“They’re Coming Back Hungry: BYU’s Returning Stars and the Breakout Threats No One’s Ready For”

Provo has been buzzing all offseason, and for good reason.

With the smoke of last year’s campaign barely cleared, the BYU Cougars are walking into 2025 not just reloaded, but reconstructed with purpose.

This isn’t just about getting better.

This is about proving something.

About shaking up the Big 12 in a way that makes it impossible to ignore them any longer.

About turning quiet potential into violent execution on Saturdays.

The story starts with the core.

The returnees.

The untouchables.

Keanu Hill is back.

The 6’4″ wideout, known for his contested catches and third-down heroics, has added muscle, refined his footwork, and redefined his ceiling.

He’s already being whispered about in dark-horse NFL Draft boards.

In the Cougars’ camp, he’s being treated like a general, not just a receiver.

Coaches trust him, teammates lean on him, and opposing corners? They’re already watching film in fear.

Then there’s Ben Bywater, the linebacker who simply refuses to go away.

After a shoulder injury threatened to derail his momentum last season, Bywater looks like a man reborn.

The instincts are sharper.

The reads are faster.

And the physicality? Let’s just say anyone planning to run between the tackles against BYU in 2025 better bring ice packs.

But maybe no returnee makes a louder statement than quarterback Kedon Slovis.

Critics had him buried last year, dismissing him as another transfer gamble gone stale.

But Slovis, entering what many expect will be a final shot at true redemption, has been surgical in spring practices.

The deep ball has returned.

The pocket presence looks vintage.

And his leadership? The locker room is buying in — hard.

Head Coach Kalani Sitake knows what he has.

“This group isn’t here to rebuild,” he said during media day.

“They’re here to remind. ”

Still, even with the star power returning, it’s the infusion of icy new blood that may turn BYU from a respected program into a conference wrecking ball.

Freshman running back Parker Kingston might be the most electric first-year player Provo has seen in a decade.

A blur out of Roy High School, Kingston has already been compared to a young Jamaal Williams — but with more top-end speed.

He doesn’t just run past defenders; he embarrasses them.

The buzz around him in closed scrimmages has already reached legendary status.

And if Kingston is the lightning, then defensive end Isaiah Perez is the thunder.

Standing 6’5″, 270 pounds, Perez arrives as a true freshman with an NFL frame and a motor that doesn’t stop.

Coaches say he doesn’t just want to play early — he expects to dominate early.

“This kid doesn’t blink,” defensive coordinator Jay Hill said.

“He hits like he’s angry at the game itself. ”

The Cougars also snagged a transfer portal gem in former Utah cornerback Zemaiah Vaughn.

Long, fast, and experienced, Vaughn’s arrival gives BYU something they’ve desperately needed — a true lockdown corner who can erase WR1s and give the front seven just that extra second to get home.

With Vaughn opposite Jakob Robinson, BYU’s secondary suddenly looks. . . elite.

But personnel alone isn’t what makes this team dangerous.

It’s the collective chip on their shoulder.

BYU didn’t exactly light up the Big 12 last year.

They were physical but inconsistent, explosive but erratic.

It was a transition year, and no one let them forget it.

They were labeled as “outsiders” in a conference known for big names and even bigger budgets.

But now, the narrative has shifted.

They’re no longer the newcomers.

They’re the threat.

This team talks different.

Practices look different.

And around the facilities, there’s a phrase being repeated: “Prove It or Lose It.

” That’s not marketing.

That’s their identity.

Offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick has redesigned the playbook to amplify tempo and maximize mismatches.

The new-look attack is built to put stress on Big 12 defenses in ways BYU hasn’t consistently done before — uptempo plays, vertical threats, and a no-huddle scheme that gasses D-lines and forces blown coverages.

Defensively, Hill has emphasized chaos.

More pressure.

More exotic blitzes.

More violence in the trenches.

The Cougars aren’t just going to hit you.

They’re going to hit you from angles you didn’t know existed.

There’s a swagger returning to this defense, the kind fans haven’t seen since the Bronco Mendenhall era.

The 2025 schedule isn’t kind, but that’s fine.

The Cougars wouldn’t want it any other way.

Road trips to Austin and Stillwater.

Home clashes against Kansas State and Baylor.

Each week is a test, and BYU plans to make each one a statement.

Around the Big 12, people are starting to talk.

Quietly, of course.

In preview shows and message boards.

They see the pieces.

The potential.

The attitude.

They know BYU isn’t coming just to play spoiler.

They’re coming to contend.

And maybe — just maybe — to shatter the Big 12 hierarchy altogether.

There are still doubters.

That’s fine.

Sitake prefers it that way.

“We’ve never needed anyone to believe in us except the guys in this building,” he said.

“The rest? We’ll show them. ”

The Big 12 has seen powerful teams before.

High-flying offenses.

Suffocating defenses.

Legendary runs.

But BYU is building something different.

A blend of veteran resolve and youthful rage.

A team that doesn’t want to be ranked — they want to be remembered.

The Cougars are reloaded.

And the Big 12 has no idea what’s about to hit it.