QB
C+Top-3 of 74.7.
**Dynasty-start roster (CFB 26)**DC Rating 6.7 / 10
BYU
Talent Developer Sitake with the rare A coach stability at 3-prestige and a 4-deep junior cluster running Power Spread plus 4-3 Multiple.
The Dynasty Verdict
If you want a Kalani Sitake program where rare A coach stability at 3 prestige meets a 4-deep junior cluster, BYU is the Big 12 team built on staff continuity rather than recruiting volume. Roberts anchors the senior offense at 90 with awareness 95. Kelly takes the senior WILL snaps at stamina 97. Martin returns at junior HB with toughness 95. Glasker reads run-pass at junior SAM with play recognition 93. The home pipeline is Utah Tier-4, the only above-Tier-2 reach on the entire board, which puts Sitake's Mountain West class at the center of the recruiting plan.
What makes BYU different from the other 3-prestige Big 12 program in the editorial set is the company it keeps. Iowa State under Campbell asks you to ride a 5-deep junior cluster under A-/A- coach grades plus seven Tier-2 reaches that compensate for the missing Tier-4 home. BYU asks you to ride a 4-deep junior cluster under B+/A coach grades plus a Utah Tier-4 home that concentrates recruiting where stability matters most. Same conference, same prestige tier, opposite trade-off: ISU widens the recruiting board to compensate for prestige; BYU concentrates it under stronger stability.
The 6.7 lands on Sitake's stability advantage. A coach stability at 3 prestige is genuinely rare: BYU is the only sub-3.5 Power-conference program with an A-or-higher stability mark, and Oklahoma State at 3.5 is the only other Power-conference program at 3.5-or-below prestige with that stability tier. The catch is the 79 overall and the C+ QB grade that asks Year 1's offense to carry the roster on Roberts plus Martin alone. Don't pick BYU for a Year 1 ceiling chase. Pick BYU for the slow-compound dynasty where Sitake's stability holds the four-junior bridge together long enough for the Year 1 recruiting class to inherit Year 2's senior identity.
Head Coach
Kalani Sitake
Talent DeveloperSitake is a Talent Developer archetype with B+ coach prestige and A coach stability — the rare A-grade stability mark at the 3-prestige tier. Sitake has built BYU on staff continuity and player development at a tier where most peers churn coaches every three years. The launch hands him six seniors (Roberts, Kelly, Ryan, Lapuaho, Ferrin, Kirkland) and four juniors (Martin, Glasker, Tanuvasa, Johnson) — a roster shape that lets the seniors carry Year 1 while the underclass earns the prestige climb. The catch is the 3-prestige starting point: A stability holds the program together, but it can't out-recruit the top of the Big 12 on Mountain West home pipelines alone.
Team at a Glance
| Conference | Big 12 |
|---|---|
| Head Coach | Kalani Sitake · Talent Developer |
| Team Prestige | 3 stars |
| Team Overall (in-game) | 79 |
| Top Position Group | Linebacker · B+ · top-3 avg 85.0 |
| Weakest Position Group | Tight End · C- · top-3 avg 69.7 |
| Stadium Atmosphere | B |
| Brand Exposure | B |
| Coach Prestige | B+ |
| Coach Stability | A |
| Top-10 Senior Departures After Year 1 | 6 of 10 |
Top 10 Players
By overall rating at dynasty start
| # | Player | Pos | Yr | OVR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Chase Roberts | WR | Sr | 90 | Awareness 95 |
| 02 | Jack Kelly | WILL | Sr | 89 | Stamina 97 |
| 03 | LJ Martin | HB | Jr | 89 | Toughness 95 |
| 04 | Isaiah Glasker | SAM | Jr | 88 | Play Recognition 93 |
| 05 | Keanu Tanuvasa | DT | Jr | 85 | Toughness 93 |
| 06 | Carsen Ryan | TE | Sr | 84 | Stamina 92 |
| 07 | Weylin Lapuaho | LG | Sr | 83 | Stamina 94 |
| 08 | Evan Johnson | CB | Jr | 82 | Speed 96 |
| 09 | Will Ferrin | K | Sr | 82 | Kick Power 91 |
| 10 | Justin Kirkland | DT | Sr | 81 | Strength 97 |
Position Group Grades
RB
BMartin at 89 (junior, toughness 95). Top-3 of 81.3.
WR
BRoberts at 90 (senior, awareness 95). Top-3 of 82.7.
TE
C-Ryan at 84 (senior, stamina 92). Top-3 of 69.7.
OL
BLapuaho at LG (83, senior, stamina 94). Top-3 of 80.7.
DL
BTanuvasa at DT (85, junior, toughness 93), Kirkland at DT (81, senior, strength 97). Top-3 of 81.0.
LB
B+Kelly at WILL (89, senior, stamina 97), Glasker at SAM (88, junior, play recognition 93). Top-3 of 85.0, the strongest unit on the roster.
DB
BJohnson at CB (82, junior, speed 96). Top-3 of 81.0.
ST
CFerrin at K (82, senior, kick power 91). Top-3 of 72.3.
Recommended Playbooks
Offense
Power Spread (BYU Default)
Run Power Spread because the senior WR plus junior HB pair carries the design. Roberts gets open at awareness 95 and medium route running 94. Martin carries the rotations at toughness 95 and stamina 92. Lapuaho anchors the LG at stamina 94. The C+ QB grade is the structural risk: the Year 1 QB has to manage games more than win them.
Why this fits
A senior WR1, a junior power HB, and a senior interior OL match the Power Spread's run-first identity. Martin's junior eligibility carries the multi-year backfield bridge into Year 2.
