If I Were Playing BYU Tonight, Here’s the Guy I’d Find Before the First Snap

If I were putting the pads on against BYU tonight, before the first snap I’d find No. 4.

His name is Cade Uluave.

He’s a linebacker.

So was I.

And there are certain guys you can watch for about five minutes and know:

Yeah. That’s the dude.

Uluave is 6-foot-1, 230 pounds and in his first season at BYU after spending three years at Cal.

As a freshman, he was the Pac-12 Defensive Freshman of the Year and a first-team Freshman All-American. Last season, he led Cal with 100 tackles and 12 tackles for loss and earned first-team All-ACC honors.

Three years at Cal: 237 tackles, 21.5 tackles for loss, six sacks and three interceptions.

He’s part of the BYU defense TCU has to contend with tonight.

But honestly, none of that is what really got my attention.

This is:

He’s been at BYU for a matter of months, and his new teammates already voted him one of their defensive captains.

That tells me something.

Because players know.

They know who works. They know who prepares. They know who’s full of crap. And they damn sure know who they want standing beside them when things get hard.

So if I were playing BYU tonight, I’d want to find No. 4 before we ever kicked the football.

I’m Not Looking at His Stat Sheet

I’m watching him during warmups.

How does he carry himself?

Who’s around him?

When somebody screws something up, who says something?

When BYU’s offense is on the field, is he sitting on the bench or is he engaged in what’s happening?

Then the game starts.

Now I’m watching something completely different.

What happens when somebody hits him in the mouth?

Everybody looks like a badass when things are going their way.

Sep 5, 2026; Provo, Utah, USA; Utah Tech Trailblazers quarterback CJ Tiller (2) is tackled by BYU Cougars linebacker Cade Uluave (4) during the first quarter at LaVell Edwards Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

I want to see the snap after he gets pancaked.

I want to see what happens after TCU breaks a run through his gap.

I want to see what he does when somebody misses a tackle beside him.

And most importantly, I want to see if he’s still playing the same way in the fourth quarter that he was on the first drive.

That’s how players evaluate other players.

Not highlights.

Not recruiting stars.

Not whatever somebody wrote about them during the week.

I want to know what you’re made of when football starts hurting.

Linebackers Know Linebackers

There’s another reason I’d find him.

I played linebacker.

So did Robert Henson. David Hawthorne. Tank Carder. Daryl Washington.

We had some dudes in that room at TCU.

You’ll recognize a few of those names from this week’s TCU Legends Picks panel.

And one of the reasons we were so damn good wasn’t that every one of us was trying to prove we were better than the other guy.

It was that we fed off each other.

If David Hawthorne knocked somebody backward, I wanted the next one.

If Robert Henson made a play, I wanted one.

If somebody brought some violence to the football, everybody wanted in.

That’s what great linebackers can do to a defense.

They make aggression contagious.

And that’s what I’d be watching with Uluave tonight.

Does BYU’s defense feed off him?

When he starts playing faster, do they start playing faster?

When somebody makes a big play, is No. 4 one of the first guys there?

When BYU needs a stop, who does everybody look toward?

Because sometimes the most important thing a linebacker brings to a defense isn’t the tackle he makes.

It’s the way everybody else starts playing because of him.

And Then I’d Introduce Myself

Eventually we’d meet.

Maybe it’s near midfield before the game.

Maybe it’s sometime during warmups.

But at some point, I’d make sure he knew I was there.

Nothing disrespectful.

Probably just a look.

Maybe a couple words.

Because there was always something I loved about finding that guy on the other team.

TCU Horned Frogs offensive lineman No. 56 faces Arkansas State defender Jayland Saxton during a 2026 football game. — TCU offensive lineman No. 56 faces an Arkansas State defender during the Horned Frogs’ final nonconference game. With Big 12 play beginning, TCU’s upcoming challenges are no longer theoretical. | Tony Beblowski for KillerFrogs.com

You don’t have to hate somebody to want to beat the hell out of him.

Sometimes it’s the opposite.

Sometimes the guys you respect the most are the guys you want to test the most.

You think you’re that dude?

Good.

So do I.

Now we’ve got four quarters to figure it out.

So Who’s TCU’s Guy?

That’s really why I’m writing this.

This isn’t about Cade Uluave.

It’s about TCU.

Because I’ve said all week that this is an identity game for the Frogs.

And identity isn’t something you announce.

Somebody has to establish it.

We’ve talked about what has to change for TCU football. Tonight, I want to see who makes it happen on the field.

Somebody in purple has to decide before kickoff that BYU is going to know his name before the night is over.

Not after halftime.

Not after BYU punches first.

Not when the crowd finally gets loud.

Before the first damn snap.

I want to see who sets the tone.

Then I want to see who keeps setting it.

Who gets hit and comes back harder?

Who screws up and responds on the very next play?

Who gets tired and keeps running?

Who is still flying to the football in the fourth quarter exactly like he was in the first?

And here’s the biggest one:

Who makes everybody around him start playing differently?

Grambling State @ TCU, Week 2, 2026 — Who's the guy this game? (BYU @ TCU) | Tony Beblowski for KillerFrogs.com

Because that’s the dude.

I’ve played with those guys.

I’ve been around those defenses.

One guy makes a play. Another guy wants the next one. Somebody lays a hit. Ten other guys start hunting for theirs.

Pretty soon it isn’t one guy playing pissed off anymore.

It’s contagious.

Now you’ve got 11 madmen running to the football.

That’s what I’ve been waiting to see from this TCU team.

Tonight would be a hell of a time to find him.

Because BYU is bringing its guy to Fort Worth.

He’s No. 4.

Cade Uluave.

I’ll be looking for him before the first snap.

But by the time that clock hits zero, there’s only one question I really want answered:

Who does Cade Uluave find wearing purple?

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