2026 BYU Defensive Ends: Roster Breakdown, Depth Chart, and Expectations

The BYU football program kicks off Fall Camp this week. The players will report to camp on Monday, and the first day of practice will be on Wednesday. It will be the first Fall Camp as the defensive coordinator for Kelly Poppinga. In this article, we will examine Poppinga's defensive ends and what to expect from them in 2026.

Roster Breakdown

The defensive ends are headlined by young talent that gained experience in 2025. Nusi Taumoepeau and Hunter Clegg played a lot as freshmen last season. Tausili Akana played in his first season at BYU after playing a reserve role at Texas. All three of those players are expected to take big steps forward in their second years in the program.

Bodie Schoonover is the veteran of the group. Schoonover stepped into a much larger role in 2025 after spending the first few years of his career as a reserve. Schoonover is probably the best run stopper at defensive end that BYU has going into the season.

Then there are young players with little to no experience that have high upsides. Adney Reid, Kini Fonohema, Devoux Tuataga, and Braxton Lindsey fit that description. If even one or two of them are ready to contribute, BYU will have a lot of depth at defensive end. True freshman Braxston Lindsey was a standout in Spring Camp - he looks poised to play a role as a true freshman.

5 - Nusi Taumoepeau
10 - Orion Maile-Kaufusi
13 - Tausili Akana
30 - Braxton Lindsey
42 - Adney Reid
46 - Kendal Wall
48 - Bodie Schoonover
52 - Vincent Tautua
59 - Siosefa Brown
90 - Hunter Clegg
97 - Kinilau Fonohema
TBD - Devoux Tuataga

Depth Chart

Defensive Ends

Hunter Clegg OR Bodie Schoonover
Hunter Clegg
Kini Fonohema

Nusi Taumoepeau
Tausili Akana
Braxton Lindsey

The depth chart at defensive end will be decided in Fall camp. We expect Bodie Schoonover to play a big role as a senior. Whether Schoonover can win the job outright could hinge on his ability to get after the passer. Schoonover was effective against the run last season, but he was less effective as a pass rusher. He generated pressure on 8% of pass rush snaps which ranked behind the likes of Hunter Clegg, Nusi Taumoepeau, and Tausili Akana.

Speaking of pass rush, that's why we expect Nusi Taumoepeau to start. He led the Cougars in pressure rate as a true freshman, and his upside is as high as any defensive end BYU has had in the Kalani Sitake era.

Hunter Clegg played more snaps than every freshman not named Bear Bachmeier. Clegg was only nine months removed from his mission when the season kicked off. With a full year of experience and a year to shake the mission rust, we expect him to take a big step forward.

Tausili Akana should play a big role as well. Among defensive ends, Akana ranked second in pressure rate behind Nusi Taumoepeau.

Expectations

The expectations are higher for this group than they have been in a long, long time. For years, BYU was talent deficient at defensive end. That's no longer the case. BYU has recruited very well at that position over the last two or three years. Now, BYU has the talent to be among the best defensive lines in the Big 12.

If BYU is going to take the next step as a program and make the College Football Playoff, it could come down to the productivity of this room. BYU simply must be able to pressure the quarterback without blitzing. That is what separates the good defenses from the great defenses in college football. In the Kalani Sitake era, BYU has not been able to pressure the quarterback consistently enough without blitzing.

That needs to change and BYU has the talent on the roster to do it. They have stockpiled the talent. Now, the talent just needs to deliver.

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