BYU linebacker Jack Kelly (17) celebrates his interception against Houston in Provo on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024. Kelly has announced that he plans to return to BYU for one more season. | Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News
A month after the BYU defense’s season-ending coup de grace against Colorado in the Alamo Bowl, coordinator Jay Hill’s unit continues to reap the rewards of an outstanding 2024 campaign.
Perhaps the most significant development is that it appears that all three starting linebackers — Isaiah Glasker, Jack Kelly and Harrison Taggart — are planning to return for more heroics in 2025. Throw in some solid backups such as Ace Kaufusi, Miles Hall and Siale Esera, and it might qualify as the most talented, deepest group of linebackers in recent BYU football history.
“Well, we have great players (returning),” Hill told BYUtv’s “Sports Nation” last week. “Keeping those guys around (was a priority). Jack is a good example of that. (He) is so important to us and our future successes and stuff. We need to keep the guys that have helped build it, and Jack is one of those guys.”
There was also some question regarding Glasker’s future plans — he was noncommittal from the podium after earning the bowl’s Defensive Player of the Game award — but the converted safety appeared at last Saturday’s basketball game at the Marriott Center with other team leaders when the football team was honored for its season and Kalani Sitake and Jake Retzlaff spoke to the crowd.
That’s probably a good sign for the Cougars.
How good was BYU’s defense in 2024? It was easily one of the better ones in program history, given the quality of competition — 11 of the 13 foes were Power Four schools — and what the season-ending statistics revealed.
BYU finished 13th in total defense, allowing 308.8 yards per game. It…
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