The 2023 BYU Cougars football team represented

Brigham Young University Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day ...

(BYU) as a member of the

Big 12 Conference The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference headquartered in Irving, Texas, USA. It consists of ten full-member universities. It is a member of Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) for all sports. Its ...

during the

2023 NCAA Division I FBS football season The 2023 NCAA Division I FBS football season is the 154th season of college football in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at its highest level of competition, the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). ...

. The Cougars were led by eighth-year head coach

Kalani Sitake Kelaokalani Fifita "Kalani" Sitake (born October 10, 1975) is a Tongan–American football coach and former player. He has been the head football coach at Brigham Young University (BYU) since December 2015, and is the first Tongan to become a ...

and played their home games at

LaVell Edwards Stadium LaVell Edwards Stadium is an outdoor athletic stadium in the western United States, on the campus of Brigham Young University (BYU) in Provo, Utah. Primarily used for college football, it is the home field of the BYU Cougars, an independent in the ...

. The season was the first year that BYU competed in the Big 12.

Offseason

Coaching changes

On November 28, 2022

defensive coordinator A defensive coordinator is a coach responsible for a gridiron football (American football) team's defense. Generally, the defensive coordinator, the offensive coordinator and the special teams coordinator represent the second level of a team's c ...

Ilaisa Tuiaki announced his resignation. On December 7, 2022

Jay Hill Jay D. Hill (born December 27, 1952) is a Canadian politician who served as the Conservative Member of Parliament (MP) for the riding of Prince George—Peace River in British Columbia from 1993 to 2010. He served as Government House Leader ...

was announced as his replacement leaving his head coaching position at

Weber State University Weber State University (pronounced ) is a public university in Ogden, Utah. It was founded in 1889 as Weber Stake Academy. It is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. History Weber State University was founded ...

. Hill was also given the title of associate head coach replacing

Ed Lamb Claude Edward Lamb III (born March 4, 1974) is an American college football coach and former player. In December 2022, he was named as the head football coach at the University of Northern Colorado. Lamb served as the head football coach at South ...

who was named the

Head coach A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches. In some sports, the head coach is instead called the "manager", as in assoc ...

Northern Colorado Northern Colorado is the name for a region in the state of Colorado and a proposed state in the northeastern portion of Colorado. Region Northern Colorado is a region in the northern portion of Colorado. It borders northwestern Colorado, nort ...

. Preston Hadley joined Lamb at

as the

Kelly Poppinga Kelly Scott Poppinga (born January 31, 1982) is an American football coach and former player. He is the special teams coordinator and defensive coach at the Brigham Young University (BYU). He is the younger brother of National Football League (NFL ...

returned to BYU after stints with the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United S ...

and

Boise State University Boise State University (BSU) is a public research university in Boise, Idaho. Founded in 1932 by the Episcopal Church, it became an independent junior college in 1934 and has been awarding baccalaureate and master's degrees It became a publ ...

as the

special teams coordinator In American football, the specific role that a player takes on the field is referred to as their "position". Under the modern rules of American football, both teams are allowed 11 players on the field at one time and have "unlimited free substitu ...

and defensive assistant. On December 20, 2022, former NFL player

Sione Pouha Sione Sonasi "Bo" Po'uha ( ; born February 3, 1979) is a former American football coach and former defensive tackle. On December 20 2022, Sione accepted the position to be the defensive tackles coach at Brigham Young University football. He previ ...

was hired as a defensive assistant coach. On January 2, 2023, it was announced that Kevin Clune was not retained and the final defensive assistant coaching position was announced as

Justin Ena Justin Peato Ena (born November 20, 1977) is an American football coach and former linebacker who is currently the linebackers coach at Brigham Young University football. He played college football at BYU and in the National Football League for ...

who played for the cougars and coached with Hill previously.

2023 recruits

2022 returned missionaries

2023 other additions

2023 departures

Schedule

Rankings

Game summaries

Sam Houston

Sources: Brigham Young University entered the season at home against the transitioning FCS to FBS team,

Sam Houston State Sam Houston State University (SHSU or Sam) is a public university in Huntsville, Texas. It was founded in 1879 and is the third-oldest public college or university in Texas. It is one of the first normal schools west of the Mississippi River and ...

. BYU were favorites to win the game, especially at home. BYU started off the game with an 8 play, 50 yard drive ending it with a 5-yard

Kedon Slovis Kedon Slovis (born April 11, 2001) is an American football quarterback for the BYU Cougars. Slovis attended and played high school football at Desert Mountain High School in Scottsdale, Arizona. For college, he played his first three years at ...

touchdown run. Two quarters went by with no score attempted by both the Cougars and Bearkats, before an 11-play, 55 yard touchdown drive in the fourth quarter, and Kedon Slovis ended the drive with a 1 yard touchdown run. The Cougars ended off the game winning 14-0 in their first ever meeting with Sam Houston State. ----

Southern Utah

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Arkansas

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Kansas

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Cincinnati

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TCU

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Texas Tech

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No. 7 Texas

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West Virginia

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Iowa State

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No. 14 Oklahoma

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No. 20 Oklahoma State

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Personnel

Coaching staff

Roster

Depth Chart

References

For information on BYU's other athletic sports this season please check out the following: {{BYU Cougars football navbox

BYU Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day S ...

BYU Cougars football seasons

BYU Cougars football The BYU Cougars football team is the college football program representing Brigham Young University (BYU) in Provo, Utah. The Cougars began collegiate football competition in 1922, and have won 23 conference championships and one national champion ...