BYU Football’s 100 Greatest Players Of All-Time: Nos. 1-25
May 22, 2024, 9:00 AM
(Graphic by KSL Sports)
PROVO, Utah – BYU football will kick off its 100th season in 2024.
In honor of BYU hitting the century mark, KSL Sports is rolling out our ranking of the 100 greatest players in BYU football history.
Throughout May, we will release 25 players in the countdown to the number one BYU player of all time.
- May 1: 76-100 (Link to list)
- May 8: 51-75 (Link to list)
- May 15: 26-50 (Link to list)
- May 22: 1-25
Here’s the final installment of the countdown with players 25 to 1 on the ranking.
To capture the nostalgia of BYU football, subscribe to the “A Century of Cougar Football” Podcast. The podcast will feature interviews with former BYU stars and an analysis of the rankings uploaded throughout the month.
25. Harvey Unga
Running Back
Hometown: Provo, Utah
Years Played: 2006-2009
When Bronco Mendenhall took over as head coach in 2005, one of his first significant recruiting wins was landing Harvey Unga from nearby Timpview High School. Unga picked BYU over Utah.
Unga took a few years to get his career rolling with the Cougars.
Entering the 2007 season, BYU had to replace all-time leading rusher Curtis Brown. Unga wasn’t viewed as the favorite to win the job, but he emerged as the star back in fall camp and became BYU’s all-time leading rusher at the end of his Cougar career.
Unga rushed for 3,455 yards and 36 touchdowns and averaged 5.0 yards per carry. He was part of a stretch of seasons (2007-2009), one of the best three-year runs in program history.
24. Jaren Hall
Quarterback
Hometown: Spanish Fork, Utah
Years Played: 2018-2019, 2021-2022
The list of programs Jaren Hall defeated in his two seasons as BYU’s starting quarterback is as impressive as any signal-caller in Cougar football history.
Hall earned victories over Arizona, Arizona State, Boise State, Baylor, Stanford, Washington State, Virginia, USC, and others.
During his career at BYU, Hall passed for 6,294 yards. He had an incredible ability to take care of the football. During his two seasons as the starter, Hall only had 12 interceptions to 52 touchdown passes.
Along with his passing ability, Hall was a good athlete running the ball. He rushed for 813 yards in his BYU career.
23. Leon White
Linebacker
Hometown: San Diego, California
Years Played: 1982-1985
BYU’s National Championship team in 1984 featured do-it-all outside linebacker Leon White.
White earned Defensive Player MVP honors in BYU’s Holiday Bowl win over Michigan to cap off the National Championship run.
The combination of size and speed made White a terror for opposing offenses. He could cover a lot of ground in a short period of time.
White finished with 249 tackles, 17 sacks, 19 pass breakups, and 42 quarterback hurries during his BYU career.
22. Tyler Allgeier
Running Back
Hometown: Fontana, California
Years Played: 2018-2021
Another great walk-on to star at BYU is Tyler Allgeier. A native of Fontana, California, Allgeier was a highly productive high school running back but had no scholarship offers. BYU gave him a chance to be a preferred walk-on. The rest is history.
Like most walk-ons, Allgeier didn’t enter the spotlight right away during his BYU career.
Allgeier redshirted his first year, appearing in four games in 2018. Then, in 2019, BYU coaches switched him to linebacker, where he accumulated 26 tackles.
He switched back to running back later that season due to injuries and never looked back from there.
Allgeier’s breakout performance was a 132-yard outing against Navy in the season opener in 2020.
In 2021, Allgeier became the record holder for most rushing yards in a single season with 1,601. Allgeier finished his BYU career with 2,899 yards and 36 touchdowns.
21. Kyle Morrell
Safety
Hometown: Bountiful, Utah
Years Played: 1981-1984
Kyle Morrell was a multi-sport athlete at Viewmont High School. He arrived at BYU as a quarterback, but that didn’t last long. Morrell was quickly switched to safety, where he became an All-American for the Cougars.
Thanks to Morrell, BYU maintained its perfect record in 1984 after a heroic play he made against upset-minded Hawaii.
During the fourth quarter of the matchup with the Rainbow Warriors in ’84, Hawaii was at the half-inch line, ready to score and build on their 13-12 lead against undefeated BYU.
Morrell made a perfectly-timed leaping tackle to stop Rainbow Warriors signal-caller Raphel Cherry at the goal line.
That play remains one of the greatest moments in BYU football history.
Morrell had 232 tackles in his four seasons at BYU and seven interceptions.
