Linebacker Jack Kelly Returning To BYU For Senior Year
Jan 22, 2025, 4:05 PM
Brigham Young Cougars linebacker Jack Kelly (17) chases Oklahoma State Cowboys quarterback Garret Rangel (13) as BYU and Oklahoma State play in Provo at LaVell Edwards Stadium on Friday Oct. 18, 2024.
(13)
PROVO, Utah- Redshirt junior linebacker Jack Kelly is returning to Provo next year to play his senior season for the Cougars.
Although Kelly was eligible to declare for the NFL draft and certainly would have been on many teams’ big boards come April, Jack has decided to return to college for his final year of NCAA eligibility in the hopes of not only increasing his draft stock but also taking care of some unfinished business with the Cougars.
Let’s run it back🫡 @BYUfootball pic.twitter.com/lc1uyWvpT9
— Jack Kelly (@jack_kelly1717) January 22, 2025
The 2024 campaign was Jack Kelly’s first at BYU after transferring from Weber State following the hiring of the Wildcats’ former head coach Jay Hill as the defensive coordinator for the Cougars.
In his first year, Kelly wracked up 51 total tackles, 33 of them being solo. He was also a menace in the backfield with 15 tackles for loss for 157 yards, including five sacks.
Jack also caused three turnovers with two forced fumbles and an interception. One of those forced fumbles was against Kansas State in Week 4 which led to a scoop-and-score that ignited BYU’s scoring frenzy on the way to their first ranked win of the season.
Thanks for the play that energized the season: pic.twitter.com/wYdZbbWGzC
— Anonymous Anonymizer (@JonathanLingo) January 22, 2025
Two late-season losses left BYU a tiebreaker short of appearing in the Big 12 Championship game, losing their chance at the College Football Playoff, an ending that left a bad taste in the mouths of not only Cougar fans but clearly many of their players.
Jack Kelly joins a group of elite Cougars like Jake Retzlaff, Chase Roberts, and LJ Martin, who forwent opportunities in the transfer portal or the NFL draft in favor of returning to Provo.
RELATED: BYU QB Jake Retzlaff Excited To ‘Attack’ 2025 Season
About BYU’s Jack Kelly
Kelly will be a senior linebacker out of Kearns, Utah.
Coming out of high school, Kelly was ranked as a three-star prospect and the 28th-best recruit in the state of Utah.
Playing on both ends at Kearns High School, Kelly posted 59 tackles with 4.5 sacks and two interceptions on defense and 66 receptions for 1,299 yards and 13 touchdowns on offense.
He signed at Weber State in December 2020 and redshirted in 2021, appearing in one game.
Strip sack and fumble recovery for @jack_kelly1717 🔥#FCS x 🎥 ESPN+ / @weberstatefb
— NCAA FCS Football (@NCAA_FCS) September 9, 2023
In 2022, Kelly played in all 13 games and recorded 28 total tackles, eight tackles for loss, six sacks, one pass breakup, and one forced fumble.
Kelly played in 11 games for the Wildcats last season but had improved numbers across the board with 56 total tackles, 12 tackles for loss, 10.5 sacks, four forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, and an interception.
Kelly transferred to BYU following his breakout sophomore season.
