BYU opens its fall camp next week, where the Cougars will begin authoring their sequel to last year’s 11-2 campaign.
Football season is nearly upon us.
BYU opens its fall camp next week, where the Cougars will begin authoring their sequel to last year’s 11-2 campaign.
There’s already plenty of mystery in Provo. The quarterback position is the most notable question mark, with the defensive line, secondary and pass-catching corps each boasting their own uncertainty as well.
It’s hard to predict how 2025 will shake out for BYU. That being said, I’m going to do so anyway.
My friend and Deseret News colleague Brogan Houston, who covers the Utah Mammoth, put out his own set of predictions for the NHL season this past October, which inspired me to do the same for the Cougars.
Brogan revisited his predictions last week, having gotten two of them correct out of six. Let’s see if I can beat that mark.
But first, a disclaimer: These are bold predictions, so don’t take them too seriously. While any of these things could definitely come to pass, there’s practically no chance of them all happening, and perhaps none of them will end up coming true. If I do indeed get all of them wrong, we can all enjoy a nice, hearty laugh at my foolishness. Let’s just have some fun here!
Here are my five bold predictions for BYU in 2025.
LJ Martin will rush for 1,000 yards and 10 touchdowns
When healthy, LJ Martin has been outstanding during his time with the Cougars.
He ran for 718 yards and seven touchdowns in 2024, doing so despite missing all or parts of four games due to a lower-leg injury.
Martin told the Deseret News earlier this month that he is “100 percent healthy‚" and BYU will need such health from the rising junior to help support whoever lines up in front of him at quarterback. If there was ever a year the Cougars could use a true bell cow in their running back stable, it’s 2025.
In the nine full games he played in 2024, Martin averaged just under 15 carries per contest at 5.3 yards a pop. If he can log at least 15 carries every week in 2025, the math would support the bruising back becoming BYU’s 12th player to surpass 1,000 rushing yards in a season.
BYU’s defense will record 26+ total sacks
While BYU boasted the Big 12’s best defense in 2024, the Cougars’ pass rush was far from great.
BYU had 20 sacks last year, which tied for second fewest in the conference. Additionally, only 7.5 of the team’s sacks came from defensive linemen.
However, the 2024 Cougars were actually much improved in their pass rushing ways, as they nearly doubled 2023’s sack total of 11. I’d expect Jay Hill’s unit to take another leap in sack production this year.
BYU returns both of its 2024 sack leaders in linebackers Jack Kelly and Isaiah Glasker, who headline a strong, deep group at the position. Hill and his staff have also completely revamped their defensive line through the transfer portal, adding proven veterans in Keanu Tanuvasa and Justin Kirkland as well as young, high-ceiling talent in Hunter Clegg, Tausili Akana and others.
Aside from the 2020 COVID season, the Cougars haven’t had 26 sacks in a season since 2018. They would have to average two sacks per game in order to achieve such a number, which definitely feels possible considering the newfound depth and talent within the front seven along with Hill’s solid scheme.
Will Ferrin will earn first team All-American honors at kicker
Will Ferrin is entering 2025 on a heater.
BYU’s star kicker is riding a stretch of 16 consecutive made field goals, the longest such mark in program history.
Since his last miss this past September, Ferrin kicked the famous 44-yard game-winner on the road against Utah, drilled two 50-yarders against Colorado in the Alamo Bowl and even ran for a first down on a trick play against UCF.
FAKE FIELD GOAL FROM BYU 🫢 pic.twitter.com/5ahmgTfWKW
— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) October 26, 2024
Additionally, Ferrin has made 71 straight extra-point attempts, last missing one in September 2023 — almost 700 days ago.
If Ferrin can replicate his past consistency and accuracy — especially from deep — in 2025 with a slightly higher kicking volume, All-American status could come his way.
BYU will open the season with six straight wins
I’m calling it: For the second year in a row and fourth time since 2020, BYU will start the season 5-0 or better.
The Cougars may have the easiest schedule in the Big 12, with their early portion looking especially manageable.
Here are BYU’s first six games of the season and my most brief possible explanation for predicting a Cougars’ victory:
- Aug. 30 vs. Portland State — BYU is 19-0 lifetime against FCS opponents.
- Sept. 6 vs. Stanford — Stanford is coming off four-straight 3-9 seasons, has an interim head coach and will play the Cougars in a night game at LaVell Edwards Stadium.
- Sept. 20 at East Carolina — Yes, BYU does have to travel across the country, but the Cougars have a bye week leading into this game (ECU does not) and the G5 Pirates rank No. 107 nationally in returning production.
- Sept. 27 at Colorado— BYU just defeated the Buffaloes with Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders, and now it will face Coach Prime’s squad in a transition year without their aforementioned superstars.
- Oct. 3 vs. West Virginia— The Mountaineers could be the worst team in the Big 12 and have to travel across the country to play a night game at LaVell Edwards Stadium.
- Oct. 11 at Arizona— The Wildcats are coming off a 4-8 season where BYU pummeled them, and while they have an experienced QB and should be better this year, they probably don’t have enough yet to catch the Cougars.
That’s about as simple as I can make it.
I must note that BYU’s seventh game of the season is against rival Utah, but I’m not implying here that the Cougars will have their six-game winning streak snapped by the Utes.
I’m also not saying BYU will beat Utah. In fact, I’m not saying anything at all. I don’t have the courage to publicly predict a BYU-Utah game in July.
Thus, my hot take will sit at BYU starting 6-0 and won’t go any deeper than that.
McCae Hillstead will be BYU’s Week 1 starting quarterback ... and keep that role for the entirety of the season
This may be my boldest prediction yet.
Of BYU’s three-man quarterback competition, you could make the case for Hillstead being the safest choice to start Week 1 against Portland State. He’s athletic with impressive arm talent and has had more collegiate QB success than any of his teammates.
However, Hillstead stands at 5-foot-10 — he would be the shortest quarterback to play in a game for BYU since Koy Detmer Jr. — and has dealt with injuries in the past due to his smaller frame, which makes his starting QB candidacy a bit more complicated.
Only three BYU quarterbacks have started every game of the season since 2013, with Jake Retzlaff accomplishing the feat last year. For the sake of boldness, I’ll take a big swing here and predict that Hillstead does the same in 2025.
Bear Bachmeier has lots of potential, but I don’t think it would hurt him to not play as a true freshman if it means that Hillstead is getting the job done and staying healthy. With a strong offensive line, veteran pass-catchers, a workhorse running back in Martin and a talented defense, Hillstead — or whoever wins the QB job out of fall camp — should have plenty of help around him to succeed.
Category: General Sports
