The 2025 BYU Football Preseason Awards

This is about the time of year where postseason awards issue their watchlists, and BYU players have found their way onto quite a few. Nine to be exact. But here at BYU on SI, we don’t do watch lists, we boldly make predictions. We also have a little fun and get creative with the kinds of awards that the fans truly care about. So without further ado, we present the BYU on SI preseason award recipients.

The “Guy the Award Trophy was Modeled After” Award

Chase Roberts

Roberts is a fan favorite for a reason. The guy embodies everything that Kalani Sitake wants his football program to be. Roberts is as talented a receiver on the field as BYU has had in over a decade and, by all accounts, as good of a person off it as BYU has had in that same time frame. Roberts will route you up so badly you need to leave the state and then help you load up the moving van. He will have a defensive back praying for deliverance and then teach him where to find it. Simply put, Roberts appears to be the ideal BYU football strives for, and the perfect model for our preseason award trophies.

The "FINALLY!" Award

Carsen Ryan

For three years, BYU fans have begged for tight end usage and BYU’s offensive staff have toiled searching for an every-down tight end. Carsen Ryan is that guy. Ryan’s addition to the roster was overshadowed somewhat by his Utah teammate Keanu Tanuvasa’s shocking portal saga, but Ryan may prove to be the more important signing of the two. For the last three years, BYU has had to telegraph its play calls based on tight end personnel as they had tight ends that were either great blockers or great pass catchers but seldom both. Ryan was in the top 20 in run blocking among tight ends during his two seasons at UCLA per PFF, and has brought in nearly 75% of his career targets with an average depth of targets of 10.0 yards. Ryan is the real deal and will prove to be BYU’s most valuable transfer portal addition when healthy.

The “Looks the Part” All-American

Isaiah Glasker

Glasker’s exploits on the field go without saying, but you don’t have to be a professional defensive coordinator to know this guy has “football player” stamped across his forehead. Glasker is listed at 6’5, 240 pounds with a neck roll that screams “triceratops” and a look in his eye that says “velociraptor.” His eye black streaks down his face like the tears of a Big12 running back when they realize their assignment is to meet him in the A-gap on 4th & 1. Finally, his no. 16 jersey number represents the number of wins he will lead BYU to this year and the number of points BYU will allow in total. Add it all up and you have a man with more aura than Lavell Edwards in his 90's drip.

The “Please Stay Healthy” Award

LJ Martin

If “wins above replacement” was a football stat, LJ Martin would probably have the highest on the team. BYU experienced what life was like without Martin last season through the first five games of the season, and it ended up with their quarterback being the team’s leading rusher during that time. The moment Martin returned, the entire complexion of the offense changed. BYU elevated from 74th nationally in yards per carry without him to 23rd with him. and from 57th in yards per play to top 20 when he was in the lineup. The offense simply looks different when he was there. Sione Moa is certainly a capable backup, but the backs listed on the depth chart behind Martin have a combined 29 career carries. Maybe there is a third running back that will prove capable at the Power Four level, but here’s to hoping BYU doesn’t have to find out.

The Contributor You’ve Never Heard Of Award

Ulavai Fetuli

Fetuli was listed as the third-string defensive tackle, but the true freshman is going to be a star. Maybe before the season is out. Fetuli signed with BYU has an 88 rated defensive end over Cal and San Diego State among others. He stepped on campus eight months later and 35 pounds heavier, immediately catching the eye of the coaching staff as a valuable potential depth piece at the traditionally thin defensive tackle position. Fetuli regularly ran with the twos during Fall Camp and demonstrated a lightning-quick first step and the ability to dictate terms of engagement along the line of scrimmage in one-on-one matchups. Fetuli is bound to get a decent share of reps through the first three weeks if games get out of hand which could springboard him into a larger role as the season progresses and depth is tested.

The “Keep Him at All Costs” award

Jenaro Gilford

Jay Hill felt like an obvious choice here, but these awards merit a deeper cut. Gilford has quietly been operating a cornerback factory, the likes of which BYU hasn’t seen perhaps ever. BYU has zero built-in competitive advantages in recruiting the cornerback position, but that hasn’t stopped Gilford from developing three NFL corners during his time at BYU. Since he took over the job, BYU has been on a generational run that has included the likes of Michael Davis, Dayan Lake, Chris Wilcox, Troy Warner, Kaleb Hayes, Gabe Jeudy-Lally, Eddie Heckard, and Jakob Robinson, all of whom were signed to at least an NFL free agent contract. While that wont make headlines at most P4 schools, that deserves a statue at BYU. That factory has not closed as the talent in the cornerback room today is arguably better than its ever been. That’s a statement that could be written about every year Gilford has led this room.

The “Put Some Respect on His Name” award

Kalani Sitake

For some reason, Kalani Sitake has never seemed to have gotten the respect he deserves during his time at BYU. He’s always been viewed as a great man and ambassador for BYU, but the credit for on-field success has too casually gone to coordinators like Jeff Grimes or Jay Hill, though both certainly deserve an immense amount of praise. The phrase “he’s only as good as his coordinators” is a phrase heard often, but that is largely true of nearly every FBS head coach. He has received criticism for his “love and learn” culture during down seasons, but it’s that exact culture that kept a 10-win 2024 roster in place following a disappointing 5-7 season the year before.

Here are the facts. Kalani may be the best big-game coach BYU has ever had. Since 2016 BYU is 9-13 against ranked opponents, 5-2 in bowl games, and 25-25 against P4 opponents, all of which are best in BYU history in terms of winning percentage. He was won nine games or more with four different sets of coordinators. He has led BYU to the 9th most wins nationally over the last five seasons with two unique offensive and defensive coordinators in that span. At a certain point, the credit heaped upon the head coach has to match the criticism. BYU is in the best position its been in this century and the credit belongs to the man wearing the four shades of blue.