An Important Weekend of Official Visits For BYU Football Recruiting

BYU Football has four top recruits taking official visits to the program this weekend. Tight ends Walker Lyons and Jackson Bowers join defensive end Hunter Clegg and offensive tackle Ethan Thomason in Provo.

Walker Lyons

The 4-star Folsom High School prospect is rated a Top 5 tight end in the 2023 class. He has scholarship offers from seemingly every big school in college football including the likes of Alabama, Georgia, Ohio St, USC, and Oklahoma. Back in February Lyons released his top six schools including BYU, Utah, Alabama, Ohio St, USC, and Stanford.

BYU has a challenge ahead of them to land Lyons but getting an official visit is a great sign. If you think of new age tight ends pretty soon you’ll be thinking of Walker Lyons. He plays like a big receiver with elite ball skills and is very capable when he puts his hand in the dirt as well. Throughout BYU Football’s history there is a long list of elite pass catching tight ends. Walker Lyons could add his name to the list should he come to play in Provo.

Jackson Bowers

Bowers is the second 4-star tight end visiting Provo this weekend. The Mountain View High School product has also garnered much attention receiving offers from schools like Alabama, Texas, Oregon, USC and LSU. In April, Bowers had BYU in his top seven schools along with Alabama, Arizona, Auburn, Ole Miss, Oregon, and Washington.

If you’re into a more traditional tight end that has the violent blocking skills along with great pass catching ability then Bowers is your guy. He plays the game in a very ferocious way. Whether it’s with his hand in the dirt and finishing blocks or punishing tacklers by running through them after the catch. Bowers would be the perfect compliment to Lyons if the two were to commit together. From Chad Lewis and Itula Mili to Dennis Pitta and Andrew George, a lot of BYU success came from having two elite tight ends.

Hunter Clegg

The 4-star defensive end plays practically in BYU’s backyard at American Fork High School. Clegg received a lot of attention his junior season from schools around the country bursting onto the scene to become one of the highest rated recruits in Utah. In May, he released a top seven schools including BYU, Utah, LSU, Baylor, Auburn, Stanford, and USC.

The Cougars have needed help on the edge for years. The first thing that pops out watching his tape is the speed off the snap. He uses his speed to rush the quarterback and close in pursuit from the backside. Pair the speed with decent power and active hands and you have a elite edge prospect. BYU is making sure Clegg knows he is a top priority. Having an official visit with him is huge for BYU and their defensive coaching staff.

Ethan Thomason

The Rocky Mountain High School product is a higher 3-star recruit on most recruiting sites but was elevated to 4-star by On3 sports. Thomason released a top eight a few weeks ago that includes BYU, Utah, Oklahoma St, Stanford, Nebraska, Iowa St, Colorado, and Vanderbilt.

Thomason is a mountain of a player coming in at 6’8” and over 300lbs. BYU has loved that type of frame at tackle with players like Blake Freeland, Harris LaChance, and newcomers Kingsley Suamataia and Sione Veikoso. As a violent run blocker with a good anchor in pass protection there is a lot to like. He would be a welcomed addition to an offensive line unit that has really started to hit their stride the past couple seasons.

BYU has the opportunity of being the first school to get official visits from these recruits. Whether that will come to help or hurt the Cougars we will have to wait and see. They will need to set the bar high so they are remembered as these players visit other schools this summer. As the first recruiting class heading into the Big 12, BYU needs players like these to be the cornerstones of the 2023 class.