Y’s Guys Podcast

Dave McCann and Blaine Fowler open fall camp week three with the release of the AP Preseason Top 25, where BYU debuts at No. 14 — the Cougars' highest preseason ranking since 1985 and just their second Top 25 preseason nod in 17 years. They run down the full poll (Ohio State, Oregon and Georgia lead the way, with Notre Dame at No. 4 ahead of its October trip to Provo), note LJ Martin cracking Pro Football Network's Top 100 NFL Draft Prospects list as he chases a repeat Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year season, and highlight an ESPN.com feature on why Kalani Sitake is "your favorite coach's favorite coach," featuring quotes from rival Big 12 coaches Brent Brennan, Rich Rodriguez and Joey McGuire. They also address, briefly, the ongoing situation between Sitake and BYU athletic director Brian Santiago before pivoting to a tribute to quarterback Marc Wilson's induction into the Sporting News 1970s All-Decade Team.Campus Notes cover the Cougars in the NFL ahead of roster cutdown day, Rob Wright III's No. 4 ranking among college basketball's top point guards, AJ Dybantsa's NBA rookie schedule, women's soccer and volleyball updates, and BYU golf's showing at the Utah Open. The Re-Lyte Athlete of the Week is freshman Brynnli Tolbert, whose 60th-minute goal at UCLA sealed a 2-1 win. Former BYU tight end Andrew George then joins from Colorado to preview the Cougars' new tight end tandem of Walker Lyons and Roger Saleapaga II, drawing on his own legendary pairing with Dennis Pitta — right down to the play that sprung McKay Jacobsen for the game-sealing touchdown against Oklahoma — and projects what it could mean for Bear Bachmeier's sophomore season.The back half features BYU-Pathway grad Chantell Hammond, founder of Strategy Square, sharing how finishing her degree online transformed her confidence, a Quick Quack Car Wash fundraiser spotlight, and two Hotel Park City/Ruth's Chris BYU Super Fans — Bret Stailey, joining from Jacksonville, Florida with his son Jack, and Janene Creer, LIVE in the Provo studio — who each share their BYU history and play a round of "Where Were You?" revisiting classic Cougar moments. The show wraps with campus notes, an On This Day history segment (The Wizard of Oz's 1939 premiere, Willie Mays' final home run), an inspirational quote from Mays, and a tease for next week's guests: former Cougar Harvey Langi and Entrata CEO Adam Edmunds, whose company will appear on BYU's jerseys this fall.Timestamps (approximate):0:00 – Show Open: Welcome to Y's Guys, Live Around the World8:47 – BYU Debuts at No. 14 in the AP Preseason Top 2519:03 – LJ Martin Cracks the NFL Draft's Top 100 Big Board21:45 – Why Kalani Sitake Is "Your Favorite Coach's Favorite Coach"23:28 – Dave & Blaine Address the Kalani Sitake–AD Situation27:24 – Remembering Marc Wilson, BYU's 1970s All-Decade Quarterback34:57 – Re-Lyte Athlete of the Week: Brynnli Tolbert36:37 – Campus Notes: Hoops, Volleyball, Golf & AJ Dybantsa's NBA Schedule55:32 – Andrew George Joins the Show from Colorado1:03:15 – Andrew George Breaks Down BYU's New Tight End Duo1:14:05 – Chantell Hammond on Her BYU-Pathway Journey & Strategy Square1:29:07 – Super Fan Bret Stailey Joins Live from Jacksonville, Florida1:40:46 – Super Fan Janene Creer Recalls BYU's 1990 Upset of No. 1 Miami1:55:35 – On This Day: The Wizard of Oz, Willie Mays & BYU History2:00:17 – Next Week: Harvey Langi & Entrata CEO Adam Edmunds#YsGuys #BYUFootball #BYUCougars #CougarNation #GoCougs #Big12Football #AndrewGeorge #LJMartin #BearBachmeier #KalaniSitake #MarcWilson #ChantellHammond #BYUPathway #WalkerLyons #RogerSaleapaga #BrynnliTolbert #BYUSoccer #BYUSuperfans #DaveMcCann #BlaineFowler #lds

