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Observations From an Eventful Day at BYU Fall Camp Practice
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- Observations From an Eventful Day at BYU Fall Camp Practice
BYU tight end Roger Saleapaga at Fall Camp | BYU Photo
PROVO, UT - After a day off on Sunday, the BYU Football program was back in action for the second week of Fall Camp. The media was permitted to watch the last 20 minutes of practice in what was, by far, the most eventul media observation window since last year's Fall Camp. Let's dive right into our practice notebook.
Legend Glasker Running with the Starters
In the first team period of the media observation window, True freshman Legend Glasker was running with the first-team offense. Glasker was one of two wide receivers running with the starters - he was joined by Jojo Phillips . BYU also had Walker Lyons , Roger Saleapaga, and LJ Martin at the three other skill positions.
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On the second play of the media observation window, Bear Bachmeier dialed up a perfect ball to Legend Glasker. Glasker, who had gained a step on BYU star cornerback Evan Johnson , came down with the catch before running out of bounds.
Glasker gave Bachmeier a window to throw into and Bachmeier delivered with a strike. Glasker has made plays since he stepped on campus. Over the last few days, he has been running with the starters, and it's become increasingly clear that he deserve to be with the first-team offense.
Glasker continuously made plays against the second-team defense in the Spring. That has translated to Fall Camp, except now he's going up against a star cornerback like Evan Johnson. Johnson is one of the better cornerbacks that Glasker will face in 2026, but he's still found ways to make plays. It's unfair to place expectations on a true freshman to come in and play right away. However, Glasker has made too many plays to discount at this point.
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The Tight Ends Are Going to be Fixtures in BYU's Offense
Just like Legend Glasker was a theme in Spring Camp, the tight ends were also a theme back in March. That trend has continued into Fall Camp. Walker Lyons and Roger Saleapaga ran with the first-team offense in a 12 personnel package (two tight ends, one running back).
On the first day of the media window, Bachmeier hit Walker Lyons in the chest for a first down. Lyons created some separation with a slant route and Bachmeier did the rest.
Earlier in practice, Bachmeier found Saleapaga on a deep throw near the boundary. Bachmeier put the ball perfectly over Saleapaga's shoulder and he came down with the catch. Bachmeier put just enough touch on the ball to get it over the defender, but also put enough zip on it to get there before the safety could help over the top.
After practice, BYU quarterback Treyson Bourguet named Saleapaga his offensive player of the day. According to Bourguet, Saleapaga "dominated all day" on Monday. BYU offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick told the media that Saleapaga and Lyons will be on the field together a lot this fall.
Bear Bachmeier Finds Jojo Phillips
Jojo Phillips has a way of getting open dating all the way back to his redshirt freshman season in 2024. Phillips is 6'5 and moves really well for his size. Where Phillips struggled, at least after coming back from an injury in 2025, was with drops. So far, Phillips has been sure-handed this offseason.
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Bear Bachmeier stepped into a throw and hit an open Phillips in the chest. Phillips consistently runs with the first-team offense and we expect him to start. He is a breakout candidate in 2026. Frankly, he needs to be good if BYU is going to achieve its goals this season.
The BYU Defense Forces Multiple Turnovers
While the offense made plenty of highlight plays, the defense made their share of plays as well. Shortly after Bachmeier found Legend Glasker near the boundary, he took a deep shot to Reggie Frischknecht. The ball was slightly underthrown - you could call it a 50/50 ball - but Frischknecht didn't turn around to see the ball coming his direction.
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Jayven Williams, meanwhile, saw the flight of the ball and slowed to intercept the pass. That caused Frischknecht to look back, but at that point, it was too late. Williams had intercepted Bachmeier and taken it back the other way.
Williams is a transfer from Mississippi State that will play a lot for BYU in 2026. The Cougars will start Evan Johnson and Tre Alexander at cornerback, and Jayven Williams will be the first off the bench. History suggests someone it that role will play ~350 snaps.
The next time the first team offense was on the field, Bachmeier ran a speed option to his right. The timing of the pitch between Bachmeier and Martin wasn't quite right and the ball hit the turf. The defense was there to scoop up the fumble.
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Earlier in practie, BYU defense end Vincent Tautua managed to intercept Treyson Bourguet. Tautua was in the right place at the right time, and somehow the ball ended up in his hands.
Turnovers weren't the only disruption caused by the defense, either. Kansas State transfer Jake Clifton got in the backfield against the second-team offense. The play likely would have resulted in a sack in a real game. Instead, Clifton forced a Bourguet misfire. Clifton is explosive at linebacker and will factor into the rotation, even in a very crowded linebacker room.
Tommy Prassas got in the backfield on a Legend Glasker jet sweep. Prasses navigated a sea of blockers and got to Glasker before he could get out of the backfield.
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A Glimpse of a Re-shuffled Offensive Line?
The first drive of the first-team offense featured Paki Finau, Sonny Makasini, Bruce Mitchell, Kyle Sfarcioc, and Andrew Gentry. That was not a surprise - that exact combination was our projected starting offensive line coming into Fall Camp.
On the second drive, Paki Finau moved inside to guard and redshirt freshman Siosiua Latu-Finau got the left tackle reps. Latu-Finau, who flipped from Stanford to BYU in the 2025 recruiting class, is entering his second season with the program.
Paki Finau was excellent at guard in Washington in 2025. If Latu-Finau is ready to start at left tackle, that would allow the Cougars to play Paki Finau at guard, and perhaps that would be BYU's best combination of starters. It's not uncommon for BYU to experiment with different lineups in Fall Camp. Perhaps moving Finau to guard was just an experiment. Still, Latu-Finau is a name to watch over the next few weeks. Clearly he's played well enough to get some reps with the starters.
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Other Monday Musings
Like any practice, we made a few notes about the BYU depth chart. Here were some quick takeaways.
True freshman Kennan Pula has been a mainstay with the second-team defense. He's even had some first-team reps while Faletau Satuala is coming back from injury. Kennan is very gifted athletically. Pula accident delivered a hard hit to Kila Keone in the team portion. Pula wasn't trying to deliver a hard hit, they were playing "thud" tempo. However, he got there so right as the ball arrived and the two players collided. Credit to Keone who managed to hold on to the ball. It's safe to project Pula in the two-deep at this point.
Logan Payne had a nice run with the third-team offense on Monday. Payne won't factor into the two-deep, but he is an option if injuries impact the running back room. He has flashed the talent to contribute for the Cougars at some point.
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Reggie Frischknect and Tei Nacua rotated in with the first-team offense at wide receiver. The second-team wide receivers feature Terrance Saryon, Trey Roberts, and Kila Keona. More on Trey Roberts in a moment.
There have been comments about BYU's improved team speed and that was apparent on Monday. Throwing lanes were closing quickly. We already mentioned Kennan Pula closing in on Kila Keone. On a separate play, Bear Bachmeier found Walker Lyons for a quick hitch. Evan Johnson came flying in from his zone as soon as Lyons caught the Bachmeier pass. Between defenders getting into the backfield and making plays in the pass game, it just felt like the defense was operating at a higher speed than they have in the past.
A Walk-on Wide Receiver to Watch
Trey Roberts, the younger brother of former BYU star wide receiver Chase Roberts , made a highlight catch on Monday. Roberts was targeted with a back-shoulder fade, and he used one hand to come down with the catch.
Trey Roberts has flashed enough times in camp settings to deserve a shoutout. In a wide receiver room with some question marks, Roberts provides some quality depth. Down the road, he could factor into the wide receiver rotation. Roberts is just a redshirt freshman.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/byu as Observations From an Eventful Day at BYU Fall Camp Practice .
