Few Teams Return More Defensive Line Experience Than BYU

The Cougars return most key pieces from the 2025 roster

BYU defensive Keanu Tanuvasa gets a sack against Stanford | BYU Photo

Earlier this week, CBS Sports released a study on returning snaps in college football. BYU ranked inside the top five nationally, bringing back the majority of players that were key pieces a season ago. Among BYU position groups, no position group brings back more snaps played than the defensive line.

BYU returns 76% of defensive line snaps which ranks third nationally behind only TCU and Georgia. BYU returns a lot of experience on defense across the board. BYU ranks fourth nationally in returning defensive snaps and all three of BYU's defensive position groups (defensive line, linebackers, secondary) rank inside the top 25.

BYU Returns Key Players Along the Defensive Line

BYU loses two defensive linemen from 2025 that played key roles: John Taumoepeau and Logan Lutui. Besides those two, BYU returns every key contributor from a season ago.

On paper, BYU is equipped to handle the departures of Taumoepeau and Lutui. To replace Taumoepeau, BYU will turn to Justin Kirkland. Kirkland was brought to BYU to play right away, but an injury before Fall Camp last summer limited his availability in 2025. Now healthy, Kirkland will start for BYU's defensive alongside Keanu Tanuvasa.

Speaking of Keanu Tanuvasa, Tanuvasa turned down the NFL to return to BYU for his final year of eligibility. Tanuvasa will be one of the key pieces of the BYU defense. Along with Tanuvasa and Kirkland, BYU has a third redshirt senior at that position in Anisi Purcell. Purcell played defensive tackle for the first time last season after transferring in from SUU where he played defensive end.

The defensive end production, in the opinion of this author, is where BYU has the chance to make the most improvement in 2026 compared to 2025. While BYU returns almost every player that played key snaps at defensive end last year, the entire room is one year older and wiser too.

BYU has been stacking talented defensive ends on the roster. In fact, Kelly Poppinga told the media that no position group has been recruited at a higher level than defensive end.

"I'm super excited [about the defensive ends]," Poppinga said at the conclusion of Spring Camp. "We've recruited very well at that position. I'd say probably better than any position. That's the position we've probably recruited the best."

On paper, Poppinga's statement checks out. Included in the defensive end room are former four-star recruits Tausili Akana, Hunter Clegg, Nusi Taumoepeau, and Braxton Lindsey. The other scholarship defensive ends on the roster include Adney Reid, Siosefa Brown, Kini Fonohema, Bodie Schoonover, Vincent Tautua, and Kendall Wall. Most of those guys turned down other Power Four programs to come to BYU.

The defensive ends were inexperienced in 2025. They should take a step forward in 2026 with more experience under their belts. If BYU is going to be better on defense than they were a season ago, it's going to come down to defensive end production. If BYU's defensive ends can pressure the quarterback consistently without blitzing, it will unlock an entirely new level of defensive production even compared to the 2024 and 2025 defenses.