Defense
4-3 Multiple (BYU Default)
Run the 4-3 Multiple because the LB pair plus the DT rotation anchors the front-seven. Kelly stays on the field every snap at stamina 97. Glasker reads run-pass at play recognition 93. Tanuvasa plays the interior at toughness 93. Kirkland adds a second DT anchor at strength 97. Johnson at junior CB locks the boundary at speed 96.
Why this fits
A B+ LB grade and two top-10 DTs give the 4-3 Multiple Year 1 cohesion. The Glasker-Tanuvasa-Johnson junior trio carries the multi-year defensive bridge.
Recruiting Outlook
Pipeline regions
- UtahTier 4
- HawaiiTier 2
- ArizonaTier 2
- Southern CaliforniaTier 2
- Northern CaliforniaTier 1
- Pacific NorthwestTier 1
- NevadaTier 1
- South CarolinaTier 1
- Big SkyTier 1
- North TexasTier 1
You'll recruit hard in Utah. The in-state Tier-4 pipeline is the only above-Tier-2 reach, and the three Tier-2 reaches (Hawaii, Arizona, Southern California) extend the regional plan to a four-state Mountain-West-and-Pacific band. Below those four, the visit budget gets thin: six Tier-1 long-distance reaches that aren't worth the spend. Sitake at B+ coach prestige can land specific recruits the bigger Big 12 schools also want, but the recruiting math doesn't compound the way Sanders's A+ pull does at Colorado or Campbell's seven-T2 spread does at Iowa State.
Position priorities for Year 1 are dictated by the 6-senior cliff at WR/WILL/TE/LG/K/DT. Wide receiver is critical. Roberts graduates after Year 1; the Year 1 WR recruit becomes Year 2's identity. After WR, replacement OL behind Lapuaho, replacement TE behind Ryan, replacement DT depth behind Kirkland.
Avoid the deep South and Plains entirely beyond a single targeted player. The Tier-1 cluster (Northern California, Pacific Northwest, Nevada, South Carolina, Big Sky, North Texas) is for filling specific position gaps with single-player targets only.
Your Year-by-Year Path with BYU
Year 1
The Senior Setup Year
You're inheriting a 3-prestige roster with a 79 overall and the rare A coach stability at the prestige tier. Don't experiment. Run Power Spread, lean the Year 1 QB on Roberts and Martin, let Kelly and Glasker run the LB level. Year 1 is bowl eligibility and a 6-7 win baseline where the senior anchors hold and the junior cluster develops in real reps. While you're winning, sign the Year 1 WR recruit and the Year 1 OL class that Sitake's B+ coach prestige closes.
Goal
Big 12 bowl eligibility, 6-7 wins, top-25 recruiting class with WR and OL at the top, the senior anchors and Martin carry Year 1.
Years 2-3
The Junior-to-Senior Window
Six senior anchors graduate. Martin, Glasker, Tanuvasa, and Johnson become seniors. The Year 1 WR recruit becomes Year 2 starter behind Glasker's senior LB. Sitake's Talent Developer archetype combined with A coach stability means the recruits arrive coached and the system holds together across the cliff.
Goal
7-8 wins, Martin at 91+ as a senior, top-25 recruiting class maintained.
Year 4+
The Stability Compound
By Year 4, the question is whether Sitake's stability translated into a 3.5-prestige climb. The recruiting math runs through whoever the Year 1-2 classes became. If they hit, BYU climbs a tier. If they don't, the program holds 3 prestige with stable coaching — a worse outcome than other 3-prestige peers face when their staff churns.
Goal
3.5-prestige climb with the Talent Developer system intact.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is BYU good for dynasty mode in CFB 26?
Yes for a Talent Developer Sitake stability project with a 4-deep junior cluster, with caveats. BYU enters CFB 26 with a 79-overall roster, B+ coach prestige and A coach stability Sitake under a Talent Developer archetype, and Roberts at WR senior 90 plus Kelly at WILL senior 89 anchoring Year 1. The 3-prestige floor and narrow Mountain West pipeline are the structural caps.
What's BYU's prestige in CFB 26?
BYU enters CFB 26 with a 3-star prestige rating, paired with B+ coach prestige and A coach stability — the rare A-grade stability mark at the 3-prestige tier. The Tier-4 Utah home plus three Tier-2 West Coast reaches gives BYU a Mountain-West-and-Pacific recruiting structure that's narrower than peer Big 12 programs.
What playbook does BYU use in CFB 26?
Sitake's BYU runs the Power Spread offense and the 4-3 Multiple defense. The Power Spread fits Roberts at WR, Martin at HB, and Lapuaho at LG. The 4-3 Multiple deploys Kelly at WILL (89, senior, stamina 97), Glasker at SAM (88, junior, play recognition 93), and Tanuvasa at DT (85, junior, toughness 93).
Who is BYU's best player in College Football 26?
Chase Roberts at 90 OVR, senior wide receiver, with awareness 95, medium route running 94, and jumping 90. Roberts is the highest-rated player on the roster and the Year 1 anchor of Sitake's Power Spread. Jack Kelly at WILL (89, senior, stamina 97) and LJ Martin at HB (89, junior, toughness 95) round out a senior-junior top three.
Should I rebuild BYU or take an easier team?
BYU is a Talent Developer stability project, not a Year 1 CFP contender. The Year 1 ceiling is bowl eligibility plus a four-junior cluster developing in real reps; the Year 2-3 floor depends on whether Sitake converts the junior-to-senior compound into a 3-to-3.5 prestige climb. Take BYU if you want the rare A coach stability at 3 prestige with a Talent Developer system. If you want a wider regional pipeline at the same prestige tier, look at Iowa State.