20. John Tait
Offensive Tackle
Hometown: Tempe, Arizona
Years Played: 1996-1998
John Tait was a blue-chip recruit in the 1993 recruiting class. He chose the Cougars over Arizona State, Texas, Notre Dame, and others.
The 6-foot-7, 305-pound Tait lived up to the lofty recruiting hype. After serving a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Tennessee, he immediately became a starter at left tackle for BYU.
Tait was a three-year starter for BYU, an All-WAC performer and an All-American during his time in Provo.
19. Mohammed Elewonibi
Offensive Guard
Hometown: Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada
Years Played: 1988-1989
Elewonibi dreamed of being a World Cup soccer player. Instead, he became an Outland Trophy football player at BYU.
Elewonibi never played high school football. He was born in Nigeria and then moved to Canada with his family.
From there, he took on football after a recommendation from his friend, who also played college football. Elewonibi ended up at Snow College.
Two years later, he signed with BYU.
In 1989, Elewonibi was a starting guard and earned the Outland Trophy for protecting BYU quarterback Ty Detmer.
18. Zach Wilson
Quarterback
Hometown: Draper, Utah
Years Played: 2018-2020
Zach Wilson had one of the best single seasons in BYU football history during the 2020 season. During the COVID-impacted 2020 campaign, Wilson was one of the nation’s best quarterbacks, passing for 3,692 yards, 33 touchdowns to only three interceptions.
He had an eye-popping 11 yards per attempt during that season.
Before the 2020 season began, Wilson had his share of critics. BYU offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick pointed out that fans would send him emails asking for Wilson not to start.
Despite the detractors, Wilson had three seasons where he started games for BYU. He took over as a true freshman in 2018. His first career start was against Hawaii.
Wilson finished with 7,652 passing yards in his three years at BYU. He had 56 touchdowns and 15 interceptions.
Wilson finished eighth in the Heisman Trophy voting in 2020.
17. Jamaal Williams
Running Back
Hometown: Fontana, California
Years Played: 2012-2014, 2016
Williams broke onto the scene early in his freshman campaign as a 17-year-old in 2012. The lightly recruited prospect from Fontana, California, made BYU a priority because they gave him a chance to be a running back.
In four seasons at BYU, Williams became the school’s all-time leading rusher, a record that stands to this day. Williams rushed for 3,901 yards in his BYU career and had 35 touchdowns.
Williams’ always bigger-than-life personality shined at BYU. His senior year was his best as a Cougar.
Williams was a bell-cow ball carrier in the first year of the Kalani Sitake era. He had 234 carries for 1,375 yards and 12 touchdowns.
Some of his best individual game performances were that senior season. In a shootout against Toledo, Williams rushed for 286 yards on 30 carries and scored five touchdowns. Then, in his final game at BYU in the 2016 Poinsettia Bowl, Williams rushed for 210 yards and a touchdown on a rainy night in San Diego. After the game, he cracked open a Dr. Pepper to celebrate the win and an incredible career in Provo.
16. Kyle Van Noy
Linebacker
Hometown: Reno, Nevada
Years Played: 2010-2013
The greatest playmaker BYU has ever had on the defensive side of the ball. Kyle Van Noy single-handedly won ball games for BYU as a linebacker.
Case in point: the 2012 Poinsettia Bowl against San Diego State.
Van Noy accounted for 12 of BYU’s 23 points in that bowl victory over the Aztecs. Those points came from his usual playmaking outside linebacker spot in BYU’s 3-4 scheme.
He had a fumble recovery in the endzone and a 17-yard pick-six to give BYU another bowl victory.
Van Noy was a do-it-all star in BYU’s defense. He had 222 tackles, 61.5 tackles for loss, 26 sacks, 12 forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries, 30 quarterback hurries, and 16 pass breakups in his four years at BYU.
Some of Van Noy’s other notable plays include a three-yard fumble return for a touchdown at Ole Miss, which kicked off the Independence era with a win in SEC country.
He had an interception against No. 3 Notre Dame in South Bend in 2012 and at Wisconsin in 2013.
15. Puka Nacua
Wide Receiver
Hometown: Orem, Utah
Years Played: 2021-2022
Puka Nacua spent only two years at BYU, but his time in Provo made a solid case for him to be viewed as the greatest receiver in program history.
Nacua transferred to BYU after two seasons at the University of Washington. Whenever Nacua touched the ball, it had the potential to be something special.
During the 2022 season, BYU head coach Kalani Sitake said Nacua was “one of the best players in college football.”
