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What Jay Hill and Kelly Poppinga are doing to improve BYU’s defense in 2025

The BYU football team’s defense in 2024 didn’t have many weaknesses as the Cougars rolled to an 11-2 record and impressive 36-14 win over Travis Hunter, Shedeur Sanders and the Colorado Buffaloes in the Alamo Bowl.

If there was a deficiency on the defensive side of the ball that kept BYU from going undefeated in Big 12 play and making the College Football Playoff, it was probably the lack of sacks. That, and the inability to get off the field consistently on third down.

BYU had 20 sacks in 13 games, 1.54 per game, last season. That put the Cougars tied for 108th with Washington and West Virginia, out of 133 teams in the Football Bowl Subdivision.

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The Cougars allowed opponents to convert on 41.1% of their third-down chances, ranking 85th in the country in that defensive category.

While they acknowledged Monday at the BYU Football Media Golf Classic that they were generally pleased with how the defense performed last year, defensive coordinator Jay Hill and edge rushers coach Kelly Poppinga said they truly believe help is on the way in improving BYU’s sack totals.

In short, they have beefed up the defensive line, bringing in Utah transfer Keanu Tanuvasa and Oklahoma State transfer Justin Kirkland. Those are guys who could command double teams.

As far as edge rushers, they’ve brought it Texas transfer Tausili Akana, Southern Utah transfer Anisi Purcell and returned missionary Hunter Clegg, who signed with Utah before his church service.

“This is far and away the deepest we’ve been since I’ve been here,” Poppinga said. “Now it is just about getting everybody caught up to speed with repetitions and game situations and all that stuff, just getting them ready for the season. But yeah, I feel really good about the entire group.”

Regarding the edge rushers, the guys who are expected to get the most sacks, Poppinga said junior Bodie Schoonover and sophomore Viliami Po’uha have been impressive in spring camp and summer workouts, and that Akana has the potential to be an all-conference-type player. Super senior Logan Lutui is also back and as healthy as ever.

“We have a ton of youth there, and not a lot of playing experience, but I think we are really talented, as talented as I can remember over the last three years,” Poppinga continued.

After spring camp concluded, Hill said one of his biggest worries was depth at the defensive tackle positions. Bringing in the 6-foot-3, 345-pound Kirkland, who prepped at Roy High, represents a major upgrade.

“We tried to get more athletic off the edge — improve our pass rush,” Hill said Monday. “I think we’ve done that with some of our new personnel. We’ve also gotten bigger inside with guys like Keanu Tanuvasa, Justin Kirkland, JT (John Taumoepeau) and others.

“I loved our D-line last year, they played great, but some were playing slightly out of position,” Hill continued. “So we’ve tried to get those fits tighter.”

Of course, BYU also lost some key defenders to the transfer portal, most notably linebacker Harrison Taggart (Cal), defensive tackle Josh Singh (Vanderbilt), defensive tackle David Latu (Boise State), safety Crew Wakley (Purdue), defensive back Micah Harper (Montana) and linebacker Sione Moa (UConn).

“We had guys come to me saying, ‘Coach, I need to know I’m the starter.’ And I said, ‘Be the starter. Earn it. I’m not guaranteeing anything,’” Hill told ESPN 960. “‘That’s not fair to the 105 other guys fighting for that spot. If you want to be built for the NFL, you can’t expect guarantees. If you can’t beat out the guys at BYU, how are you going to make it in the NFL?’”

Hill also said that despite the lack of sacks, the Cougars still created a lot of havoc and chaos defensively, evidenced by them recording 22 interceptions and recovering seven fumbles. They tied Texas for most interceptions in the country, although the Longhorns played three more games.

“We weren’t high in sacks, but we led the nation in interceptions. That’s because of the chaos we created,” Hill said. “Quarterbacks were throwing off their back foot and rushing their reads. Our disguises and pressures made them uncomfortable. … I am not going to bang my head against a wall blitzing six guys (against max protect). I would rather show pressure, drop into coverage, and confuse them.”

The Cougars were 24th in turnover margin (+8), and 13th in total defense, allowing just 308.8 yards per game.

“Last year, the sum was greater than the individual parts,” Hill told ESPN 960. “It was a great defense. We had smart guys doing their jobs and trusting each other. … Recruiting is getting better each year. The Big 12 (membership) helps. Our depth is stronger. Yeah, we lost some key guys. But I don’t think enough people understand how good they were. Still, we are just scratching the surface of what BYU can be, talent-wise.”