Dave McCann and Blaine Fowler kick off the second week of BYU fall camp with a loaded show, opening with a full rundown of where the Cougars sit in every major preseason poll (No. 15 in the USA Today Coaches Poll, No. 11-15 across most national outlets) and celebrating first-team and preseason All-America nods for running back LJ Martin, offensive lineman Bruce Mitchell, and cornerback Evan Johnson.They also break down the week's slate of Cougars playing in NFL preseason action before welcoming recruiting insider Jeff Hansen, who previews true freshmen already making an impact in camp, breaks down BYU's rising recruiting pull in the state of Utah (including newly-committed edge rushers Uhila Wolfgramm and Jag Ioane), lays out his three keys to a championship-caliber season, and ranks BYU's five toughest games of 2026 — with Notre Dame landing at No. 1.The back half of the show features BYU soccer coach Jen Rockwood previewing her final season before retirement and a season-opening road trip to No. 9 UCLA, plus author Dr. Mark Ogletree on his new book "The Leadership Legacy of LaVell Edwards," sharing behind-the-scenes stories from interviews with Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, Ron McBride, and Jim McMahon, and counting down LaVell's five greatest wins as head coach.The Re-Lyte Athlete of the Week spotlights Evan Johnson's remarkable back-to-back interceptions (one a pick-six) against East Carolina last season, and Cosmo's newly-announced induction into the Mascot Hall of Fame gets its due celebration.The show wraps with two Hotel Park City Ruth's Chris BYU Super Fans, Rulon McKay and Nelson Abbott, who share personal BYU history — from mowing a giant "Y" into his lawn every August to keeping tabs on the Cougars as a mission president in Guatemala — plus a round of "Where Were You?" revisiting iconic moments like Jimmer Fredette's win over No. 4 San Diego State and Tyler Allgeier's legendary strip-and-recover against Arizona State. Full campus notes across soccer, volleyball, cross country, baseball, and golf round out the episode, along with the weekly On This Day history segment and inspirational quote from President James E. Faust.

Dave McCann and Blaine Fowler kicked off the show declaring summer over and football season back, previewing the return of live NFL action, BYU's fall camp opening, and the season premiere of After Further Review.BYU TV analyst David Nixon called in from Little League football practice to break down where BYU should land in the preseason AP poll (he predicts a top 15-worthy team that lands around 17-18), name wide receiver as the team's biggest question mark heading into camp, and give an update on his brother-in-law Taysom Hill's free agency search following his emotional exit from New Orleans.Brian Nixon, CEO of Touchpoints and Aflac's Utah district manager, joined as the show's newest title sponsor and shared a powerful personal story: a rhabdomyolysis collapse 150 meters from the finish of his high school state championship race, the coma that followed, and how losing his track scholarship redirected him to BYU and eventually to building his own company.New BYU women's volleyball head coach Rob Neilson also stopped by to discuss taking over the program after six successful years at Utah State, the returning talent in Brielle Kemavor, Claire Little Chambers, and Alex Bower, and what it takes to build the belief and culture that won BYU a national championship in 2004.Linebacker Isaiah Glasker was named Re-Lyte Athlete of the Week for his standout 2025 season, and 94-year-old season-ticket holder Ben Banks joined as the Hotel Park City/Ruth's Chris super fan, reminiscing about the Miami upset, the 2006 Utah win, and decades of BYU football memories.The show also covered a federal judge's ruling on NCAA eligibility for the 2022 recruiting class, President C. Shane Reese's op-ed on the Protect College Sports Act, a full round of national preseason rankings and CFP predictions for BYU and Texas Tech, and Campus Notes covering football, basketball, soccer, cross country, volleyball, and golf schedules heading into the 2026-27 season.

