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BYU CB Therrian Alexander Praises Two Rising Young Defensive Ends
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- BYU CB Therrian Alexander Praises Two Rising Young Defensive Ends
BYU edge rusher Nusi Taumoepeau at Fall Camp photo day | BYU Photo
The BYU football program is around the halfway point of Fall Camp. The Cougars are gearing up for the first scrimmage of camp on Saturday. After a practice earlier this week, Therrian Alexander III was interviewed by Jarom Jordan or BYU Sports Nation . In the interview, Alexander was asked about players that were standing out on the defensive side of the ball. He highlighted two young defensive ends in Braxon Lindsey and Nusi Taumoepeau .
"I think Braxton Lindsey is like going to be sensational," Alexander said. "I mean, that's the guy that I talked about when he first got here...but Braxton is a great player."
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Lindsey was a four-star prospect that signed with BYU back in December. Lindsey had no shortage of options and BYU was able to keep Oklahoma from swooping in late and flipping him to the Sooners. Lindsey flashed his potential in Spring Camp and, according to Tre Alexander , has continued that momentum into Fall Camp.
Nusi Taumoepeau showed flashes of brilliance as a true freshman in 2025. His role grew throughout the season after he receovered from an injury he suffered in Fall Camp. By the bowl game, Taumoeapeau got his first start, foreshadowing of what we expect his role to be in 2026.
"I mean Nusi got a chance to be one of the greatest pass rushers to ever come out of BYU, if not the greatest," Alexander said. "I mean, he's just got everything...[Nusi] has like all the tools he needs to be one of the greatest to ever do it here."
Both Lindsey and Taumoepeau are expected to play a role for the BYU defense in 2026. We expect Taumoepeau to lead the Cougars in sacks in 2026.
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Therrian Alexander Singles Out Two Wide Receivers
Alexander was also asked about the offensive side of the ball. He singled out two wide receivers: Jojo Phillips and Legend Glasker. Phillips and Glasker were the two wide receivers running with the first-team offense during the media portion of practice on Monday.
" Jojo , like I don't think people realize how big he is until you get out in front of him. That's a guy 6'4, I want to say 210 plus. Like he's moving good," Alexander said on Philliips. "He's real fluid in his routes, and then like he's just like so physical at the catch point...it makes it hard to guard a guy like that, and he moves so well for how tall he is."
Phillips is best positioned to become BYU's leading wide receiver in 2026. He was very good in 2025 Fall Camp before an injury derailed his 2025 season. Even after he returned from injury in November, he lacked confidence and he struggled with drops. He had his best performance of the season in the bowl game, and BYU is expecting Phillips to sustain that level of performance in 2026.
BYU signed a record-breaking recruiting class back in December, and Legend Glasker has been the most impactful player from that class so far. Glasker has consistently made plays, and he has worked his way into the starting rotation at this point in camp.
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"I mean, Legend is a guy who keeps showing up, making plays over and over and over again.," Alexander said. "We always talk about him, but he's gonna be good. And I feel like with him going against our defense, especially me and Schmev, you know, every day in practice, I feel like by the time he gets to the games, the game's gonna be easy for him."
At this point, we expect Glasker to play an important role for the BYU offense. He has worked his way into the top three at wide receiver.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/byu as BYU CB Therrian Alexander Praises Two Rising Young Defensive Ends .
