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Brigham Young Cougars head coach Kalani Sitake applauds action against Kansas State Wildcats in Provo on Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. | Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News
In the world of college football recruiting, June has replaced January as the most important month on the calendar for schools to get commitments from top high school prospects throughout the country.
In BYU’s case, this particular June could very well be the most impactful recruiting month in program history, according to Brandon Huffman, the national recruiting editor for 247Sports and an expert on football recruiting in the West.
“June has the potential to be a monster month for BYU, especially the last weekend of official visits (June 19-21),” Huffman told the Deseret News. “If they end up getting a couple of the players (scheduled to visit then) who are some of the top players in their respective states, it will be absolutely huge for the Cougars.”
Most notably, June 19 is the date when five-star quarterback Ryder Lyons of Folsom, California, is scheduled to visit. The No. 1-ranked prospect in all of California, and No. 4-ranked QB in the country, per 247Sports.com, has narrowed his choices to USC, Oregon and BYU and will visit the Trojans on June 6 and the Ducks on June 13.
Lyons is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and has told reporters he plans to serve a one-year mission — rather than the traditional two-year mission — beginning next January.
Obviously, Lyons — whose brother Walker plays tight end for USC — is BYU’s No. 1 recruiting target from the class of 2026.
“BYU gets Ryder’s last official visit. That’s huge,” Huffman said. “Those three visits for Ryder in June are going to be the difference-makers. They will decide a lot.”
BYU has largely been viewed to be in third place in the Ryder Lyons Sweepstakes, but Huffman says it would be a mistake to count coach Kalani Sitake and offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick out of the race. Lyons made a couple of visits on his own dime to Provo during spring camp in March, and has acknowledged his family ties to BYU are deep and strong.
“Talking to some of the guys who are committed to BYU or who are leaning toward BYU, they all feel decently confident that Ryder is going to end up at BYU,” Huffman said. “I have been saying all along that BYU needs to get way more credit for being a factor in this race than the general public is giving them.”
How important is Ryder Lyons to BYU’s June recruiting efforts?
Huffman believes that if the Cougars land Lyons, they could also land some of their other top targets who might want to jump on the bandwagon, prospects such as Lone Peak High receivers Jaron and Kennan Pula, who are twins. Jaron Pula is a four-star and Kennan Pula is a three-star.
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Cold Hearts quarterback Ryder Lyons throws a pass during an OT7 Week 4 game against RWE, Saturday, April 5, 2025, in Dallas. | Tony Gutierrez, Associated Press
Other top prospects BYU is targeting heavily who will be visiting in June are Orem receiver Kaue Akana (June 12), Las Vegas safety Matthew Mason (June 12), Texas tight end Parker Ord (June 12), Idaho offensive lineman Jax Tanner (June 19), Hawaii tight end Taimane Purcell (June 19), Lehi running back Devaughn Eka (June 19), Olympus linebacker Adam Bywater (June 19) and Oregon running back LaMarcus Bell (June 19).
Several of the top prospects who have already committed to BYU will also be making their official visits in June, most notably Pine View’s Brock Harris (June 19), Colorado’s Ty Goettsche (June 12), Lehi’s PJ Takitaki and Legend Glasker (June 19), Lone Peak’s Bott Mulitalo (June 19) and the Vancouver, Washington, receiver who just flipped from UW to BYU, Terrance Saryon (June 19).
“With nine commitments so far, this BYU class is really good right now, and they haven’t even really ramped up yet in terms of who is coming in for official visits still,” Huffman said. “If they could land (Lyons), the trickle-down effect from that could really blow this class out of the water for them.”
BYU’s other top targets from 2026 class
The aforementioned Tanner has seen his recruitment rise steadily the past few months and now reports 29 offers. The son of former BYU middle linebacker Mike Tanner (2000-2003) is visiting Michigan this weekend, Oregon next weekend, and Tennessee on June 13 before joining the big group at BYU on the 19th.
“I am a big Jax Tanner fan. He will probably end up being a four-star recruit before it is all said and done. He is the No. 2 player in Idaho and has been selected to play in the All American Bowl. His dad played at BYU,” Huffman said. “I am pretty sure he has been (BYU offensive line coach) TJ Woods’ No. 1 offensive line target, along with Bott (Mulitalo). BYU has been on Jax Tanner for a long time, and they get his last visit as well.”
Jax Tanner is 6-foot-4, 275 pounds, and preps at Rocky Mountain High in Meridian, Idaho.
Huffman said tight end Purcell is the No. 3 player in Hawaii, running back Bell is the No. 2 player in Oregon, and Saryon is the No. 5 player in Washington.
“I can’t overstate how big that weekend in June is going to be for them,” he said.
More on BYU’s 9 commitments from class of 2026
BYU is currently ranked 31st in the 247Sports.com team recruiting rankings for 2026, and 31st in the composite rankings, which 247Sports assembles and includes its own team rankings along with team rankings from ESPN, Rivals and On3.
“BYU is one of the few schools whose overall and composite rankings are the same,” Huffman said. “They are 31st with only nine commits. If you are a BYU fan, you have to be pretty optimistic about (them having a top 25 signing class). Because right now there are only five or six schools ahead of them in the rankings who are single digits in commitments. … If they get Ryder Lyons, or the Pulas, and maybe a Jax Tanner, or some of the other guys they want, this class is only going to trend up.”
