Football announces 17 returning signees joining program along with 2021 recruiting class

PROVO, Utah — After signing 16 members to its 2021 recruiting class in December's signing period, BYU football announced Wednesday 17 previously signed players who return to join the program in 2021.

All but one of the previously signed 17 additions—tight end Dallin Holker, who played for the Cougars in 2018 prior to leaving to serve as a missionary in Yakima, Washington—will the join program for the first time, with many returning from missionary service for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

“We greatly appreciate the various sacrifices and service these players have given and are excited to welcome them back to our program,” BYU head coach Kalani Sitake said. “They each delayed their enrollment after signing and will now be able to come and make an impact on our team in 2021. The players we signed in December in this year’s recruiting class are talented football players who will also have a huge impact on our program. I’m really excited about the athletic ability of this group.”

OFFENSE
Holker, from Lehi, Utah, made a difference on the field as a freshman in 2018, playing in all 13 games with two starts. The 6-foot-5, 230-pound tight end totaled 235 yards on 19 receptions on the season.  Holker is one of eight previously signed returning missionaries who will join the BYU offense, including three tight ends, three offensive linemen, one running back and one wide receiver. 

The Cougars add All-American receiver Chase Roberts, who was a two-time all-state first-team receiver at American Fork High School totaling 1,717 yards and 18 touchdowns as a senior in 2018. He amassed more than 3,700 receiving yards and 40 touchdowns in his high school career.

At tight end along with Holker, Ethan Erickson and Donovan Hanna also return from missions. Erickson was a standout at Kahuku High School in Hawai'i, offering a big upside as a pass catcher with his long frame at 6-foot-5. Hanna, at 6-foot-4, was an all-state basketball athlete out of Arizona who totaled 53 receptions, 989 yards and 10 touchdowns to help lead the American Leadership Academy to a 14-1 record and 3A state championship. His high school offensive coordinator was Max Hall, former BYU quarterback. 

Tysen Lewis, a 2017 Deseret News First-Team All-State selection from Eden, Utah, joins the offensive line along with Campbell Barrington from Spokane, Washington, who ESPN rated as the No. 11 overall player in state of Washington coming out of high school, and Brock Gunderson, a Texas product out of Cypress Woods High School who was a three-time all-district selection.

Oliver Nasilai out of Hot Springs, Arkansas, can play running back with his 6-foot-2, 245-pound frame or take his hard-hitting talents to the defensive side of the ball as a linebacker.

DEFENSE
On defense, BYU adds nine previously signed players to the 2021 team, including five defensive linemen, two linebackers and a pair of defensive backs. 

Brooks Maile, Bruce Mitchell, John Nelson, Josh Larsen and Cade Albright will all bolster BYU's defensive front. Maile, at 6-foot-4, 285 pounds out of St. George, Utah, and Mitchell, at 6-foot-4, 265 pounds out of Kamas, Utah, have the size and strength to contribute in the middle, while John Nelson, at 6-foot-4, 260 pounds, could play tackle or end after earning all-state honors out of Salem Hills High School in Utah. 

Another Utah product, Josh Larsen, a 6-foot-4, 230-pound lineman, played at Woods Cross High School in Utah and had 48 tackles and five sacks in 2019 to earn 5A All-State honorable mention. On the edge, the Cougars add coveted California star Cade Albright from San Juan Hills High School. Albright, at 6-foot-5, 215 pounds, has the frame to be a pass-rushing force at BYU after totaling 19 sacks and 33 tackles for loss as a senior in 2018.

Michael Daley, a linebacker from Lone Peak High School, joins the program after earning Deseret News 6A MVP honors for his 2018 performance that included 40.5 tackles for loss and 24.5 sacks in his senior season when the Knights won the state championship. All-around athlete Isaac Matua from Kearns, Utah, is another linebacker who played several positions in high school, including quarterback.

Defensive back Dean Jones starred in his senior year at American Leadership Academy in Arizona with 70 tackles and an interception en route to a state title. BYU adds another defensive back in two-way star Talan Alfrey from Auburn, Washington. Alfrey was an all-state receiver and also the league’s defensive MVP.

Of the 17 players, nine joined the program in January as mid-year enrollees and will participate in spring practices.  On defense, they include Alfrey, Jones, Larsen, Matua and Nelson, while Barrington, Hanna, Lewis and Nasilai enrolled mid-year on offense. 

The 17 players come from seven states, including nine from Utah, two from both Arizona and Washington, and one each from Arkansas, Texas, California and Hawai'i. Fourteen are returning missionaries serving in seven different foreign countries and four different states. 

2021 SIGNING CLASS
BYU head coach Kalani Sitake announced 16 signees in its 2021 recruiting class on Dec. 16 on the first day of the signing period for college football. The 16 new members of the BYU football program come from seven states and feature seven players from each side of the ball along with two athletes who could play multiple positions.

Eight in-state prospects from Utah signed to come to BYU, joined by three from California and one each from Arizona, Michigan, Montana, Nevada and Pennsylvania. The seven offensive players include four linemen, a receiver, a tight end and a running back, while the seven defensive players feature three lineman, two linebackers and two defensive backs. Defensive back, linebacker, running back and receiver are all positions where the two other signees could contribute. 

All 16 of the incoming class were designated at least a three-star recruit by ESPN, 247Sports and/or Rivals. 

