BYU Makes Final Four for Four-Star Athlete Elyjah Staples

On Thursday, four-star prospect Elyjah Staples named his four finalists and BYU made the cut alongside Cal, Stanford, and Arizona. Staples, a California native, turned down competing offers from the likes of Arizona State, Minnesota, Kansas, Wake Forest, TCU, Boise State and San Diego State.

I have been blessed with the opportunity to live out my dreams of playing football at the D1 level. Thank you to everyone who has put their time and effort into recruiting me. AGTG🙏🏾@BrandonHuffman @SSJ_MarquezHS_ @MHS_Athletics12 @FootballMarquez @CoachTuck23 pic.twitter.com/xtlMxJK8yE
— Elyjah Staples (@StaplesElyjah) April 16, 2026

Staples is listed as an athlete by recruiting services, but we expect him to play either outside linebacker or defensive end at the next level. He has excellent burst off the line of scrimmage and his frame gives him the chance to make an impact as an underclassman in college. He is currently listed at 6'3 and 205 pounds.

Staples preps at Marquez High School, a smaller high school in California. He plays tight end on the offensive side and edge on the defensive side. He also plays basketball and volleyball for Marquez High School. He is rated as a high three-star prospect by 247Sports and a composite four-star recruit.

Staples was on BYU's campus during Spring Camp. He had the chance to sit down with BYU head coach Kalani Sitake during his visit.

Man Great talks with @BYUfootball Head Coach @kalanifsitake Great leader of men right here…#goodtalks #leader #coach #mentor #football @StaplesElyjah @MHS_Athletics12 @LACitySection @latsondheimer pic.twitter.com/dthT7Fc5RI
— Gregory Tucker Jr (@CoachTuck23) March 28, 2026

Staples has not announced his plans to take an official visit from BYU, but making his list of finalists gives BYU the chance to get him on the schedule for June. That will be the next step in his recruitment.

Recruits with BYU Official Visits on the Schedule

So far, 10 BYU targets have announced their plans to take official visits in June. Other prospects will officially visit BYU as well, but they haven't made those plans public quite yet.

Jaxson Rex
Jag Ioane
Tytan DeJong
Lakepa Satuala
Kyle Nabrotzky
Moa Brown
Brody Rudnicki
Jeremiah Williams
Ryan Wooten
Ezra Sanelivi

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.

In-state recruits will be a top priority again for BYU in the 2027 recruiting class. Out-of-state recruits are also going to play an important role in this class. Playres like Jeremiah Williams, Kyle Nabrotzky, Brody Rudnicki, and Ryan Wooten will be top targets up until signing day. Running back Ezra Sanelivi, a running back, is the first out-of-state commit in the 2027 class.

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