Dave McCann and Blaine Fowler open the July 27, 2026 episode of Y’s Guys one week out from BYU’s fall camp report date, digging into Pro Football Focus’s Big 12 quarterback rankings (where Bear Bachmeier lands at a surprising No. 6 despite a 12-win freshman season) and PFF’s Big 12 running back rankings, where reigning offensive player of the year LJ Martin checks in at No. 3. They also cover The Athletic’s ranking of the nation’s top senior linebackers, which features two Cougars — Cade Uluave and Isaiah Glasker — in the top eight for the first time in program history, break down College Football Zone’s game-by-game win probabilities that project BYU to go 11-1 with the lone loss coming against Notre Dame in Provo, and debate whether Cougar fans can root for Kyle Whittingham’s Michigan now that Whittingham, Jay Hill, and Jason Beck have all left Utah for Ann Arbor.BYU Radio color analyst Hans Olsen joins live to tell the story of the LaVell Edwards home visit that flipped him from a Nebraska commitment to BYU, reflect on Kalani Sitake’s growth as a head coach and how close the program came to losing him to Penn State, and rank his top five transfer portal additions headlined by Cade Uluave and Roger Saleapaga. Olsen breaks down the difference between playing offensive and defensive line at the NFL level, weighs in on how BYU should manage LJ Martin’s workload as he chases the program’s all-time rushing record, and closes with his Five Questions picks for the team’s biggest impact players by position.The back half of the show covers AJ Dybantsa being named the Big 12’s Male Athlete of the Year, men’s and women’s basketball preseason rankings, new football jersey patch news, and campus notes spanning soccer, volleyball, track and field (including Lexy Halladay-Lowry’s repeat national steeplechase title), baseball Hall of Famer Jeff Kent, and golf top-16 finishes from Zac Blair and Patrick Fishburn. Hotel Park City/Ruth’s Chris Superfan Kevin Kelley — born the day of the Miracle Bowl — rounds out the night with a round of “Where Were You,” sharing his favorite BYU sports memories from Notre Dame Stadium to Jimmermania.#YsGuys #BYU #BYUFootball #BYUCougars #CougarNation #GoCougs #Big12Football #BearBachmeier #HansOlsen #FallCamp2026 #CadeUluave #IsaiahGlasker #LJMartin #KalaniSitake #NotreDameFootball #BYUBasketball #AJDybantsa #RobWright #BYUSuperfans #ProvoUtah #LDS 

Dave McCann and Blaine Fowler open the July 20, 2026 episode of Y’s Guys with a deep dive into BYU football’s Big 12 outlook, breaking down the Cougars’ all-time series records against every conference opponent, national outlets’ win projections (ESPN FPI, CBS Sports’ playoff contender tiers, and Brad Crawford’s 11-1 call), Las Vegas over/under trends, and a look back at BYU’s historic 25-game winning streak from 1983-84, including the infamous upset loss to UTEP that snapped it. They also break down the commitment of three-star Orem High edge rusher Jag Ioane.Heisman Trophy winner Ty Detmer joins live from Arizona ahead of Diamondbacks Family Night to talk hunting season, the three career milestones that surprised him most, quarterback Bear Bachmeier’s development, and what a potential showdown with a No. 1-ranked Notre Dame team in Provo this October could look like. BYU senior safety Raider Damuni follows to discuss his BYU-Pathway Worldwide humanitarian trip to Tonga, his goals for his senior season, and the depth of the Cougars’ safety room heading into fall camp.The show wraps with BYU basketball’s newly released non-conference schedule (including exhibitions against Nebraska and UNLV), NBA Summer League updates on AJ Dybantsa and Egor Demin, plus women’s basketball, soccer, and track and field campus notes. Two Hotel Park City/Ruth’s Chris Superfan interviews with Joeli Carroll and Gene Chidester round out the night, with both sharing personal BYU memories spanning five decades of Cougar football and basketball.