What caught my attention on day one of BYU football fall camp
Aug 5, 2026, 11:38 PM | Updated: 11:38 pm
PROVO – Just like that, BYU football is back in full swing.
The Cougars kicked off fall camp practices on Wednesday at the Student-Athlete Building. Temperatures were mild for the morning practice, hovering around the high 70s and low 80s.
View this post on Instagram
Notes from day one of BYU football practice
The media was able to observe a little under 10 minutes of practice.
The brief observation window into the 2026 team featured many of the players we would expect to be fighting to be on the depth chart, or just outside of it.
Treyson Bourguet was the quarterback that the media saw initially, then it was true freshman Enoch Watson.
Bourguet is heading into his third year with the BYU program. The former Western Michigan transfer stayed at BYU for his final year of college football.
In highlights provided by BYU Athletics, Bourguet tossed a deep ball for a touchdown to redshirt freshman wide receiver Jared Esplin out of Timpview High School.
Bourguet went to X on Wednesday night and highlighted Esplin as a standout from day one of fall camp.
BYU star running back LJ Martin, who competed in his first practice since shoulder surgery last winter, also pointed to Esplin’s catch as a highlight of the day.
My Day 1 Fall Camp Standouts 🏈
Offense: Jared Esplin
Hometown guy who works his tail off every day. Fun to see him get in the end zone and celebrate with the guys.Defense: Evan Johnson
Don’t be surprised when this guy gets drafted day 1 of the NFL draft. #GoCougs— Treyson Bourguet (@treysonbourguet) August 6, 2026
Another guy that Bourguet highlighted was star cornerback Evan Johnson.
Kalani Sitake: “We definitely have a faster team”
During the media observation portion, the media did not see first-team defense or offensive players. But even without seeing him take a rep, Johnson enters his senior year as one of the top cornerbacks in the Big 12 as a preseason First Team All-League selection.
Johnson is one of the fastest players on the team. The speed of the entire team was something Kalani Sitake highlighted unprovoked in his opening response when asked by KSL Sports what was accomplished in day one of practice.
“We definitely have a faster team,” Sitake said. “So I like the team speed and then the connection. You can see the continuity that we had from last year. It’s rolling over, so the momentum on all three phases, even with some new guys.”
Young wide receiver makes a play
Enoch Watson had a highlight pass connection to fellow true freshman Legend Glasker.
That should be music to the ears of BYU football fans, as the wide receiver position is a question mark on an otherwise experienced roster.
Freshman connection on Day 1.
QB Enoch Watson to WR Legend Glasker. pic.twitter.com/zp1DerSuEw
— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) August 5, 2026
BYU Passing Game Coordinator Fesi Sitake told KSL Sports on Wednesday that Glasker has already picked up the offensive playbook, giving him an opportunity at times to run with the first-team offense.
Year one for Kelly Poppinga as defensive coordinator
Another big storyline entering fall camp is Kelly Poppinga taking over as defensive coordinator. Poppinga was on the practice fields in a Dri-FIT black hoodie with a stretch Y logo on the front. The early returns on K-Pop, in the eyes of Kalani Sitake, have been impressive.
“I knew K-Pop had what it took from the very beginning when I first had him on staff, and I always had a good feeling about him and his reputation from players that played for him and guys that played for me in the NFL. They had nothing but great things to say about him, and then I watched him carefully throughout his career, and when there’s an opportunity to bring him on, I’m glad that he’s here,” Sitake said of Poppinga.
“I can tell you one thing about K-Pop: he’s probably the hardest-working coordinator I’ve ever been around, and when you work that hard, only good things can happen. Just really pleased with everything.”
A little bit of this and that from BYU football camp
- LJ Martin noted that he was fully cleared by team doctors in June.
- True freshman cornerback Justice Brathwaite had a pass breakup while defending wide receiver Kila Keone. Brathwaite is the son of former BYU running back Reynaldo Brathwaite.
- RB Lucky Finau, Kalani Sitake’s nephew, had a nice run up the middle to close out the practice.
- Players rushed to the green tubs at the end of practice, as instructed by Strength & Conditioning coach Ryan Phillis.
- Gary Andersen has a new title on the staff, “Chief Consultant to Head Coach/Senior Defensive Consultant.”
Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for KSL and hosts the Cougar Tracks Podcast daily on KSL Sports YouTube and KSL NewsRadio (SUBSCRIBE). Harper also co-hosts Cougar Sports Saturday (12–3 p.m.) on KSL NewsRadio.
Follow Mitch’s coverage of BYU athletics in the Big 12 Conference on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram: @Mitch_Harper.