Nacua finished with 1,430 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns in his two years at BYU. He also had five touchdowns on the ground and was a fixture in jet sweeps within BYU’s offense, rushing for 367 yards.
Nacua’s shining moment as a BYU Cougar was a 14-catch night at Boise State that culminated with an incredible one-handed touchdown grab while fending off a Boise State defender to give BYU a win on the Blue Turf.
14. Robbie Bosco
Quarterback
Hometown: Roseville, California
Years Played: 1982-1985
Bosco is the only BYU quarterback who can claim to have won a National Championship. In 1984, he was calling the shots for BYU’s offense, and he guided the Cougars to their only undefeated season.
Bosco had the daunting task of replacing Steve Young and keeping BYU’s quarterback factory rolling. He passed with flying colors, passing for 8,400 yards in his BYU career and 66 touchdown passes.
Bosco won the Sammy Baugh Trophy in 1984 and was a Third-Team All-American that season.
13. Taysom Hill
Quarterback
Hometown: Pocatello, Idaho
Years Played: 2012-2016
When healthy, Taysom Hill was one of the greatest athletes in BYU football history. However, he suffered four season-ending injuries during his BYU career.
But when he was on the field, he delivered spectacular performances for the Cougars.
Hill had 6,935 passing yards and 2,819 rushing yards in his BYU career. The rushing yards put him sixth all-time in rushing yards at BYU.
Hill’s iconic moment was in 2014 when he hurdled a Texas defender for a touchdown in a blowout victory against the nationally-ranked Longhorns in Austin.
The year before, Hill had a 259-yard rushing performance that crushed the Longhorns in Provo and single-handedly ended Mack Brown’s tenure on the Forty Acres.
12. Austin Collie
Wide Receiver
Hometown: El Dorado Hills, California
Years Played: 2004, 2007-2008
Austin Collie made a case as the best receiver in college football during the 2008 season. He had 1,538 receiving yards on 106 receptions and hauled in 15 touchdowns.
Collie was a big-play receiver, averaging 15.1 yards per catch during his three years at BYU.
The versatile Collie also contributed to kick returns. Entering the 2008 season, he was also a potential backup quarterback to Max Hall.
Collie closed out his BYU career with 11 consecutive games of 100-plus receiving-yard performances.
11. Dennis Pitta
Tight End
Hometown: Moorpark, California
Years Played: 2004, 2007-2009
Pitta is another excellent example of a BYU player beginning his career as a walk-on and later becoming a star.
The Moorpark, California native garnered some attention from BYU coaches as a prospect, but he never received a scholarship offer because no one was offering him.
He arrived at BYU in the winter of 2003 as a wide receiver, competed in spring practice in 2004 as a tight end, and made a name for himself.
Pitta had two touchdown grabs in a win over Air Force as a true freshman. He then earned a scholarship, and when he returned to BYU after serving a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, he became an all-time great tight end.
Pitta finished his BYU career with 221 receptions, 2,901 receiving yards and 21 touchdown catches.
One of his great moments was a 12-catch, 175-yard performance at Colorado State that featured his helmet flying on one of his two touchdown receptions.
Pitta was an automatic chain mover on third downs. He was critical in BYU’s historic win over No. 3 Oklahoma in the Dallas Cowboys Stadium, putting together seven catches for 90 yards.
10. John Beck
Quarterback
Hometown: Mesa, Arizona
Years Played: 2003-2006
John Beck’s BYU career was not perfect by any stretch. Unlike many of the quarterbacks on this list, Beck had to navigate losing seasons during his time in Provo.
At the end of it all, Beck, who had dreamed of being a BYU quarterback as a kid, established himself among the greats in program history.
Beck passed for 11,021 yards in his four years at BYU. That’s good for third all-time in passing yards in BYU history.
Beck’s passing yardage increased each season. This was capped off by a senior campaign that brought BYU football back to national relevance with an 11-2 record in 2006.
Beck had 3,885 passing yards in that senior season.
Among the most notable of those yards was an 11-yard touchdown pass to Jonny Harline on the final play of regulation against rival Utah in 2006.
The call of Beck connecting with Harline for the game-winning score became the ringtone for many Cougar fans after that iconic moment.
Beck capped off his BYU career with a dominant performance over Oregon in the 2006 Las Vegas Bowl. He passed for 375 yards and two touchdowns in a 38-8 victory against the Ducks.
9. Gifford Nielsen
Quarterback
Hometown: Provo, Utah
Years Played: 1974-1977
A homegrown product out of Provo, Nielsen became LaVell Edwards’ first College Football Hall of Fame quarterback.
