30 and possibly the 20s if they get Lyons and a few others in this class. Lyons also has Folsom teammates who have been on BYU's campus and they will be interested to see where their leader goes.
An 11-win season and near entry into the CFP rang a bell for a lot of high school players BYU has struggled to draw attention from in the Sitake era. Winning and beating instate rivals does matter. So does a growing NIL budget.
The Egor Demin era at BYU came to an end with the loss to Alabama in the NCAA's Sweet 16. As a one-and-done, Demin helped usher a new era of basketball in Provo under rookie head coach Kevin Young. Demin's decision to leave for the NBA was first reported by Jonathan Givony of ESPN's Draft Express on Tuesday, The decision by Demin opens the door for Young's staff to bring in a transfer guard with experience and usurp NIL money Demin would have received as a sophomore. One of those candidates could be Baylor's Robert Wright III, who is reportedly being recruited by incoming star AJ Dybantsa .
The Demin experiment by BYU was a positive one. It opened the door to recruiting in foreign countries, established Young's philosophy of being an NBA prep school, and showed that when you invest in a freshman there are learning pains that go with it. While it would have been great to have Demin back and see him progress, now BYU will look for an experienced ballhandling guard to push the program forward with Dybantsa, Richie Saunders, Keba Keita and others. You have to look no further than the Final Four and Big 12 champion Houston to see the value in starting upperclassmen with extensive experience.
Demin will be a tremendous ambassador for BYU across the world. At his press conference Tuesday, he spoke in English, Spanish and Russian and said he would represent BYU's brand wherever he goes. "I just love this place so much. BYU was pulling my heart back hard," he said. Demin set a record for assists (180) for a BYU freshman.
"This place is amazing for development," he said.
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Jack Kelly explains to Jay Drew why he returned to BYU and what he has to prove.
Elaine Michaelis, a pioneer in BYU women's sports passes away at age 86.
Leak on Demin planned before presser ( @PostJimmer )
Favorites to win NCAA title, BYU up there ( @SeanPaulCBB )
Top recruit hails Harris commitment ( @McKayMadsen )
Top Utah prep recruit commits to BYU ( Deseret News )
Retzlaff's goals for senior year lofty ( Deseret News )
Former Ute Tanuvasa explains mindset ( Deseret News )
Comments from Deseret News readers:
NBA windows of opportunity are small, and if he is going to be a top 15 pick, then he's making the right decision for him. Hopefully the team that takes him is committed to continuing to give him the obvious needed development required.
Best of luck Demin! Always a Coug …
— Coug4Life
Let's be honest here. It was the DEFENSE that was the major factor in BYU's 11-2 record. The offense had some moments but the defense is what kept them in the games. They were clearly the superior side of the line of scrimmage.
— Idablue
April 10| noon | Women's tennis | UCF | @ Provo
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April 12 | TBA | Track and field | Utah Spring Classic | @ Salt Lake City