#YsGuys #BYU #BYUFootball #BYUCougars #CougarNation #GoCougs #Big12Football #TyDetmer #HeismanTrophy #RaiderDamuni #BYUPathway #BearBachmeier #KalaniSitake #NotreDameFootball #BYUBasketball #AJDybantsa #EgorDemin #RobWright #BYUSuperfans #ProvoUtah #LDS Timestamps (approximate):0:00 – Show Open: Welcome to Y’s Guys6:52 – BYU Lands 3-Star Edge Rusher Jag Ioane8:45 – Where Will BYU Land in the Preseason AP Poll?15:47 – Brad Crawford Predicts BYU Goes 11-1 in 202619:39 – BYU vs. Vegas: A History of Beating the Odds21:23 – Remembering BYU’s Historic 25-Game Win Streak (and the UTEP Upset)25:35 – Heisman Winner Ty Detmer Joins Y’s Guys Live from Arizona31:08 – Ty Detmer Breaks Down Bear Bachmeier’s Growth at QB37:06 – Ty Detmer on a Potential No. 1 Notre Dame Showdown in Provo46:58 – BYU Senior Safety Raider Damuni Joins the Show47:58 – Raider Damuni on BYU-Pathway’s Humanitarian Trip to Tonga1:03:44 – BYU Basketball Reveals 2026-27 Non-Conference Schedule1:11:22 – NBA Summer League Recap: AJ Dybantsa, Egor Demin & More1:15:43 – Superfan Joeli Carroll on Family, Faith and Cougar Football1:34:19 – Superfan Gene Chidester Remembers Gifford Nielsen’s Legendary Debut

visit: https://www.ysguys.comDave McCann welcomed Jason Shepherd as his co-host for the night, with Blaine Fowler out of town, for a preseason-heavy edition of Y's Guys covering the Big 12 football meetings in Frisco, Texas. The two broke down BYU's new Entrata jersey patch and the Big 12's new neon-green Monster Energy branding, ran through a stack of preseason rankings (BYU landing at No. 2 in the Y's Guys' own Big 12 poll, No. 10 in Phil Steele's national top 40, and near the top of ESPN's FPI and CBS/Athletic "biggest brand" conversations), and debated where BYU should play its next international game. Deseret News beat writer Jay Drew joined for an extended interview on his Big 12 Media Days takeaways, the Big 12's biggest brand, BYU's most program-legitimizing win of the last two seasons, fall camp storylines at receiver and tight end, and his own preseason Big 12 top five.The show's Re-Lyte Athlete of the Week honored safety Faletau Satuala for his pick-six against Iowa State last October, followed by a wide-ranging interview with Bill Ekblad of Hotel Park City and Ruth's Chris Steakhouse, the new presenting sponsor of the show's BYU Superfans segment. Three superfans debuted in that role this week: sisters Ashley and Lindsay Turner of Las Vegas, and longtime fan Scott Gambles of Soda Springs, Idaho, who once walked onto the BYU football team alongside Blaine Fowler in 1982 and has autographs from LaVell Edwards dating back to 1972.Rounding out the show were quick hits on BYU basketball (a commitment from Lithuanian wing Dovydas Buika, five-star 2027 target DeMarcus Henry, and NBA Summer League updates on AJ Dybantsa, Egor Demin and Keba Keita), baseball's MLB Draft class, and men's golf. Dave and Jason closed with the "On This Day" trivia segment and a farewell to longtime show producer DJ, who is moving on to a new job at Western Governors University.#YsGuys #BYU #BYUFootball #BYUCougars #CougarNation #GoCougs #Big12Football #Big12MediaDays #KalaniSitake #BearBachmeier #LJMartin #KeanuTanuvasa #FaletauSatuala #JayDrew #DeseretNews #BYUBasketball #AJDybantsa #EgorDemin #BYUSuperfans #CollegeFootball #LDS 

Dave McCann and Blaine Fowler opened the first Monday of July with football dominating the conversation. Big 12 Media Days kicked off in Frisco, Texas, with LJ Martin named preseason Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year — defending his 2025 title — and six Cougars total named to the preseason All-Big 12 team. One projection has BYU entering the season ranked #14 in the AP preseason poll, with a week-two win over Arizona potentially vaulting them into the top 10. On the recruiting trail, Peyton Higginson (Salem Hills), Uhila Wolfgramm (Maple Mountain, over Oklahoma), and Tennessee OL Kyle Nabrotzky all committed to BYU, extending what recruiting analysts rank as the second-best class in the Big 12. BYU's winningest quarterback — and now a BYU graduate — Max Hall joined via Zoom to set his season over/under at nine wins, rave about