The 2021 recruiting class features a couple of big athletic linebackers in 6-foot-4 Logan Fano of nearby Timpview High School in Provo, and 6-foot-3 Nathan Hoke from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. 

A four-star recruit, Fano is a Utah 5A All-State First Team selection who was rated the No. 4 recruit in the state of Utah by 247Sports. As a senior he had 115 tackles, 20.5 sacks and two interceptions—one for a touchdown. 

Hoke is an athletic linebacker who also played running back and was a two-time first-team All-Conference selection. He is the No. 66 rated inside linebacker in the country by 247Sports and is the son of two-time Super Bowl Champion and 11-year NFL veteran Chris Hoke, who played for the Cougars from 1997-2000.

Up front BYU added three big defensive linemen, including two from Utah in John Henry Daley from Alpine and Ricky Wolfgramm of Salt Lake City. Daley is a Utah 6A All-State First Team selection and the No. 9 recruit in the state of Utah by 247Sports. He had 82 tackles and 22 sacks as a senior. His older brother Michael signed with the Cougars in 2019. 

Wolfgramm is a Utah 4A All-State First Team selection and the No. 22 recruit in the state of Utah by 247sports. He tallied 52 tackles and five sacks as a senior at East High School. 

The third defensive lineman in the class is Enoka Migao of Temecula, California, who is the No. 58 rated end in the nation by 247Sports. Enoka is joined by his twin brother Elia, who also signed with the Cougars. Elia is a two-time All-State selection and the No. 41 rated offensive guard in the country by 247Sports. 

A couple of big safeties/defensive backs from the state of Utah—Isaiah Glasker of South Jordan and Raider Damuni of Provo—round out the defensive side of the ball. 

Damuni is a teammate of signee Fano at Timpview High School and the son of Jack Damuni, who played at BYU in 1993-94 and currently oversees community/player relations for the BYU football program. Raider is the Utah 5A defensive MVP and a two-time 5A All-State First Team selection. He is ranked the No. 41 recruit in the nation by 247Sports. 

Glasker is the No. 17 recruit in the state of Utah by 247Sports and a 4A All-State selection. A two-way player at Bingham High School, Glasker lead the Miners with 48 receptions for 811 yards and nine touchdowns. He also had 31 tackles and three interceptions on defense as a senior. 

Dallin Havea of Provo is another versatile player who joins the 2021 class as an athlete. Ranked the No. 18 recruit in the state of Utah by 247Sports, Havea rushed for 1,301 yards as a junior, before totaling 47 tackles on defense as a senior. He is the brother of 2019 BYU signee Drason Havea. 

Also joining BYU in the athlete category is Quinton Rice of Las Vegas, who is rated the No. 20 recruit in the state by 247Sports. A latecomer to the sport, Rice began playing football his junior year in high school and caught 17 passes for 377 yards and five touchdowns. He is also a track athlete who competes in speed events. Rice is the son of former BYU defensive back Rodney Rice, who played for the Cougars from 1986-88. 

Set to bolster one of the top offensive lines in college football are three additional big bodies signing along with Temecula's Elia Migao—Weston Jones of Washington Michigan, Sione Hingano of Chandler, Arizona, and Dylan Rollins of Missoula, Montana. 

Rollins, at 6-foot-6, 285-pounds, is the highest rated recruit to come out of the state of Montana in six years. He is a two-time All-State First Team selection and the No. 1 rated recruit in the state.

Hingano is the No. 24-rated recruit in the state of Arizona by 247Sports. He joins Cougars Gunner Romney, Jacob Conover and Cash Peterman as players from Chandler High School. 

Weston Jones is the No. 39-rated recruit in the state of Michigan. He played both offensive guard and tackle as well as defensive line. The 6-foot-5, 255-pound lineman also plays basketball. 

Jovesa Damuni, another two-way athlete with speed, earned Utah 4A All-State honors as both a wide receiver and defensive back. Rated the No. 29 recruit in the state of Utah by 247Sports, Damuni caught 44 passes for 806 yards and seven touchdowns and had 15 solo tackles and an interception on defense as a senior at Ridgeline High School. He is the first cousin of signee Raider Damuni.

Another in-state product, Kyson Hall, joins the Cougars from Maple Mountain High School in Spanish Fork. The top-rated wide receiver in the state of Utah by 247Sports, Hall caught 35 passes for 566 yards and eight touchdowns as a senior and has sub 4.4 (40) and 10.78 (100) speed. He is a three-year letter winner in football and played varsity basketball and baseball as well. His brother, Jaren, is currently a BYU quarterback. Another brother K.J. and his father Kalin also played football for BYU.

Tight end Bentley Redden comes to BYU from San Clemente, California. The 6-foot-5 tight end is the No. 90 ranked recruit in the country by 247Sports. As a junior he caught eight passes for 96 yards and a touchdown while tallying 36 tackles and six sacks on defense. Due to California pandemic issues, Redden did not have a senior season. He also plays varsity basketball and is the son of former Cougar defense of lineman Matt Redden. 

Click on the names below for more information about the 2021 BYU recruiting class and the 17 returning previously signed Cougar commits. 

BYU Football 2021 Signing Class (signed on December 16) 

Previously Signed 2021 Additions (signed in previous signing classes)

*January 2021 mid-year enrollees