BYU Beat Out Some of the Biggest Brands to Land Four-Star Jax Tanner

BYU offensive line target Jax Tanner with Kalani Sitake and TJ Woods | X @JaxTanner0

BYU continues to add stars to the 2026 recruiting class. On Wednesday, offensive lineman Jax Tanner signed with BYU. He committed to the Cougars in the Summer over finalists Oregon, Tennessee, Michigan, and Boise State. Tanner also picked up competing offers from Auburn, Cal, Michigan State, Nebraska, North Carolina, Penn State, Stanford, USC, Utah, Washington, and Wisconsin among others.

Jax Tanner was upgraded to four-star status by Rivals and ESPN. He is one point away from four-star status on 247Sports, so he could end up as a consensus four-star recruit by the end of the cycle. He has the talent to be a long-term starter for BYU alongside fellow coveted recruits like Alai Kalaniuvalu, Bott Mulitalo, and Austin Pay among others. He will serve a mission before enrolling at BYU.

Tanner, a native of Meridian, Idaho, was one of BYU's top priorities in the 2026 recruiting class. BYU's coaching staff made the trip up to Idaho multiple times to visit him at his high school. The BYU coaching staff has known the Tanner family a long time. Jax's older brother Gage Tanner committed to BYU as a preferred walk-on in the 2023 class. Gage recently returned home from his mission and will likely join the team in January.

As a junior, Tanner was named the Gatorade Player of the Year in the state of Idaho. He did not allow a sack all season and he had 115 pancake blocks according to Gatorade. He played right tackle last season and he projects as an interior offensive lineman at the next level.

Tanner comes from a BYU family, according to his mom Hollie. After Gage committed to BYU back in 2023, Hollie said it had been Gage's goal to commit to BYU from the beginning.

It’s been his goal from the beginning. Congratulations @GageTanner11 pic.twitter.com/DunBZCeCbD

— Hollie Tanner (@hollie_tanner4) February 1, 2023

However, there was much more competition to land Jax's commitment. Jax became a national recruit over the last couple years. BYU's staff didn't take the relationship with the Tanner family for granted, and treated Jax like a top priority throughout. That effort paid off on Wednesday when Jax signed with the Cougars.