freshman QB Enoch Watson's arm talent, and lay out his all-time top five quarterbacks: Brady, Favre, Rodgers, Manning, and Brees.Other highlights included a recap of Stadium of Fire's spectacular Brad Paisley performance and drone-and-fireworks show, LJ Martin earning Re-Lyte Athlete of the Week for his 32-carry, 222-yard, two-touchdown performance against Cincinnati last season, and BYU basketball landing at #23 in CBS's preseason poll. AJ Dybantsa tips off NBA Summer League against the Jazz on Wednesday, July 9th. Kellen Moore is getting a bronze statue at Boise State, and Zac Blair finished tied for ninth at the John Deere Classic. BYU superfan Steven Wozniak drove in from Burley, Idaho joined the show via Zoom and played "Where Were You When?" on iconic BYU moments.1:08:30 – BYU Superfan Steven Wozniak from Burley, Idaho

visit: https://www.ysguys.comDave McCann and Blaine Fowler returned to the Y’s Guys studio after the show’s first-ever remote broadcast at the Redmond Farm Store. The June 22 show featured BYU basketball newcomers Collin and Hannah Chandler, John Wilson from Succeed in School and BYU Pathway Worldwide, BYU Super Fan Luana Rowe, and former BYU and NFL defensive lineman Bronson Kaufusi.The show opened with BYU football recruiting updates following one of the biggest official visit weekends of the year. Dave and Blaine highlighted several top recruits and commitments, including Jeremiah Williams, Bodie Sparrow, Yuhila Wolfgramm, Brody Rudnick, Titan Dijon, Ryan Wooten Jr., Jackson Rex, Ezranel Sanavi, and Kamoni Adams. They also discussed Brett McMurphy ranking Kalani Sitake as the top coach in the Big 12 and previewed Big 12 Media Days in Frisco, Texas.BYU basketball was another major focus with the NBA Draft beginning the next night. Dave and Blaine discussed AJ Dybantsa’s chance to become the first No. 1 NBA Draft pick in BYU history and Richie Saunders’ rising draft stock despite his injury. They also promoted the Ephraim Hope Mission auction items signed by AJ and Richie, with proceeds supporting education for children in Uganda.Collin Chandler and his wife, Hannah, joined the show to share their story, from knowing each other in elementary school to returning home to Utah after Collin’s time at Kentucky. Collin talked about his original BYU commitment, his mission in England, the decision to follow Mark Pope to Kentucky, and what ultimately brought him back to BYU. Hannah discussed supporting Collin through college basketball, marriage, and the transfer decision. Together, they shared how prayer, family, and friendship shaped their journey.Taylor Lovell was named the Redmond Re-Lyte Athlete of the Week after winning the NCAA national championship in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. Taylor became BYU’s fourth women’s steeplechase national champion in six years, reinforcing BYU’s growing reputation as “Steeplechase U.”John Wilson joined the show to discuss Succeed in School, a Church educational program connected to BYU Pathway Worldwide. John explained how the program helps youth around the world prepare for higher education, build confidence, strengthen academic skills, and deepen faith in Jesus Christ. He shared stories from Ghana and Utah showing how Church education can bless young people both globally and locally.BYU Super Fan Luana Rowe, who turns 90 this year, joined the show in person to share decades of Cougar memories. Luana talked about attending BYU beginning in 1954, watching the football stadium grow from 5,000 seats to LaVell Edwards Stadium, her memories of Ty Detmer and the Miami win, her love for Jimmer Fredette, and her experience on the BYU cruise.Bronson Kaufusi closed the guest lineup by previewing Charity of Champions, a flag football event bringing more than 40 current and former NFL players to Utah to support local charities. Bronson also discussed helping former players stay connected after football, BYU’s defensive identity under Kelly Poppinga, and why Kalani Sitake’s family-centered culture continues to resonate with recruits.