Tracing the Roster Moves and Injury Attrition That Drove BYU to Its Backup Running Backs

BYU is digging into its depth at running back

BYU RB Devaughn Eka against Arizona | BYU Photo

The running back position has been a hot topic among BYU fans this week. It all started when news leaked that the injury suffered by BYU star running back LJ Martin's was more severe than anticipated. Martin will be out at least four weeks, and the Cougars will turn to a committee of backups while he's out: Preston Rex, Journee Tonga, and Devaughn Eka.

Back in March, those three were no higher than third or fourth-string on the depth chart. Preston Rex is a converted safety and Tonga and Eka, while talented, are both true freshmen. They have combined for 368 rushing yards in their careers. It's safe to say that while BYU may trust Rex and be excited about Tonga and Eka's potential, it's not ideal for a BYU team that is competing for a spot in the Big 12 championship game.

So now that BYU is reaching a critical stretch of conference play, how did we get here? With the benefit of hindsight, we're looking at BYU's roster decisions and what led to their running back conundrum just four games into the season.

BYU Bet on Players with Injury History

BYU went into Spring Camp with LJ Martin and Sione Moa as its clear top two running backs. Jovesa Damuni was the third running back behind Martin and Moa. All three players had dealt with injuries in their BYU careers.

In three seasons at BYU, LJ Martin had missed at least one full game every season. Sione Moa was unavailable more than half the time in his first two years at BYU. Most notably, Moa's injury was so severe in 2025 that he risked losing his leg.

Despite their history, BYU bet on those three and hoped they would stay healthy. That was the risk that BYU signed up for when it declined to add a running back from the transfer portal. During the transfer window, we identified a backup running back as one of BYU's top transfer needs. Sure, the Cougars weren't going to land a premier running back from the portal given the return of LJ Martin, but there were plenty of backup options available.

Instead, BYU went into the season with Martin, Moa, Damuni, Rex, and the true freshman Eka. Journee Tonga wasn't added until the summer after he got his transcripts.

BYU Got Hit by the Injury Bug

Unfortunately, injuries impacted this group right away. Jovesa Damuni suffered a severe injury in Spring Camp and hasn't played since. Sione Moa lasted only six carries before he suffered what could turn out to be a season-ending injury. In other words, BYU lost two of its top three running backs before the end of the first quarter of the Utah Tech game.

Then, Martin suffered an injury against TCU and after he left the game, BYU's offense struggled to move the football.

The injury luck has not been on BYU's side so far in 2026.

The High School Recruiting

To fully understand the BYU running back room, you have to look back several years at BYU's recruiting. It can take years for BYU recruits to matriculate into the program, so the recruiting efforts in 2021-2023 are impacting BYU's roster in 2026. LJ Martin was a coveted recruit when he flipped from Stanford to BYU. Besides Martin, BYU hasn't landed as many coveted recruits at that position. In fact, Martin was the only running back on the roster with a competing P4 offer.

BYU running back recruiting profiles | BYU On SI

From a recruiting stars standpoint, the running back position is not as deep, or as well-stocked, as other positions on the roster. That's the primary reason why the drop-off between LJ and the rest of the group is as noticeable as it is. Devaughn Eka and Journee Tonga are two of the better prospects that BYU has brought in over the last two years. However, they are inexperienced and BYU's staff may have to be selective with play calls when they are on the field.

To understand the full picture, you have to look at the attrition at running back as well. BYU signed Cale Breslin in the 2025 class and he had a handful of competing P4 offers. However, he transferred out after just one Spring Camp. Pokaiaua Haunga was viewed as a big part of BYU's plans at running back but he was removed from the roster at the beginning of 2025 Fall Camp.

The attrition at running back is one of the primary reasons why BYU is in this position today.

While it doesn't help the 2026 season, running back recruiting has improved over the last few cycles. BYU signed four-star prospect McKay Madsen and high three-star Kingston Keanaaina in the 2025 class. Both Madsen and Keanaaina had competing P4 offers. If either of those two were on the roster today, they would be expected to contribute. However, they are serving missions and will not be on the roster until next season.

Last but not least, BYU has a player committed in the 2027 class by the name of Ezra Sanelivi. Sanelivi picked BYU over the likes of Arizon, Arkansas, Cal, Iowa, Michigan State, Wisconsin, and Washington.

Like every position on the roster, the talent at running back is improving. A transfer addition would have helped bridge the gap between now and future, but BYU went a different direction.

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