Taysom Hill Tops List Of Greatest Cougars In Last Decade

PROVO, Utah – From 2010 to 2019, BYU football hasn’t had the banner year that fans crave. But the Cougars have had some tremendous individual talent come through their program.

The College Football Hall of Fame recently put out their All-Decade team from 2010 to 2019, so what better time to reflect on the best of the best from the BYU football program in this decade?

KSL Sports compiled the best BYU football players who have played from 2010 to today.

Quarterback

Taysom Hill, 2012-2016

Easy choice here. Taysom Hill had games where he struggled to pass the ball, but he was always an elite quarterback for BYU because of his dual-threat ability.

BYU’s win at Texas in 2014 and Taysom’s hurdle of Longhorn defenders might be the signature moments of the past decade. You can’t help but wonder what could have been for Taysom had he stayed healthy during his BYU career.

This touchdown pass by Taysom Hill to Nick Kurtz is one of his best passes of the season. #BYUvsSUU #BYU #BYUFOOTBALL pic.twitter.com/nqJu8QK31i

— Jeremiah Jensen (@JJSportsBeat) November 12, 2016

The lone season that Taysom stayed healthy throughout the entire year was 2013. In that season, Hill racked up 2,938 yards passing and ran for 1,344.

Running Back

Jamaal Williams, 2012-2014, 2016

Jamaal Williams final touchdown as a BYU Cougar. He rushed for 210 yards and finishes his college career with 3901 yards rushing and 35 TD's pic.twitter.com/wrVgHnudRs

— Jeremiah Jensen (@JJSportsBeat) December 22, 2016

Williams arrived at BYU as a lightly recruited running back out of Fontana, California, and left Provo as the school’s all-time leading rusher. In 2016, the “Swagdaddy” was a feature back in BYU’s offense and helped the Cougars win nine games in Kalani Sitake’s first season.

Wide Receiver

Cody Hoffman, 2009-2013

Coming out of high school, Hoffman had only two scholarship offers to play college football. Those two schools were BYU and Sacramento State from the FCS ranks. Hoffman chose wisely as he arrived at BYU and became the school’s all-time leading receiver with 3,612 yards.

BYU fans: Relive Riley Nelson's game winning touchdown pass to Cody Hoffman in the @ArmedForcesBowl http://t.co/nTyV5PcT #BYU

— Jeremiah Jensen (@JJSportsBeat) January 2, 2012

Mitch Mathews, 2009, 2012-2015

Mathews was a massive target for quarterbacks to throw to him standing at 6-6. In his BYU career, Mathews had six games over 100 yards receiving and ended up 12th all-time in career receiving yards.

His signature moment was the touchdown grab at Nebraska in 2015 in the season opener as time expired.

Jordan Leslie, 2014

The UTEP graduate transfer only played one year for BYU, but he made an instant impact racking up 779 receiving yards and hauling in six touchdown receptions. Since his playing days at BYU ended, Leslie has remained close to Cougar fans and the BYU football program.

Tight End

Matt Bushman, 2017-PRESENT

Up until Matt Bushman’s arrival at BYU, the tight end position was non-existent for the Cougars. You could make the case that Terren Houk was a “tight end” but he was of a wide receiver during his playing days with the Cougars. Bushman is a tight end and he’s improving in his blocking. He could finish his career as one of BYU’s best tight ends ever if he has big seasons in the next two years.

Offensive Line

*Note: KSL Sports selected the five best BYU linemen in this past decade regardless of position.

Matt Reynolds, 2007-2011

When Reynolds signed with BYU out of Timpview High, he was one of the highest-rated offensive line prospects in the country. Reynolds was a four-year starter at left tackle for the Cougars.

Braden Hansen, 2009-2012

A four-year starter, Hansen primarily played right guard in his BYU career. Saw limited reps at offensive tackle for cross-training purposes, but was a physical force in the trenches.

De’Ondre Wesley, 2013-2014

In the 2013 recruiting class, the newly hired offensive coordinator -at the time- Robert Anae signed a handful of junior college offensive linemen for an immediate influx of talent in the trenches. Only one guy panned out of those signings and it was De’Ondre Wesley. Wesley started two years for BYU and later went on to an NFL career where he is still playing today.

Tejan Koroma, 2014-2017

During the fall camp of 2014, a two-star recruit from Texas was pushing Rimington Award candidate Edward Fusi to be BYU’s starting center. That player was Tejan Koroma and he ended up taking over the starting center spot from Fusi. Koroma never looked back and started four consecutive years at center for the Cougars.

James Empey, 2017-PRESENT

Going with a current BYU player in this spot for a couple of reasons. One, Empey is talented and was graded as one of the best centers in college football in 2018. But also, BYU had a shortage of big, humongous offensive linemen earlier in the decade. Empey is a technician and his best football is still ahead of him.

Defensive Line

*Note: KSL Sports selected the four best BYU linemen in this past decade regardless of position. (4-3 scheme)

Bronson Kaufusi, 2012-2015

The Provo native grew up in the shadows of BYU and became one of the best pass rushers for the Cougars in the past decade. Despite playing out of position in 2013 at outside linebacker, Kaufusi had 26.5 sacks in his four seasons for BYU.

