Quietly, BYU is in somewhat of a golden age of safety position over the last 15 years, from Daniel Sorensen , to Kai Nacua , Zayne Anderson , Troy Warner, and Tanner Wall, all of which have spent at least some time in the NFL. That progression culminates in a safety room this year that includes perhaps the best pure talent of them all. The secondary has been a serious position of strength for BYU, helping the Cougars rank top 10 in total interceptions each of the last two years, and 2026 appears to be no different.
1. Faletau Satuala, Raider Damuni
2. Kennan Pula, Tommy Prassas
For my money, Faletau Satuala is the most NFL-ready player on the roster. At 6'4 215, he's big enough to play at all three levels of the defense. He led the team in tackles (67) and pressure rate (30%), was third in interceptions (3), and second in total stops (29). Not bad for a true sophomore. Coming into his junior year, he is ranked as the 7th best returning safety in the country per PFF and the third highest-rated strong safety in the College Football 26 video game. At his current trajectory, he will be the most dominant BYU defender since Kyle Van Noy and likely the highest defensive draft pick since Ziggy Ansah . He is that good.
A whole article could be spent ranking just his top plays from last season, from his mega hit on Utah WR Larry Simmons, his forced safety vs Stanford, or his Pick 6 against Iowa State, which was arguably the defensive play of the year. Satuala would start for just about any team in the country, but this year the will start for BYU, which is a huge win for Kelly Poppinga and company. The safety that was once the biggest high school recruiting win in well over a decade became the biggest retention win this offseason, and is the kind of talent that transcends the scheme he plays in.
BYU safety Raider Damuni against Arizona | BYU Photo
We are remiss in not mentioning Raider Damuni, but he also deserves some flowers. Damuni ranked 8th on the team in tackles and total stops despite ranking 12th in snaps played. When he's on the field, he's been productive and should step in to a much larger role this season. After that, though, there is a pretty steep drop off in experience. No other returning player played more than 15 snaps at safety last season. Tommy Prassas did play 159 snaps at safety in 2024 before being forced to fill in at corner last season, but is a year removed from playing full-time at the position. Behind him is Jarinn Kalama and true freshman Kennan Pula who both figure to play a role in the secondary, but have 14 career snaps between them. The hope is Pula, who was a monster recruit in the 2026 class, will be able to learn the ropes quickly, as he is one of the freakiest athletes in the room.
BYU safety Faletau Satuala against Iowa State | BYU Photo
It feels crazy to rank the safeties sixth with Satuala in the room, but the depth behind him is too much of a concern, especially with clips from the first fall camp scrimmage showing BYU's receivers getting behind this group with some regularity. There is potential here certainly, but it's going to require a massive step up in production from Damuni, Prassas, and Pula for this group to reach the lofty expectations of years prior.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/byu as BYU Position Rankings: Faletau Satuala Leads the Pack with Unmatched Athleticism .
