How Parker Kingston’s Departure Shakes Up the BYU WR Depth Chart

Parker Kingston is no longer a member of the BYU Football program

BYU WR Cody Hagen against WVU | BYU Photo

When BYU kicks off Spring Camp later this month, all eyes will be on the wide receivers. BYU leading wide receiver Parker Kingston was removed from the team last week following his arrest. Now that Kingston is no longer part of the 2026 picture, the Cougars have to replace their top three pass-catchers from the 2025 season.

In this article, we'll look into our crystal ball to project BYU's wide receiver depth chart in 2026.

Projected BYU Wide Receiver Depth Chart

1. Jojo Phillips
2. Tei Nacua OR Reggie Frischknecht

1. Cody Hagen
2. Tiger Bachmeier

1. Kyler Kasper
2. Jaron Pula

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 more 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.

At this point, Phillips and Hagen are the two most likely candidates to start. Behind those two, the rotation spots are up for grabs. If Phillips and Hagen start, there will still be another starting spot up for grabs. BYU also rotates 4-6 wide receivers, so there will be other reps to be won.

The Newcomer From Oregon

As far as the newcomers go, Oregon transfer Kyler Kasper is a name that stands out. As a unit, BYU's returning wide receivers have one common deficiency: consistently making contested catches. BYU wide receivers had only 13 contested catches in 2025 and 9 of those came from Chase Roberts. BYU really needed to add a wide receiver that can make contested catches, and that's Kasper's chief strength. For that reason, we believe he could start right away if he stays healthy.

Aaron Roderick is "expecting big things" from the former Oregon wideout.

Can BYU Get Another Productive Year From a Freshman?

If you've wondered why BYU only added one transfer wide receiver, the incoming class of true freshmen is the reason why. BYU is bringing in four true freshmen wide receivers, so roster spots were hard to come by.

When BYU lost Jake Retzlaff in the Summer last year, it was a true freshman Bear Bachmeier that filled that role. In fact, you could argue that he did much more than fill the role. Bear Bachmeier was even better in 2025 than Jake Retzlaff was in 2024.

BYU is bringing in four freshmen. Three of them turned down multiple Power Four offers to come to BYU: Jaron Pula, Terrance Saryon, and Legend Glasker. Can BYU catch lightning in a bottle again and find another breakout freshman star?

Keep an eye on true freshman Jaron Pula. Pula could crack the rotation sooner rather than later. Pula is as physically gifted as any wide receiver to come out of the state of Utah over the last few years, and his body is the most ready to play P4 football.

Legend Glasker and Terrance Saryon bring a lot to the table as well. The question for those two will be whether they can put on the requisite weight to play right away. Either way, both Glasker and Saryon have multi-year starter potential down the road.

Three Wildcards

Among the returning wide receivers, there are three scholarship players that didn't play meaningful roles for BYU in 2025: Tiger Bachmeier, Reggie Frischknecht, and Tei Nacua. If even one of those three could prove ready to play at a starting-caliber level, BYU's offense would be in a much better position to swallow the loss of Parker Kingston. That's why these three are labeled the wildcards.

Tiger Bachmeier came to BYU from Stanford before the 2025 season. Tiger, the older brother of BYU breakout quarterback Bear Bachmeier, never cracked the top of BYU's wide receiver rotation. Tiger finished with 7 catches for 59 yards.

Naturally, Tiger and Bear have good chemistry. They showed that in flashes during Fall Camp. Tiger could really help the BYU offense if he found a way to match his 2023 production at Stanford when he hauled in 409 yards.

Reggie Frischknecht and Tei Nacua had their moments in camp settings before last season, but neither played many snaps a season ago.