Nielsen was a star prospect who earned All-American recognition in 1976, passing for 3,192 yards and 29 touchdowns.
Entering the 1977 season, Nielsen was considered a strong candidate for the Heisman Trophy. BYU generated a Heisman Campaign to bring eyeballs and awareness on their star signal-caller.
Nielsen was off to a strong start, guiding BYU to a 3-0 start to that season. But then, at Oregon State, he suffered a season-ending knee injury that ended his time in the blue and white.
Still, Nielsen’s performances turned Edwards’ Quarterback Factory into overdrive with his memorable play.
Nielsen had his uniform retired among the greats in BYU history in 2007.
8. Gordon Hudson
Tight End
Hometown: Kennewick, Washington
Years Played: 1981-1983
Receiving tight ends is a common practice in college football today. However, in the early 1980s, BYU star Gordon Hudson was ahead of his time.
The College Football Hall of Famer earned Consensus All-America recognition twice in 1982 and 1983.
Hudson was part of one of the greatest offenses in BYU football history in 1983. At the end of his career, he rewrote the NCAA record book by setting the record for most receiving yards by a tight end with 2,484 yards.
Hudson finished with 178 receptions for 2,484 yards and 22 touchdown catches in three years at BYU.
7. Jason Buck
Defensive Line
Hometown:
Years Played: 1985-1986
Jason Buck was a significant recruiting win for BYU from the JUCO ranks. Buck picked BYU over the Texas Longhorns.
In his two years at BYU, he was a dominant force along the defensive line.
He had 25 sacks, 112 tackles, 20 tackles for loss and 44 quarterback hurries.
Buck’s play in his senior year in 1986 earned him the Outland Trophy Award given to college football’s best interior lineman.
Buck had only nine games in his BYU career where he didn’t record at least one sack.
6. Max Hall
Quarterback
Hometown: Mesa, Arizona
Years Played: 2007-2009
At a program that prides itself on quarterback play, Max Hall holds the distinction of being the winningest quarterback in program history.
Hall posted a record of 32-7 in his three years as a starting quarterback at BYU.
In all three seasons, he led BYU to 10-plus win seasons. What’s even more impressive is that he didn’t miss a start in all three years as a starter.
Hall transferred to BYU from Arizona State and took over the program after John Beck graduated and went on to the NFL.
He immediately had success taking down Arizona in his BYU debut.
Hall played was a fiery competitor at BYU. At halftime of BYU’s win over Oklahoma in Jerry’s World, Hall screamed to the fans, “We’re gonna win this game!”
He also had a moment that lives in BYU-Utah rivalry lore when he said, “I hate Utah. I hate everything about them…”
That alone probably put Hall, in BYU fan’s eyes, among the greatest in program history.
All jokes aside, Hall let his play on the field back up his talking as he finished second in career passing yards with 11,365. He had 94 touchdown passes in his three years guiding the program.
Hall led BYU to wins over Oklahoma, UCLA, Arizona, TCU, Utah, and Oregon State and delivered the program its last conference title in 2007.
5. Luke Staley
Running Back
Hometown: Tualatin, Oregon
Years Played: 1999-2001
Among all the great running backs in BYU history, Luke Staley is one of one. His No. 6 jersey was retired among the greats in the program.
Staley earned the 2001 Doak Walker Award, the only BYU running back ever to earn the prestigious award for college football’s best running back.
During his junior year in 2001, in Gary Crowton’s new offensive scheme, Staley thrived. He rushed for 1,582 yards and averaged eight yards per carry, racking up those numbers in only 11 games played.
He had 24 touchdown runs as a junior.
But Staley wasn’t only a star in 2001. From the moment he arrived on campus, he had a nose for the endzone.
As a true freshman, in a nationally televised Thursday night game against Washington, Staley scored two touchdowns in the 35-28 win over the Huskies.
Staley battled various injuries throughout his football career that limited his availability. Still, when he was on the field, he always delivered.
In 2001, he was critical to helping BYU begin the season with a 12-0 record.
4. Marc Wilson
Quarterback
Hometown: Seattle, Washington
Years Played: 1976-1979
When Marc Wilson stepped in as BYU’s starting quarterback midway through the 1977 season to replace an injured Gifford Nielsen, he immediately showed he was on a path to being an all-time great.
In his first career start against Colorado State, Wilson tossed seven touchdown passes and threw for 332 yards.
The quarterback factory was alive and well with the torch being passed to Wilson.
