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BYU OC Aaron Roderick Praises 'Best Tight End Group' of His Tenure
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- BYU OC Aaron Roderick Praises 'Best Tight End Group' of His Tenure
BYU offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick at Fall Camp | BYU Photo
On Monday, the BYU football program was back in action to kickoff the second week of Fall Camp. After an eventful media observation window , BYU offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick told the media that the 2026 tight end room is "the best tight end group" he's coached since he arrived at BYU in 2018.
"This is the best tight end group we've had since I've been here as a group, and Roger and Walker are two of our best players, and they will play in the game together a lot," Roderick said. "Those guys are a big part of what we're doing."
When the first-team offense took the field in the media observation window, both Saleapaga and Lyons were on the field. As Roderick noted, Lyons and Saleapaga will share the field a lot together. They are two of BYU's best weapons on offense and they will be targeted a lot.
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BYU has other tight ends that will contribute in Noah Moeaki and Keayen Nead. However, Lyons and Saleapaga will take the lion's share of the reps. What exactly do they bring to the BYU offense? Let's break it down, starting with Walker Lyons . On the first play, Bear Bachmeier threw a strike to Walker Lyons for a first down. Lyons created some separation and Bachmeier threw it on time and on target.
Lyons has a big catch radius, sure hands, and he knows how to create throwing lanes with his size. Take this rep from Spring Camp, for example. Lyons used his size to create a throwing lane against Evan Johnson. Once a throwing lane was available, Bear Bachmeier dropped a ball over Lyons' shoulder for the score.
Lyons' ability after the catch is underrated as well. He averaged 5.8 yards per reception after the catch for USC last season. He moves very well for 245-pounds tight end.
On this rep, Lyons showed off his speed when he ran stride-for-stride with 2026 first round pick Makai Lemon . Lemon made a catch in the open field, and Lyons sprinted with him trying to throw a block.
Roger Saleapaga has the skillset of a wide receiver in the body of a tight end. Saleapaga is more of a flex tight end at 6'4 and 235 pounds. He has the potential to get behind the defense, just like he did on this rep from Monday. Saleapaga gained a step on Raider Damuni and Bear Bachmeier delivered a perfect ball over his shoulder.
The coverage from Raider Damuni was good, but there was nothing he could do on that play. In an interview with BYU On SI at the end of Spring Camp, Damuni said Lyons and Saleapaga are better than any tight end duo he faced in the Big 12 in 2025.
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"I'm sure you guys know this already, but the tight end room looks really good with Roger and Walker," BYU starting safety Raider Damuni said at the conclusion of Spring Camp. "We play against a lot of good tight ends in the Big 12, and man, those two are better than anyone that I've guarded, and so it's been good to play against those guys. I believe we have the the two best two tight ends in our league, and so, going against them every single day is just gonna get us better and ready for Saturdays because we guard the tight ends."
There is a clich that the best tight ends are too big to be defended by cornerbacks and too fast to be covered by linebackers. While that's true about Saleapaga, he adds another layer with his ability to beat cornerbacks with speed as well. On this rep from Spring Camp, Saleapaga created separation against Jonathan Kabeya and picked up a handful of yards after the catch as well.
Last but not least, Saleapaga can make contested catches as well. On this rep from day one of Fall Camp, Saleapaga was defended well by redshirt freshman Jordyn Criss. Saleapaga extended to make the catch and managed to hold on.
BYU's new tight end duo has been excellent in camp settings. Now, we have to wait to see whether it will translate to games. We believe that it will and Aaron Roderick agrees.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/byu as BYU OC Aaron Roderick Praises 'Best Tight End Group' of His Tenure .