Harris and Mulitalo are the gems of the class to date — Harris plans to serve a church mission before enrolling — but Huffman believes Lehi edge rusher Takitaki could move into that territory as well, if the Cougars can keep him (see more below).
“Takitaki doesn’t get talked about enough,” Huffman said. “BYU got a steal with him. No question other schools are now after him. He committed early and now other schools are saying, hey, at least come give us a look.”
Here’s a closer look at the nine recruits who have committed to BYU from the class of 2026:
Brock Harris, tight end, 6-6, 238 pounds, St. George, Utah (Pine View High)
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BYU recruit Brock Harris poses for a picture during recruiting visit to BYU. | BYU Photo
Carrying a 247Sports.com composite rating of 0.9694, Harris is one of BYU’s highest-rated recruits ever. The four-star prospect has been on BYU’s radar since he was 12 and began attending the Cougars’ summer football camps. He picked BYU over the likes of Utah, Michigan, Alabama, Oregon and Georgia and plans to go on a church mission before enrolling.
Harris’ father, Todd, played baseball for BYU in the 1990s as a left-handed pitcher.
Bott Mulitalo, offensive lineman, 6-4, 275 pounds, American Fork, Utah (Lone Peak High)
A four-star prospect who originally committed to Oregon to play defensive line for the Ducks, Mulitalo committed to BYU a few weeks after Harris did in early April to continue Sitake’s momentum out of spring camp.
Considered one of the top linemen in the West, Mulitalo also had offers from USC, Auburn, Arizona, Iowa State, Michigan State, Minnesota and Nebraska, among others. He has said he plans to graduate from high school early and enroll at BYU next January. Mulitalo was offensive line MVP at the Under Armor Next Camp in Utah in early May.
PJ Takitaki, edge rusher, 6-4, 230 pounds, Lehi, Utah (Lehi High)
One of the first prospects from the class of 2026 to commit to BYU was this familiar name. He’s the nephew of former BYU standout and several-year NFL linebacker Sione Takitaki.
PJ committed to BYU last December before the Alamo Bowl, but since then he’s fielded interest from a bunch of schools and has a visit lined up with Minnesota on June 13, according to his profile on 247Sports.com.
The edge rusher will represent Utah at the Army All-America game next winter. He had nine sacks last year as a junior at Lehi.
Ty Goettsche, tight end, 6-7, 225 pounds, Englewood, Colorado (Cherry Creek High)
A three-star recruit and currently ranked as the ninth-best player in Colorado’s class of 2026, Goettsche has only played football for a few years. He caught 13 passes for 165 yards and four touchdowns last year for Cherry Creek High (also the alma mater of BYU great Andrew George) as that school won the 5A state championship in Colorado.
Goettsche, who has plans to go on a church mission after high school, is also a basketball standout. He had offers from Utah, Texas A&M, TCU, Michigan, Penn State, Florida and Auburn, among others.
Justice Brathwaite, cornerback, 6-0, 160 pounds, Gilbert, Arizona (Higley High)
The first player to commit to BYU from the class of 2026 was this speedy athlete from Arizona, the son of former BYU running back Reynaldo Brathwaite.
Justice made three interceptions for Higley High last year and had offers from Kansas, Iowa State and Arizona State, three of BYU’s Big 12 rivals. He had four picks and 46 tackles as a sophomore, in 14 games.
Kaneal Sweetwyne, quarterback, 6-3, 195 pounds, Lehi, Utah (Skyridge High)
An honorable mention 6A all-state player last year at Skyridge, Sweetwyne committed fairly early in the process to BYU, pledging on Feb. 4 to the Cougars.
He’s viewed as a dual-threat QB and an outstanding athlete, so his position in Provo is probably yet to be determined. Sweetwyne had only one other offer when he committed — from Utah State.
He threw for 19 touchdowns and ran for 10 last year for the Falcons.
Legend Glasker, athlete, 6-2, 175 pounds, Lehi, Utah (Lehi High)
The cousin of preseason All-Big 12 linebacker Isaiah Glasker of BYU, this athlete committed on April 20 and is widely viewed as one of the top returning receivers in the state. Legend caught 37 passes for 781 yards and 10 TDs last season for the Pioneers.
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Lehi wide receiver Legend Glasker (6) celebrates his touchdown reception with tight end Bryton Niu (84) during a 6A high school football semifinal game against Corner Canyon held at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
The two-way player had offers from California, Colorado State, Hawaii and San Jose State before committing to BYU receivers coach Fesi Sitake.
Terrance Saryon, receiver, 5-10, 160 pounds, Vancouver, Washington (Evergreen High)
Having previously committed to Washington, Saryon flipped to BYU a few weeks ago. A three-star receiver, he also had offers from Cal, Colorado State, Nevada, Oregon and Illinois.
Saryon is rated as the fifth-best prospect in Washington by 247sports.com. The recruit told On3’s Chad Simmons that he feels like he fits BYU’s scheme better than UW’s scheme.
Sefanaia Alatini, athlete, 6-3, 200 pounds, Oakland, California (St. Francis High)
BYU’s most recent recruit hails from the Bay Area and is prepping at one of the premier private schools in the area, Mountain View’s St. Francis. A three-star recruit, Alatini had offers from Boise State, Arizona, UNLV, Cal and others.
He is the No. 84-ranked recruit in the state of California and played several positions as a junior, including receiver and safety. In 2024, he played with running back Kingston Keanaaina, a BYU signee who is currently on a church mission.
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