One of the most pressing concerns regarding the BYU football team in 2026 as the Cougars entered spring drills more than a month ago was at the receiver positions, as coaches began the process of finding adequate replacements for Chase Roberts and Parker Kingston .
Consider that no longer a huge concern.
That's because Oregon transfer Kyler Kasper and redshirt junior JoJo Phillips really stepped up during the 15 practices and showed they have what it takes to be WR1 and WR2 in offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick's system, several teammates said Friday when selected Cougars spoke to reporters at LaVell Edwards Stadium before the fifth annual alumni game.
The 6-foot-6, 210-pound Kasper was particularly impressive, said safety Faletau Satuala .
"He's the real deal," said Satuala, a 6-4 junior who had his hands full in camp defending the likes of Kasper and new tight ends Walker Lyons and Roger Saleapaga . "With (Kasper) and those other guys, our offense is going to be really hard to stop."
"After I came here, every person in this whole university was telling me how great Kalani (Sitake) is, and then sitting down with him, talking with him for an hour or so, I kind of knew this was the place I wanted to be. With the strength staff, with Skyler (Mayne), I mean, they got everything that I need."
Receivers coach and passing game coordinator Fesi Sitake told the Deseret News last week that Kasper has already emerged as a leader, along with Lyons and Saleapaga, Kasper's former teammate with the Ducks .
"Kyler's been a great addition, man," Sitake said. "We knew we needed a portal guy (with Roberts moving on to the NFL) and he's been terrific. He's rolling with the ones, getting a ton of reps right now, and making some really good plays.
"He's processing the playbook well, he's gelling with the guys, and it has been a seamless transition in terms of fit here. He's going to make a lot of big plays for us this year."
Kasper, from Chandler, Arizona, has two seasons of eligibility remaining, despite having been at Oregon for four seasons. He battled knee and foot injuries almost his entire time in Eugene, having arrived at Oregon as a four-star prospect and the No. 29 receiver in the country, No. 174 player overall, in the 2022 class according to 247 Sports.
"I am feeling great now, I am 100% recovered," Kasper said on March 6 after the fourth spring practice. "I have been 100% for about a month and a half, two months, and so yeah, I am good."
Kasper appeared in 23 games and played just 72 total snaps at Oregon over the course of four seasons. He caught six passes for 77 yards total, with two catches for 51 yards last season before that campaign was cut short by a foot injury.
Out of high school, Kasper chose Oregon over offers from Tennessee , Georgia, Miami and Iowa , the school for which his father, Kevin, played from 1997 to 2000. Kevin Kasper was Iowa's all-time receptions leader with 157 catches for 1,974 yards and 11 touchdown when he graduated in 2000 and embarked on an eight-year NFL career.
Kasper said he remembers BYU's Fesi Sitake recruiting him in 2022, but it was a while ago and back then he was fielding offers from "almost every school in the country" and he was mostly focused on Power Five programs.
When he entered the transfer portal three months ago, he had BYU and a couple of other schools in mind, and was already familiar with the Cougars' situation because backup quarterback Treyson Bourguet was also from Arizona and was the quarterback of their seven-on-seven passing league team.
"Once I hit the portal, Treyson was the first person I talked to from BYU, and then he got me in touch with everybody else," Kasper said. "To have that friend here was huge, and Treyson kind of gave me the rundown on how things go here and all that."
While mentioning that their Tucson-based seven-on-seven team "never lost a game that I can remember," Bourguet said the minute he learned that Kasper was in the portal, he believed that the redshirt junior would be a "great fit" at BYU, although, like Bourguet, Kasper is not a member of the faith that supports BYU, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
"He's a solid guy with solid values and character," Bourguet said. "It's been awesome watching him flourish here."
Kasper said he had a couple of visits lined up in January, but after visiting BYU he canceled them and pounced on the Cougars' offer.
"After I came here, every person in this whole university was telling me how great Kalani (Sitake) is, and then sitting down with him, talking with him for an hour or so, I kind of knew this was the place I wanted to be," he said. "With the strength staff, with Skyler (Mayne), I mean, they got everything that I need.
"Obviously, the past two years, I have been a little banged up," he continued. "I knew this place provided the best opportunity for me to stay healthy, just the way they run things, and in the weight room and with the training staff and all that."
Kasper said he's already starting to build good chemistry with quarterback Bear Bachmeier , especially after the duo traveled to Nike headquarters in Portland with Mayne — BYU's director of high performance football — and other staffers.
"Bear is awesome," Kasper said. "… I got to know him better (in Portland). He's hilarious. That's a funny dude. On the field, it has been great. We will come in and get extra routes and extra catches in, almost a couple of times a week."
Of course, with BYU not having a lot of proven, experienced receivers, Kasper and Phillips will be the focus of opposing defenses in 2026, along with the new tight ends . Roderick believes they will be up to the task.
BYU receiver Kyler Kasper prepares to make a catch during spring drills at the indoor practice facility in Provo. | Jaren Wilkey, BYU Photo
"Kyler Kasper has had a great spring," Roderick said last Thursday. "He's everything I thought he was gonna be up to this point, and he'll be a big part of our offense. … JoJo Phillips has taken a big step forward. That injury he had last year was pretty serious. We don't talk a lot about (injury) details and stuff, but that was a tough injury, and it hurt his confidence, and it took him some time to get back."
Roderick believes Phillips' performance in the Pop-Tarts Bowl was an indication that he's back to his old self.
The offensive coordinator also believes that senior Tiger Bachmeier, junior Cody Hagen and redshirt sophomores Reggie Frischknecht and Tei Nacua are ready to take the next step and contribute more than they did in 2025. Roderick also said freshmen Legend Glasker, Jett Nelson, Jaron Pula and Terrance Saryon showed well in camp and will provide some nice depth.
"Somebody always steps up," Roderick said. "That's what happens. I can't tell you exactly who it will be, but some guys will step up."
Kasper already has, teammates say.
