BYU Kicks Off 2027 Class with Commitment From Tytan DeJong

DeJong is the first commit in BYU's 2027 class

BYU head coach Kalani Sitake against Baylor | BYU Photo

On Monday, BYU kicked off the 2027 recruiting class with a commitment from in-state product Tytan DeJong. DeJong, who preps at Mountain Ridge High School in Herriman, stars on both sides of the ball at Mountain Ridge.

First, I want to thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and my family for giving me the opportunity to be the person and player that I am today. That being said after lots of thought and prayer I am excited to announce my commitment to BYU!!
GO COUGARS!!🔵⚪️
AGTG!!!@BYUfootball pic.twitter.com/kViFmtqw9U

— Tytan DeJong (@Tytan_Dejong08) March 30, 2026

DeJong committed to BYU over competing offers from Michigan, Stanford, Cal, Utah, Boise State, Purdue, and Oregon State. When Jay Hill left BYU for Michigan, DeJong was one of the first players from the state of Utah to receive a Michigan offer from the new staff. BYU was able to beat out Hill, Michigan, and others and keep DeJong in state.

On offense, DeJong played wide receiver in 2025. His 6'3 frame made him a nightmare to cover. He tallied over 1,000 receiving yards on 77 receptions. He could play wide receiver or tight end at the next level, but we expect him to end up on the defensive side of the ball at BYU. Linebacker seems like the most logical fit given his size, but he could end up at a few different positions depending on his weight.

FULL JR SEASON HIGHLIGHTS
Offense:
-Snaps played:814
-1058 yards
-77 receptions
-8 touchdowns
Defense
-Snaps played:152
-20 tackles
-1.5 sacks
-4.5 tfls
-4 pass deflections
-1 caused fumble
-1 recovered fumble
-8 QB hurries @nick_robins10 https://t.co/z9J8LBkbDb

— Tytan DeJong (@Tytan_Dejong08) November 24, 2025

DeJong is all of 6'3 and 215 pounds. He plays with physicality on both sides of the ball and he has good top-end speed for his size. He is also developing his skillset as a pass rusher.

Couple clips from my first 5v5 tournament!@TheRidgeFBLL @nick_robins10 @Coach_Popp @CoachTyusMoe @si_one11 @alexwutangham @BrandonHuffman @BlairAngulo @SlingintheP @PrepRedzoneUT pic.twitter.com/gvl5e8bopn

— Tytan DeJong (@Tytan_Dejong08) March 16, 2026

DeJong's primary recruiter on BYU's staff has been new defensive coordinator Kelly Poppinga. Jay Hill was an ace recruiter for BYU during his time in Provo. It remained to be seen whether the new defensive staff could maintain that level of recruiting. Landing DeJong is a critical first step. The more talent Poppinga has to work with, the more successful he will be as BYU's defensive coordinator.

Poppinga coaches the inside linebackers at BYU. If DeJong ends up at linebacker, Poppinga could be his position coach.

Scheduled Official Visits

Seven BYU targets have announced their plans to take official visits in June.

1. Jaxson Rex
2. Jag Ioane
3. Tytan DeJong
4. Lakepa Satuala
5. Kyle Nabrotzky
6. Moa Brown
7. Brody Rudnicki

Ioane, DeJong, Brown and Satuala are some of the top prospects in the state of Utah in the 2027 class. The Cougars are coming off their best recruiting class since recruiting rankings became popular in the early 2000's. In-state recruiting was a large reason for BYU's historic class. BYU signed 5 of the top 10 players in the state and 8 of the top 16. DeJong's commitment is the first step towards another productive in-state class.