Ten BYU Football Players Receive All-Big 12 Recognition
Nov 29, 2023, 2:06 PM | Updated: 2:13 pm
BYU football defensive end Tyler Batty was one of 10 players on the Cougars to receive All-Big 12 recognition. (Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News)
(Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News)
PROVO, Utah – BYU football placed 10 players for All-Big 12 honors in the 2023 season.
The voting for the All-Big 12 teams was by the 14 Big 12 head coaches. Coaches could not vote for players on their own team.
Three BYU players named to All-Big 12 second team
BYU had zero selections on the All-Big 12 First Team. But they did place three on the second team. Those three players were offensive tackle Kingsley Suamataia, defensive end Tyler Batty, and punter Ryan Rehkow.
The Big 12’s Offensive Player of the Year was Oklahoma State running back Ollie Gordon II. For Defensive Player of the Year, the coaches in the league tabbed T’Vondre Sweat from Texas as the top player.
Batty finished the season with career highs in tackles (57), tackles for loss (9.0), and sacks (5.5) during the 2023 campaign that saw BYU finish with a 5-7 record. The Payson, Utah native still has a year of eligibility remaining in his college career and is keeping his options open.
#BYU DE Tyler Batty named to Second-Team All-Big 12 defense.#BYUFootball #Big12 pic.twitter.com/g196vX4GB7
— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) November 29, 2023
Kingsley Suamataia entered the season as the lone preseason All-Big 12 pick from the BYU football program. He started 10 games at left tackle for BYU this season. The former five-star recruit from Orem High School was honored on Senior Day at BYU’s last home game against Oklahoma on November 18. If he officially declares to move on to the pros, he projects as a high NFL draft pick.
#BYU OT Kingsley Suamataia: Second-Team All-Big 12.#BYUFootball #Big12 pic.twitter.com/wVapbSj7J1
— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) November 29, 2023
Ryan Rehkow had a big year punting for BYU. He logged 68 punts for an average of 48.36 yards per punt and had 25 punts inside the 20-yard line.
The rest of BYU’s all-conference selections fell under the Honorable Mention category. Those seven players were cornerbacks Kamden Garrett, Eddie Heckard, and Jakob Robinson. Wide receiver Darius Lassiter, offensive lineman Paul Maile, tight end Isaac Rex, and linebacker Max Tooley round out the selections.
Conference awards are new for BYU football
It’s the first time since the 2010 season that BYU exits a football campaign with All-Conference recognitions. That’s when BYU was in the Mountain West Conference. From 2011 to 2022, BYU was an FBS Independent program.
The Cougars closed out the 2023 season with a 5-7 record and will not be playing in a bowl game this year.
Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for sports.ksl.com and host of the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (Saturday from 12–3 p.m.) on KSL Newsradio. Follow Mitch’s coverage of BYU in the Big 12 Conference on X and Threads: @Mitch_Harper.
