2020 Linebackers: The Good, The Bad, & The Ratings

BYU football has struggled with inconsistency throughout the independence era. However, the Linebackers have consistently produced for the Cougars. Today, let's take a closer look at the 2020 Linebacker group to understand who is coming, who is returning, and how highly these players were rated as recruits.

Image Note: The visualization excludes unrated players and any player that received a composite score of less than .75. The graphs show the 247 composite score on the y axis and the eligibility on the x axis.

Returned Missionaries (Number, Name, 247 Composite Score)

52 Preston Lewis - 0.7945

Transfers (Number, Name, 247 Composite Score)

47 Pepe Tanuvasa - 0.7667 (Now eligible after sitting out 2019)

Returning Players (Number, Name, 247 Composite Score)

3 Chaz Ah You - 0.936
33 Ben Bywater - 0.8455
17 Matthew Criddle - NA
34 Kavika Fonua - 0.7664
46 Drew Jensen - 0.8516
53 Isaiah Kaufusi - 0.8013
50 Sam Lee - NA
41 Keenan Pili - 0.8465
36 Kade Pupunu - NA
49 Payton Wilgar - NA

2020 Signees (Number, Name, 247 Composite Score)

TBD Josh Wilson - 0.8302
TBD Alex Muti - 0.8133

Other Newcomers (Number, Name, 247 Composite Score)

59 Truman Andrus - NA
37 Malakai Fakahua - NA
55 Chase Hughes - NA

The Good – The Linebacker room has the talent and the depth to be a very productive group in 2020. BYU relied on a young core of Linebackers in 2019 that produced despite their inexperience. Most notable with this group are the position changes, some of which are influenced by scheme.

BYU moved from a 3-4 base defense to a 4-2-5 base defense during the spring. Two former Linebackers, Solofa Funa and Alex Miskela, moved to Defensive End during the spring. Two other Linebackers, Max Tooley and Zayne Anderson, moved to the defensive backfield. Chaz Ah You was another Linebacker taking reps at Safety before being sidelined with a shoulder surgery. The last LB position change to note is Jackson Kaufusi, he moved to Running Back. I would imagine he ends up on Defense once again in the fall.

The Bad – Injuries have plagued multiple players in this group. Ah You (who will probably end up at Safety once he recovers from shoulder surgery), Fonua, Jensen, Kaufusi, and Pili have all missed time due to various injuries.

The Ratings – The Linebackers boast the highest average 247 composite rating of any position group in 2020. BYU has continuously recruited highly-touted Linebackers in the independence era.

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