BYU Aced the Roster Retention Test Despite Coaching Turnover

On Friday, the transfer portal closed for college football players. Players had to submit their requests to enter the transfer portal by Friday. Then, teams had 48 hours to grant those requests. Therefore, now that we're three days removed from the end of the transfer window, we know which players will stay with the program and which players will leave.

In total, 13 BYU players entered the transfer portal in the transfer window. Of the 13 players that entered the transfer portal, 0/13 would have been in our projected starting lineups for the 2026 season.

Only 3 of the 13 would have been in our projected two-deep (McCae Hillstead, Choe Bryant-Strother, Tayvion Beasley) for the 2026 season.

In college football, it's rare to retain every starter with eligibility remaining. It's almost unheard of to retain every starter when their is coaching turnover, yet that's exactly what BYU experienced with the departures of Jay Hill and Jernaro Gilford. Retaining the most important players on a 12-win team is a nod to the culture that Kalani Sitake has created at BYU, and it puts BYU in a position to contend for the Big 12 championship in 2026.

BYU only lost one player to Michigan when Jay Hill left: Max Alford. Alford would have been a reserve linebacker for the Cougars in 2026. If there was any question whether Jay Hill was the reason for BYU's rise the last two years, Sitake silenced the doubters by getting his players to stay in Provo.

Before the transfer window opened, we wrote about the 10 most important players for BYU to retain in 2026. BYU managed to retain all 10 of them. If we would have extended our list out to the 20 most important players to retain, BYU would have retained all 20.

BYU aced its roster retention test.

The 10 Most Important Players That BYU Retained in the Transfer Window

1. Bear Bachmeier - QB

When you have a true freshman that did what Bear Bachmeier did in 2025, other schools will certainly try to lure him into the transfer portal. Bachmeier was the most important player for BYU to retain in 2026. He has the potential to become one of the winningest quarterbacks in program history. Bachmeier will go into 2026 as one of the best quarterbacks in the conference.

2. Faletau Satuala - S

BYU safety Faletau Satuala has the potential to be a day one or day two pick in the NFL Draft. Satuala was BYU's leading tackler in 2025 and he has more room to take another step forward in 2026. Satuala came to BYU for Jay Hill, and Hill certainly tried to get him to Michigan. For BYU, retaining Satuala was one of the top priorities.

3. Parker Kingston - WR

A wide receiver that produces a 900+ yard season can demand a lot of money in the transfer portal. That's exactly what Parker Kingston did in 2025. For a BYU offense that will lose two of its top three pass-catchers in Chase Roberts and Carsen Ryan, retaining Kingston was a top priority.

4. Nusi Taumoepeau - Edge

Nusi Taumoepeau's role as a true freshman got bigger and bigger as the season progressed. Nusi led the Cougars in pressure rate and he has the talent to be a star edge rusher on a playoff-caliber team. Despite losing Jay Hill to Michigan, Taumoepeau is locked in with BYU. That is massively important for BYU's future defense, as Taumoepeau will be tasked with creating pressure like Jack Kelly did for BYU in 2025.

5. Bruce Mitchell - Center

Just like a highly-productive wide receiver is worth a lot of money in the transfer portal, so is an all-conference center. Bruce Mitchell was great for BYU in 2025. Retaining him and maintaining as much continuity as possible along the offensive line was paramount.

6. Evan Johnson - Cornerback

NFL teams invest a lot of draft capital to find lockdown corners. Evan Johnson was a lockdown cornerback for BYU in 2025 and he led the Cougars in interceptions. Johnson would have had no shortage of suitors in the transfer portal.

7. LJ Martin - Running Back

LJ Martin's decision to return in 2026 puts him in a position to make BYU history in 2026. LJ Martin could become BYU's all-time leading rusher in 2026.

8. Hunter Clegg - DE

Hunter Clegg played more snaps than any true freshman besides Bear Bachmeier. He was less than a year removed from his mission. He has the potential to be a multi-year starter for BYU at defensive end.

9. Andrew Gentry - OL

Starting tackles are hard to come by in the transfer portal. BYU already lost one tackle to the portal in Isaiah Jatta. Getting Gentry back was a big boost to BYU's offensive line in 2026.

10. Bodie Schoonover - DE

Bodie Schoonover became one of BYU's best running-stopping defensive ends. BYU loses Logan Lutui to graduation who was great against the run, so retaining Schoonover was important for the new BYU defensive staff.