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10 BYU Players Who Increased Their Stock During Spring Camp

10 players that increased their stock the most
Casey Lundquist|
BYU tight end Roger Saleapaga at BYU Spring Camp
BYU tight end Roger Saleapaga at BYU Spring Camp | BYU Photo

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BYU Cougars

On Thursday, BYU wrapped up 2026 Spring Camp. There were various players that stood out throughout camp. In this article, we'll highlight 10 players who improved their stock the most during spring practices.

1. Roger Saleapaga - TE

Roger Saleapaga had just 3 catches for 26 yards at Oregon last season. Context is important when it comes to Saleapaga's production at Oregon: he was in perhaps the best tight end room in the country. The Ducks had two future NFL tight ends in the room. As a result, Saleapaga was primarily used as a run blocker.

Given his lack of production at Oregon, it was unclear how ready Saleapaga would be to become a primary target for Bear Bachmeier.

Fast forward to the end of spring practices and Saleapaga was one of the most productive pass-catchers. Saleapaga created matchup problems throughout camp. Aaron Roderick called him one of the best players on the team. We expect him to play a major role for the BYU offense in 2026.

2. Bear Bachmeier - QB

Bear Bachmeier appears to be taking advantage of his first full offseason at BYU. Bachmeier was poised and in full control of the offense. Bachmeier was good as a true freshman and he is ready to take the next step.

Aaron Roderick has a good track record of quarterback development at BYU. Bachmeier appears to be the next quarterback to get better under Roderick's tutelage.

3. Legend Glasker - WR

Legend Glasker was one of the biggest surprises of Spring Camp. The true freshman wide receiver made plays from the start of camp to the end of camp. He earned a spot in the two-deep and is expected to play right away, per offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick.

4. Kennan Pula - S

Kennan Pula enrolled in January with his identical twin Jaron Pula. Kennan made a strong impression right away.

When talking about the safety room on Friday, BYU defensive coordinator Kelly Poppinga said the staff has been "really pleased" with Pula so far.

"Kennan Pula is another guy that's come along that we've been really pleased with," Poppinga said. We expect Pula to be in the two-deep at safety behind Faletau Satuala and Raider Damuni.

5. Trevin Ostler - OL

Last season. offensive lineman Trevin Ostler was moved to tight end. He was used in heavy run packages as a blocking tight end. Now, Ostler has moved back to the offensive line where he is competing for the last starting guard spot.

Ostler took a lot of first-team reps during Spring Camp and he is one of a few contenders to start at guard.

6. Jojo Phillips - WR

The wide receiver position was one of the biggest question marks going into Spring Camp. While there are still wide receiver questions that need to be answered in Fall Camp, we did learn something important over the last month: Jojo Phillips looks like the favorite to be BYU's leading wide receiver.

Phillips has "taken a big step forward" according to Aaron Roderick.

"Been happy with [the wide receivers'] development," Roderick said. "Jojo Phillips has taken a big step forward. You know, that injury he had last year was pretty serious. We don't talk a lot about details and stuff, but that was a tough injury and it hurt his confidence and it took him some time to get back."

Phillips suffered an injury in week two against Stanford. That injury kept him out two full months before he returned to the lineup against Texas Tech. When he returned from his injury, he was targeted 12 times and he had 7 catches. He also had 3 drops, and some of the drops came in pivotal moments. It was clear that he was still rusty after being sidelined for two months. Then, Phillips had a couple weeks to prepare for the bowl game. He looked like the version of himself that he showed in Fall Camp. He had a season-high 4 catches for 53 yards.

7. Cade Uluave - LB

Cade Uluave was the highest-rated linebacker i nthe transfer portal when he signed with BYU. Uluave looked the part in Spring Camp. Kelly Poppinga called Uluave "one of the fastest players on the team."

Bruce Mitchell told BYU On SI that he's never seen a mike linebacker as fast as Cade Uluave. Uluave will start for BYU and he will be one of the best players on defense.

8. Walker Lyons - TE

Walker Lyons came to BYU to be the starting tight end. Lyons lived up to the hype and then some. He is talented enough to be a featured weapon in BYU's offense. Lyons will be on the field with Roger Saleapaga a lot in 2026.

9. Paki Finau - OL

Washington transfer Paki Finau is expected to start at left tackle. Finau took the lion's share of the first-team reps at left tackle. Finau started multiple games for Washington last season. Should he start at left tackle, which we expect at this point, it will be his first start at left tackle.

10. Jordyn Criss - CB

Behind Evan Johnson and Tre Alexander, BYU needed a cornerback or two to develop and be ready to play. Redshirt freshman Jordyn Criss appears to be someone that is ready to take that step. We expect Criss to be in the two-deep at cornerback and play in 2026.

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Casey Lundquist
CASEY LUNDQUIST

Casey Lundquist is the publisher and lead editor of BYU On SI. He has covered BYU athletics since 2020. During that time, he has published over 3,500 stories that have reached millions of readers.

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