Here's how Cougars recruiting is going this summer Deseret News

New BYU basketball coach Kevin Young has made headlines across the country over the past two months with his recruiting success, having landed three four-star prospects and Russian Egor Demin, a projected first-round pick in next summer's NBA draft .

Meanwhile, BYU's football coaches have also been hard at work, albeit in a less noticeable way. June has been a big month in that regard for the Cougars and all college football programs, as members of the 2025 signing class are the main focus.

That's right. BYU coaches have shifted their focus from assembling the final few pieces of the 2024 roster through the transfer portal and have spent the past three weeks conducting camps and hosting official and unofficial campus visits by some of the top prospects in the country.

Head coach Kalani Sitake told the Deseret News nearly three weeks ago that BYU continues to cast a wider net for recruits as it prepares to play its second season in the Big 12. He said there may be just one or two more additions are via the portal to the 2024 team.

The Cougars would like another top-tier defenseman, such as a cornerback to replace Eddie Heckard or a nose tackle to make up for the last-minute departure of junior college transfer Danny Saili, now at Arkansas.

The amount of interest and the doors we're getting are much different than a few years ago, Sitake said. As I have said before, our participation in the Big 12 has raised our profile, especially among children who are not members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which BYU supports and operates.

As of Friday afternoon, BYU had seven commitments from members of the 2025 recruiting class, although it should be noted that this has been a huge recruiting weekend for the Cougars, with more than a dozen prospects with offers from BYU on campus for a few days since last Monday .

Generally, Sitake had a group of prospects in town Tuesday through Thursday, followed by another group that arrived Thursday and was scheduled to leave Sunday. Obviously BYU is hoping to get as many commitments as possible before the calendar turns to July, but Sitake said that isn't critical.

Finding the right guys who really want to be at BYU and can thrive there is the priority, he said.

7 prospects from the 2025 class have committed

More on these important prospects soon. First, here's a look at the seven recruits who already said they will be future Cougars; all seven are three-star recruits, according to him 247sports.com:

• Will Walker, a towering 6-foot-4, 210-pound kicker from Riverton, Utah, High was the first prospect from the class of 2025 to commit, having already committed in July 2022, before his sophomore year of high school.
• Tyler Payne, a 6-2, 210-pound linebacker and tight end from northern Utah's Weber High. Payne committed in January and is the son of former BYU kicker and punter Matt Payne. He made 115 tackles for the Warriors last season.
• Blake Bryce, a 6-5, 228-pound tight end from Newbury Park High in California, committed in mid-March and also the son of a former Cougar. His father, Gary Bryce, played tight end for the Cougars in the early 2000s.
• Cale Breslin, a 5-11, 190-pound running back from Las Vegas (Faith Lutheran High) became the fourth player to commit and committed back on May 10. Breslin also received offers from Wisconsin, Syracuse and Indiana, according to 247Sports.com.
• Kelepi Vete, a 6-5, 250-pound offensive lineman from Oakland, California, committed to BYU a few days after Breslin did. Vete's twin brother, Siosiua, has committed to Stanford.
• Sale Fano, an edge rusher from Westlake High in Saratoga Springs, committed on May 23. He is the cousin of former BYU player and current Ute Logan Fano.
• Nolan Keeney, a 6-4, 215-pound quarterback from Tualatin, Oregon, became the seventh player to commit to Sitake, pledging on June 6. Brandon Huffman from 247sports.com called Keeney the top-rated quarterback in the Pacific Northwest in the class of 2025. He had offers from Houston, Boise State and San Diego State.

Here are more top BYU targets from the class of 2025

According to Cougar Sports Insider on the website 247sports.com network and Cougs Daily of the SI.com network, the aforementioned Breslin, Payne, Bryce and Kelepi Vete were on BYU's campus last week for visits, along with more than a dozen other prospects who have offers from BYU.

Cyrus Polu, a three-star linebacker from St. Georges Desert Hills High, visited BYU the previous week. Polu was at UCLA on Tuesday and Wednesday and received an offer from the Big Ten-bound Bruins. He also has offers from Utah, Stanford, Michigan State and others and is considered a high priority for all of those schools.

The Cougars have also hosted and are targeting Spanish Fork offensive lineman Aaron Dunn, a four-star prospect who stands 6-7 and weighs nearly 300 pounds. Dunn visits Oregon this weekend, per 247sports.comand also has offers from Utah, USC, UCLA and Texas, among others.

Another top BYU target is Lone Peak OL Austin Pay, the 6-6, 295-pound brother of current BYU center Connor Pay. Austin Pay has offers from Oregon, Baylor, Texas A&M and Arkansas, among others.

Other top BYU targets in town early last week

• Nusi Taumoepeau, a linebacker/edge rusher from Westlake High in Saratoga Springs. Taumoepeau has said that he will announce his choice of study on his birthday, August 1. His top five consists of BYU, Utah, Stanford, Cal and Oklahoma State.
• Stevie Amar, a tight end from Oaks Christian High in Southern California. Amar, a three-star prospect, has done just that offers from Boston College, Baylor, Cal, Arizona State and others.
• Cole Cogshell, an edge rusher from Pasadena, California, 6-3, 240 and also coveted by San Diego State, Boston College and Colorado State.
• Shelton Manny Fuller, a running back and safety from El Paso, Texas (Del Valle High), who also has offers from Utah, Texas Tech, Oregon State and Baylor.

Here are some of BYU's most prominent visitors this weekend:

• Jackson Doman, a linebacker and tight end of Canby, Oregon, the cousin of former BYU player Sam Doman.
• Lamason Waller, a 6-2, 170-pound receiver from Hesperia, California (Sultana High). Recruitment expert Greg Biggins from 247sports.com has predicted Waller will commit to BYU despite offers from dozens of Power Four programs.
• Andrew Williams, a 6-7, 275-pound offensive lineman of Kirksville, Missouri, who did offers from BYU's Big 12 rivals such as Kansas State, Iowa State and Kansas. Williams is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints but has told reporters he has no missionary plans.
• Sam Turner, a 6-1, 195-pound receiver from DeKalb, Georgia, who committed to Georgia Tech on June 9 but is apparently still making the pre-scheduled visit to BYU this weekend. Turner was teammates in high school with BYU defensive end Therrian Tre Alexander III.
• Siosiua Vete, the 6-5, 250-pound defensive lineman and twin brother from BYU commit Kelepi Vete, who is also in Provo this weekend.
• McKay Madsen, a 6-2, 220-pound athlete from Clovis, California, (Clovis North High), who plays running back and linebacker in high school and also excels in track and field, discussion throwing and shot put. Madsen also has offers from UCLA, Washington, Arizona and Air Force.