Wilson split time with Jim McMahon in 1978 because Wally English was hired as the offensive coordinator.
When Doug Scovil returned as offensive coordinator in 1979, Wilson returned as the full-time starting quarterback while McMahon redshirted.
Wilson shined in his senior year, guiding BYU to a perfect 11-0 regular-season record.
In the regular season finale, undefeated BYU faced San Diego State on national TV and rolled through the Aztecs, 63-14, behind a four-touchdown performance from Wilson.
The undefeated season ended in an upset loss to Indiana in the 1979 Holiday Bowl.
Wilson finished his BYU career with 7,637 passing yards and 61 touchdowns. At the time his career ended, he held numerous NCAA passing records.
His No. 6 jersey is retired, along with Robbie Bosco and Luke Staley.
3. Steve Young
Quarterback
Hometown: Greenwich, Connecticut
Years Played: 1979-1983
Steve Young didn’t arrive at BYU with the blue-chip recruit status like many of the quarterbacks before him.
Young began his BYU career as the eighth-string quarterback. BYU’s offensive coordinator wasn’t interested in coaching a lefty at quarterback.
Coaches thought Young was going to end up at safety. Instead, he stuck with it at quarterback and was one of the all-time great dual-threat signal-callers before that was commonplace in the sport.
Young totaled 7,733 passing yards and had 1,084 rushing yards in his BYU career.
He was the full-time starter for two seasons at BYU. Young guided one of the best offenses in BYU history in 1983, averaging 44 points per game.
BYU was 11-1 in 1983 with wins over UCLA in Pasadena and a 1983 Holiday Bowl victory over Missouri, where Young caught the game-winning touchdown from Eddie Stinnett on a trick play.
Young is a College Football Hall of Famer, and his Number 8 jersey is retired among the greats in BYU history.
2. Jim McMahon
Quarterback
Hometown: Roy, Utah
Years Played: 1977, 1979-1981
There will never be another Jim McMahon. The former Roy High School star signed with BYU over UNLV.
A party animal in Provo, the bright lights of Vegas probably would have worked well for McMahon. But despite the unique pairing of his lifestyle and strict BYU, it was a perfect partnership to highlight McMahon’s incredible quarterback ability.
At the time McMahon’s BYU career ended in 1981, he set 75 NCAA records.
McMahon passed for 9,536 yards and 84 touchdowns during his BYU career.
He earned WAC Offensive Player of the Year three times and led BYU to its first-ever bowl victory—the miracle comeback over SMU in 1980.
That comeback was in large part due to McMahon being ticked that LaVell Edwards and his staff were opting to punt the ball down 20. McMahon didn’t want to waive the white flag and give up.
In McMahon’s senior year, his final home game in Provo, he passed for 565 yards in a blowout victory over rival Utah to secure the conference title.
McMahon had a mixed relationship with BYU away from the field. However, that relationship appeared to be healed in 2014 when he officially graduated from the university, opening the door for him to enter the BYU Hall of Fame and have his No. 9 jersey retired in BYU lore.
1. Ty Detmer
Quarterback
Hometown: San Antonio, Texas
Years Played: 1988-1991
The No. 1 player in our 100 greatest in BYU football history is none other than Ty Detmer.
Detmer is the only BYU player ever to win the Heisman Trophy. He won college football’s most prestigious award during his junior season in 1990.
A big reason for Detmer winning the Heisman that season was for his performance against No. 1 Miami. Detmer knocked off the mighty Hurricanes at the peak of their dynasty in Provo.
He passed for 406 yards and three touchdowns in the 28-21 upset over the Canes. It’s a win that is still viewed as the greatest in BYU football history.
When LaVell Edwards first met Ty Detmer, he thought he was going to see a statuesque quarterback prospect like John Elway. Instead, as the story goes, Edwards thought he was looking at Pee Wee Herman.
All jokes aside, Detmer was as gritty of a competitor as BYU has ever had in the program’s history.
He took over the starting job full-time in 1989 and was second in passer rating at 175.6.
In 1990, Detmer passed for an eye-popping 5,188 yards and 41 touchdowns. Keep in mind that Detmer’s statistics don’t include bowl games. The NCAA didn’t count bowl stats back then.
If you include all of Detmer’s bowl stats, his career passing yardage would be 16,066 yards instead of the 15,031 that remains the program’s career best.
Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for KSLsports.com and hosts the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (12–3 p.m.) on KSL Newsradio. Follow Mitch’s coverage of BYU in the Big 12 Conference on X: @Mitch_Harper.