Redshirt sophomore Josiah "JoJo" Phillips has lots of goals for his third season as a member of the BYU football team in 2025, including one that doesn't have a lot to do with receptions and touchdowns.
First, Phillips wants to live up to the expectations that accompanied the 6-foot-5, 205-pound receiver out of Sierra Canyon High in Southern California almost three years ago.
Second, Phillips wants to put his name on the list of Sierra Canyon graduates that includes Bryce and Bronny James, the famous sons of NBA superstar LeBron James, and dozens of other Trailblazers who have gone on to have successful college and professional careers.
Phillips said he and Bronny James — also a member of the Los Angeles Lakers, like his father — have kept in touch since high school. Phillips and several of his BYU teammates were guests of Bronny James when the Jazz hosted the Lakers at the Delta Center last February and Bronny gifted Phillips his game-worn No. 9 jersey after Utah's 131-119 win just before the All-Star break.
"To my guy JoJo!," James wrote on the jersey, per Ben Anderson of KSL Sports. "Keep going my boy!!"
"I can see JoJo having a breakout year. We are going to use him a lot this year. He's earned it."
Phillips, who is from Lancaster, California, began his prep career at Calabasas High, then transferred to Sierra Canyon for his final three years. He didn't play football his junior year, deciding to concentrate fully on basketball that year.
However, he returned to the football field his senior year and had 586 receiving yards and five touchdowns for a triple-option team in 2022. Because he didn't play football in the all-important junior year, he wasn't as highly recruited as he might have been, and BYU offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick said when they got Phillips' signature three years ago that they were getting a steal.
"He is a super athlete," Roderick said.
As a freshman at BYU, Phillips appeared in only three games, but caught a touchdown pass in a blowout loss to Iowa State.
Last year, he played in all 13 games, and started against Oklahoma State and Colorado . Highlights of the season were a 57-yard touchdown reception in the opener against Southern Illinois and that much-scrutinized play against Utah that prolonged the drive that led to Will Ferrin's game-winning field goal.
He drew a defensive holding penalty on a Ute cornerback on fourth down, and BYU took the 22-21 win at Rice-Eccles Stadium. Phillips finished the season with 10 catches for 211 yards and two TDs.
Obviously, he wants more in 2025.
"This is my money year," he told the Daily Herald of Provo. "That's how I am looking at it."
Surely, Phillips will get more opportunities this season, with Keelan Marion transferring to Miami and Darius Lassiter moving on to professional football. Receivers coach and passing game coordinator Fesi Sitake said Chase Roberts, Parker Kingston and Phillips will open the season as the Cougars ' primary three receivers.
They will be pushed by Stanford transfer Tiger Bachmeier , Tei Nacua and Cody Hagen.
"I can see JoJo having a breakout year," Sitake said. "We are going to use him a lot this year. He's earned it."
Because he only played in three games his first season, that can be counted as a redshirt year for the Southern Californian. He said he plans to play college football this year and next, get his degree, and then potentially give pro football a try.
Phillips said he worked all spring and summer on getting in and out of his breaks, and on his route running. He credits former Ute receiver Raelon Singleton , now a BYU offensive analyst, for helping him throughout the summer to fine tune those skills.
"Then, I took the weight room way more serious this offseason, I would say," he said. "I have been preparing to take more hits and everything like that. I just want to be stronger and faster, show that physicality on the field."
With BYU breaking in a freshman quarterback in 2025 , former Stanford signee Bear Bachmeier, Phillips appears primed to be that "X factor" the Cougars will need to flourish offensively and take some of the pressure off the teenager from Murrieta Valley, California.
Coincidentally, Bachmeier's offensive coordinator at MVHS, Alex Rosenblum, was one of Phillips' coaches at Sierra Canyon years ago.
"Hopefully Bear will be throwing touchdown passes to JoJo," Rosenblum said. "That would be pretty cool to see."
BYU receiver Jojo Phillips gets a first down against Houston in Provo on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024. | Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News
