Two Weekend Commitments are Evidence of BYU's Big 12 Recruiting Bump

On Friday, BYU dipped into the state of Georgia and landed defensive back Therrian Alexander III. Alexander picked BYU over competing Power Five offers from Ole Miss, Mississippi State, and NC State. He also held offers from the likes of UAB, Western Kentucky, and Georgia Southern among others. Just two days later, BYU picked up a commitment from Texas native and defensive back Jonathan Kabeya. Kabeya picked BYU over competing Power Five offers from Arizona State, Texas Tech, and Indiana.

🏡 @jernarogilford @CoachJayHill pic.twitter.com/98eJBiuIRX
— Jonathan Kabeya (@iamjonathann_2) August 6, 2023

Both Alexander and Kabeya are really important commitments for a BYU secondary that will be tasked with defending some of the best passing offenses in the country. Both could contribute and start early in their BYU careers.

If you've followed BYU recruiting over the last few decades, you'll know that commitments like these have been rare over the last 10-20 years. What makes them so unique? There are various factors.

First, geography makes these commitments unique. Historically speaking, BYU has rarely recruited Georgia unless there is a standout player with connections to the program. The Cougars have started to recruit Georgia more since the hiring of Kelly Poppinga. Poppinga recruited the Atlanta area when he was on the staff at Virginia Tech. BYU has tried to recruit Texas on various occasions, but the Cougars have never established a true recruiting pipeline in Texas.

Second, these players have no prior connections to the BYU football program. Because of its affiliation with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, BYU will nationally recruit the best football prospects that are members of the church. Outside of church members, BYU has landed only a handful of players outside of Utah that held competing Power Five offers. Micah Harper fits that description, but it isn't a long list. In the independence era, BYU relied on underrecruited defensive backs to come in the program and be developed.

Lastly, Kabeya and Alexander are defensive backs, a position that BYU has struggled to consistently recruit even during the days of Lavell Edwards.

These two commitments are evidence of the recruiting bump that BYU has seen since accepting an invitation to join the Big 12. Simply put, these players are likely not coming to Provo without the chance to compete in a Power Five conference.

Just because BYU is starting to see signs of elevated recruiting, it doesn't mean the last recruiting class or the current recruiting class have arrived at the level needed to compete for Big 12 championships. The Cougars' 2023 high school class ranked near the bottom of the Big 12 - that won't cut it. BYU has a lot of work to do to round out the 2024 class and some of BYU's top targets are still uncommitted. BYU has a chance between now and signing day to close strong a finish with a recruiting class inside the top 50.

There's more work to do, especially with those highly-coveted recruits that are members of the church. But if this weekend is any indication, BYU's recruiting ceiling has certainly been elevated as a member of the Big 12.

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