BYU Football Lands Nehemiah Kolone Over Big 12 Foe
Jul 7, 2025, 6:11 PM | Updated: Jul 8, 2025, 9:23 am
FRISCO, Texas – BYU football continues to win on the recruiting trail.
Hours after BYU picked up a commitment from Arkansas three-star linebacker Braxton Lindsey on Monday, the Cougars landed another pledge to their heralded 2026 recruiting class.
Nehemiah Kolone picks BYU over Michigan State and Oklahoma State
My commitment announcement https://t.co/WZ90B4ABe0
— Nehemiah Kolone (@MiahKolone) July 8, 2025
This time, it was Stillwater, Oklahoma defensive lineman Nehemiah Kolone.
The three-star lineman picked BYU over finalists Michigan State and hometown Oklahoma State in a hat ceremony at his high school.
Kolone is a prospect that BYU’s coaches Kelly Poppinga and Jay Hill have recruited extensively since the spring evaluation period in 2024.
He is rated as the 104th defensive lineman in the country in the 247Sports Composite rankings.
Kolone has posted 99 tackles and 14 tackles for loss the past two seasons at Stillwater High School in Oklahoma.
Like many in BYU’s 2026 recruiting class, Kolone took an official visit to BYU last month. He also had an unofficial visit to BYU last football season when the Cougars knocked off his hometown Pokes in a last-second victory.
The addition of Kolone puts BYU at 18 commitments for the class of 2026.
Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for sports.ksl.com and hosts the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (12–3 p.m.) on KSL Newsradio. Follow Mitch’s coverage of BYU in the Big 12 Conference on X: @Mitch_Harper.
