Brian Santiago Prepared To Help Lead BYU Into New Era Of College Athletics
Jul 8, 2025, 1:24 PM | Updated: 2:59 pm
BYU Director of Athletics Brian Santiago has high expectations as he leads BYU into the new-look recruiting game of NIL college athletics. (Photo by Aaron Cornia/BYU Photo)
(Photo by Aaron Cornia/BYU Photo)
FRISCO, Texas – The BYU Cougars, under the leadership of Brian Santiago, expect to be major players in the recruiting game, thanks to their commitment to excellence and extensive NIL resources.
The 2025 Big 12 Football Media Days is held at The Star, the Dallas Cowboys’ headquarters, on July 8 and 9.
“One of the things that is a strength of BYU is that we can stand with confidence in exactly who we are,” Santiago said when asked about the school’s honor code. “I really believe that there is some clarity that’s coming to young student athletes as they make their decisions about where they’re going to go to school, where they are choosing BYU precisely for what it stands for.”
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Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark and BYU AD Brian Santiago at Big 12 Media Days. pic.twitter.com/aulW9hxQIZ
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Santiago pointed to recent high-profile recruiting campaigns that landed Ryder Lyons, one of the nation’s top QB prospects, and the No. 1 high school basketball player in the country, AJ Dybantsa.
“If you tell me a few years ago that in this little period of time, you’re going to have four or five of the best athletes in the country,” Santiago began. “Both members of our faith, non-members of our faith, choosing BYU and standing with confidence and going on the offensive about why they feel so passionate about BYU and what it stands for, the honor code, they know exactly what they’re signing up for. I think it’s bringing out awareness.”
RELATED: BYU Hires Brian Santiago As Athletic Director
He continued, “I’m talking about these national recruits that are saying we’re choosing BYU for precisely what it represents. There’s a great awareness right now with what’s out there in the media, of what our honor code is; we stand with confidence. We actually think it’s a strength.
“I just love the fact that we can stand with confidence in the world that we live in right now and say, ‘We can chase greatness, ‘” Santiago said confidently. “We can be the best in the country, attract the best athletes in the country that know exactly what they’re signing up for, and do it the BYU way.
Santiago wants BYU to compete nationally in every sport
An influx of NIL money, including that from the Royal Blue Collective, has enabled BYU to secure the type of prospects that were once a dream.
Projected 2026 NBA lottery pick AJ Dybantsa, QB Ryder Lyons, golfer Kihei Akina, and track star Jane Hedengren have all committed to BYU in the past year.
DITL with Director of Athletics Brian Santiago pic.twitter.com/zZgDP96Zs3
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“We want to, we want to be nationally relevant across the board, everything in every sport,” Santiago said of his goals for the program. “And we were prepared to be that when we entered the Big 12, and we’re going to continue to invest in all of our all of our sports, across the board, we have to be real.”
Santiago continued, “We are prepared for it from a financial standpoint, in our revenue share model, to be able to land that recruit. We are committed to excellence across the board. We’re going to continue. Why wouldn’t we? We’re nationally relevant.”
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Arizona State, which was picked to finish last in the 2024 preseason media poll, won the championship during its inaugural season in the Big 12.
The Big 12 is preparing for its second season as a 16-team league.
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Last season, BYU finished with an 11-2 record and a 7-2 conference record. Utah was the preseason favorite to win the Big 12 during its first year, but ended up finishing 5-7 overall and 2-7 in league games.
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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.
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Brian Preece is a sports.ksl.com insider covering Locals in MLB and the Salt Lake Bees. Follow Brian’s Bees and Beehive baseball here. Find Brian on X, Instagram, and BlueSky at @bpreece24.