For @Ravens fans here is a sample of what Bronson Kaufusi did as a senior @BYUCougars #2016NFLDraft #BaltimoreRavens pic.twitter.com/T4iAtzTR7b

— Jeremiah Jensen (@JJSportsBeat) April 30, 2016

Travis Tuiloma, 2010-2011, 2014-2016

When Tuiloma was healthy during his BYU career, and that wasn’t often, unfortunately, he was dominant in stopping the run. Two games in Tuiloma’s highlight his dominance and both were in 2015. The Nebraska and Vegas Bowl against Utah. Both of those contests Tuiloma suffered injuries at times when he couldn’t be blocked.

Eathyn Manumaleuna, 2007, 2010-2013

Arrived at BYU as a 17-year-old kid and became a starter in his first season in the program. Manumaleuna got a hand up on UCLA’s Kai Forbath’s field goal attempt in the 2007 Las Vegas Bowl that gave BYU a one-point victory. Whether it was at defensive end or nose tackle, Manumaleuna was really good along BYU’s defensive line and was sound in his gap assignments.

Ezekiel Ansah, 2010-2012

Ansah tried to walk-on to the BYU basketball team after arriving in Provo from Ghana. He didn’t get a shot at basketball so he tried his hand at football. Bronco Mendenhall saw him and basically said, yeah, I can work with you. Ansah was 6-6, 270-pounds and a freak athlete that had endless potential. He just needed to learn the game. He learned the game once he stepped into a starting role during his senior season in 2012 recording 62 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, and 4.5 sacks.

Linebacker

Kyle Van Noy, 2010-2013

Kyle Van Noy had one of the greatest individual performances in BYU bowl history. Here are the highlights: http://t.co/nOhRLeel

— Jeremiah Jensen (@JJSportsBeat) December 21, 2012

Van Noy is one of the best defensive playmakers that BYU has had this past decade and in the history of the program. There were games during Van Noy’s career where he was the only man on the field for BYU that was able to generate points. He was dominant. His path to BYU was hard as he had to sit out in 2009 after signing due to a DUI arrest, but he stuck with the program and went on to be one of the school’s best linebackers of all-time.

Sione Takitaki, 2014-2018

Last season, Takitaki ended his BYU career on a high note racking up 19 tackles in a Famous Idaho Potato Bowl win. When Takitaki signed with BYU in 2014, he had some off-the-field issues and it took a team vote to get him to join the program when he arrived. He immediately had an ability to get to the quarterback and generate a pass rush. He missed the entire 2016 season before returning in 2017 to play defensive end. Then in 2018, he flourished at the outside and then inside linebacker spots.

Fred Warner, 2014-2017

Not many Southern California kids turn down USC to attend BYU. Fred Warner was one of those guys. It worked out for Warner as he piled 264 tackles, 32 tackles for loss, and 6.5 sacks en route to a career in the National Football League.

Cornerback

Preston Hadley, 2011-2012

When Hadley transferred to BYU out of Snow College, he was an under-the-radar recruit. But there was nothing under-the-radar about him when he arrived in Provo. Hadley was a two-year starter at cornerback and was instrumental in helping BYU’s 2012 defense be No. 3 in total defense nationally, only behind the two teams that played in the National Championship game that season, Alabama and Notre Dame.

Dayan Ghanwoloku, 2015-PRESENT

Anytime BYU needs a big play or a tackle, Ghanwoloku comes up big. Ghanwoloku is at his best at cornerback and is one of the better tacklers in the BYU football program from the secondary.

Safety

Kai Nacua, 2013-2016

Final: @BYUfootball stuns No. 20 Boise State, 35-24 behind 309 yards, 2 TDs from Tanner Mangum and 3 INTs from Kai Nacua.

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) September 13, 2015

Some might remember Nacua for his involvement in the Miami Beach Bowl. Most of BYU fans remember him as one of the best safeties to ever come through BYU. Nacua became a starter for the Cougars in 2014 after Craig Bills suffered career-ending injuries. Bronco Mendenhall praised Nacua’s ability stating there wasn’t a drop-off from Bills to Nacua and that they were excited about his future.

In Nacua’s career, he racked an eye-popping 14 interceptions during his time at BYU.

Daniel Sorensen, 2008, 2011-2013

In Sorensen’s freshman season he saw time at linebacker. When he returned home from serving a two-year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Sorensen became a star in BYU’s secondary at safety where he started for three seasons. In Sorensen’s senior season in 2013, he was one of the leaders nationally in pass breakups with 12 PBU’s.

 

Kicker

Mitch Payne, 2007-2010

Payne is BYU’s career scoring leader with 334 points. Payne, the younger brother to hard-hitting Matt Payne, had a career field goal attempt percentage at 74.6% and he made 96% of his PATs.

Punter

Riley Stephenson, 2009-2012

In the 2012 Poinsettia Bowl, Kyle Van Noy draws all the headlines but for anyone that remembers, punter Riley Stephenson was on point in that game. Six of his eight punts landed inside the 20 and it was the perfect cap to a solid career that saw Stephenson post a career average of 42.9 yards per punt.

 

Kick/Punt Returners

Cody Hoffman, 2009-2013

In 2011, Hoffman returned a kickoff 93 yards for a touchdown against UCF.

Adam Hine, 2011-2015

In 2014, when BYU was ranked and undefeated, Hine housed a kickoff 99 yards against Virginia. That season Hine averaged 24.5 yards per return and that number would have been higher had it not been for a few large returns that were called back due to block in the back penalties.

Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for KSLsports.com and host of the Cougar Tracks Podcast and Cougar Sports Saturday (Saturday from 12-3 pm) on KSL Newsradio. Follow him on Twitter: @Mitch_Harper.