The buzz around BYU football is building, and for good reason. As the 2026 season approaches, the Cougars are generating serious offseason hype—and national pundits are taking notice.

ESPN's latest Big 12 projections have BYU ranked solidly at No. 2, right behind defending champion Texas Tech. That's no small feat for a program that's quietly been stacking wins. Ari Temkin of Big 12 Today went even further on a recent podcast, saying, "This team's loaded. They have the best linebacking core in the Big 12. They have the best offensive players and weapons in the Big 12. BYU is one of the favorites of the Big 12."

The Cougars are backing up that talk on the recruiting trail, too. They recently landed a commitment from Jeremiah Williams, one of the top defensive linemen in the country out of California. And just last week, they secured a pledge from high three-star cornerback Ryan Wooten—a prospect some insiders are calling one of the biggest corner recruits the program has landed in recent memory.

Perhaps the most telling stat? BYU ranks No. 3 nationally and No. 1 in the Big 12 in returning snaps at 63%. That kind of experience is a game-changer, especially in the trenches where maturity and continuity often make the difference between a good season and a great one.

But with all that hype comes a question: How will the Cougars handle the weight of expectations? After going 23-4 over the past two seasons, BYU is no longer flying under the radar. The days of sneaking up on opponents are over. Now, every team in the Big 12 will have them circled on the calendar.

History suggests that when expectations are sky-high for BYU—think basketball in recent years—the Cougars have sometimes struggled to meet them. But this is a different kind of team. With a wealth of returning production and a roster that's loaded on both sides of the ball, the Cougars have the tools to prove the hype is real.

Will all that experience help? It certainly can't hurt—especially in the trenches, where savvy and consistency often separate contenders from pretenders. For BYU fans, the offseason has never felt more promising.