Aaron Roderick 'Reluctant to Comment on Young Guys' Due to Tampering

The BYU offense is looking to replace its top three pass-catchers from a season ago. While relying on the development of returning wide receivers on the roster, the Cougars will also feature a few new faces at that position. The newcomer that is most likely to contribute is Oregon transfer Kyler Kasper. After Kasper, there are a few true freshmen that could contribute right away as well.

When BYU offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick met with the media for the first time since Spring Camp kicked off, he said he was "reluctant" to comment on the young wide receivers due to tampering from other schools.

"We've got some young players that are doing some good things. I'm a little reluctant to comment about young guys though, because then people will start tampering with them before the next portal window. So I'm not going to say nice things about the young guys anymore."

Tampering has been a hot topic in college football. Numerous teams have been accused of tampering with players that are not in the transfer portal. Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney spent an entire interview accusing Ole Miss of tampering - and Swinney came with evidence.

As far as we can recall, that is the first time a BYU coach has made public comments on the subject.

Fortunately for Roderick and BYU, there is no spring transfer window. The next opportunity for teams to lure players into the portal will be after the 2026 season.

The Cougars signed three wide receivers in the 2026 class that are already enrolled in Provo: Jaron Pula, Legend Glasker, and Terrancy Saryon. All three of BYU's wide receivers from the 2026 class picked the Cougars over multiple P4 offers.

In a wide receiver room that features little returning production, and was planning to have Parker Kingston back, one of those true freshman might have their name called earlier than anticipated.

Roderick 'Confident' Wide Receivers Will Step Up

Roderick said he is "confident" that the wide receivers in the room will step up and replace the lost production. "There's a lot of good players in that room, and those guys will step up. I'm very confident about that."

On Kyler Kasper, Roderick said, "Kasper did some good things today...he's somebody we wanted in high school...he was in on Oregon pretty quick, but, he's somebody we liked a lot in high school."

Jojo Phillips suddenly becomes the most experienced wide receiver on BYU's roster. Phillips has 25 catches for 377 yards in his career. Even before the Parker Kingston news, BYU needed Jojo to take a big step forward in 2026. Phillips has the physical ability to be very good, and he has shown it in flashes. However, injuries and drops have limited his production thus far. The first priority is to get the most out of Jojo Phillips.

Cody Hagen didn't get a lot of targets in 2025, but he did play a lot of snaps. Hagen was only 16 months removed from mission service when the Cougars kicked off the 2025 season. Hagen was one of the most productive wide receivers to come out of Utah, and he possesses the same talent that made him the coveted recruit. We believe he could rise to the challenge if he becomes a focal point of BYU's offense. BYU needs Hagen to step into a larger role in his third year with the program.

On Hagen, Roderick said that he got a little banged up in the bowl game. "He got banged up in the bowl game, so he's making his way back right now, but he's doing a good job."