2 weeks Ago
Justin Ena likes to think of it as his own version of the Breakfast Club. Every morning inside his second-floor office, he lays out the spread of colossally caloric meals and waits for his linebackers to show up around 7 o’clock. But this isn’t an all-you-can-eat buffet.
It’s more of an all-you- MUST -eat affair. Ena has strict rules, and a minimum that a player has to consume. Each player must drink four Core Power protein shakes in front of him, giving them anywhere from 680 to 920 calories.
Then it is on to peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, specifically Smucker’s Uncrustables. Ena says the goal is for every linebacker to eat as many as he can, but the minimum is two Uncrustables before weight lifting. Then, they can add more throughout the day.
So by the time Breakfast Club is over, every player in Ena’s position group has consumed at least 1,040 calories before the sun is up. “Two years ago, we were undersized. I don’t think we were very big,” Ena said, smiling at his solution.
“We did it every morning. It just became a cycle, until they started gaining some weight. Then it was just pound by pound.
” Everyone is asking how BYU built one of the most athletic linebacker units in the country from scratch — full of NFL prospects like Isaiah Glasker and Jack Kelly . And the answer, at least partially, lies in how many Uncrustables they can put away. Glasker started his college career at 189 pounds.
Now he’s up to 240. Ace Kaufusi started at 197. Now he’s at 237.
Maika Kaufusi went from 188 to 235. Ena packed on more than 50 pounds to some players over the course of three years, and he’s turned a group of lightly recruited athletes into the league’s best prospects. Glasker led the Big 12 with 15 tackles for a loss and 70 tackles.
Kelly had five sacks and 50-plus stops. His starting linebackers totaled 190 tackles and 9.5 sacks in an 11-win season.
“Having that extra weight behind you helps to know that, ‘Hey, I’m going to strike somebody. It doesn’t even hurt that much,’” Ena said. “When you are 197 pounds, there’s a whole difference.
You’re going to take a lot of those shots rather than deliver them.” (Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Linebackers coach Justin Ena and special team coordinator Kelly Poppinga at BYU football practice in Provo on Monday, March 6, 2023. Being physical like that is a critical piece to defensive coordinator Jay Hill’s scheme .
When he came to Provo two years ago, Hill gambled on a young linebacking core that was long and rangy. He wanted players who were 6-foot-5, with longer wingspans and speed, who could theoretically help in coverage and get after the passer. If all three linebackers had that skill set, he could disguise blitzes better and be more unpredictable.
With his aggressive play-calling tendencies, linebackers were the key to unlocking the scheme. The Kaufusis and Glasker fit that mold well. Glasker is 6-foot-5 and the Kaufisis are 6-foot-3.
But they weren’t ready to contribute with their gangly frames. And it was fair to question whether they could ever put on the weight and morph into a true a force in the Big 12. After all, Glasker was a former basketball player who was only recruited by Utah, Utah State and Weber State.
He wasn’t a top-15 prospect in Utah. The Kaufisis were three-stars. Kelly came from Weber State.
But now it has all come into place. One, or several, Uncrustables at a time. The Big Thing (Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Brigham Young Cougars linebacker Harrison Taggart (11) stops Texas Tech Red Raiders quarterback Jake Strong (17) as BYU hosts Texas Tech, NCAA football in Provo on Saturday, Oct.
21, 2023. One linebacker in Ena’s room will not return next year. Harrison Taggart, who had 69 total tackles last year, hit the transfer portal.
It means BYU will be missing one of its three core players from a year ago. Ena thought the trio of Glasker, Kelly and Taggart could have been his best linebacking group he’s ever coached. “I’ve coached another trio that was pretty close,” Ena said.
“But I’d say this is probably the better one. Because these guys are a little bit younger than the guys that I had when I was at Utah. I got a little bit more time to work on the details, to be super aggressive.
” Taggart wasn’t the only portal entry this cycle. Wide receiver Keelan Marion has also opted out of Provo. He figured to be one of Jake Retzlaff’s top targets this year, along with Chase Roberts and JoJo Phillips.
Now players like Cody Hagen, Tei Nacua and Dom McKenzie will become more important. Also look for the Cougars to add another receiver in the transfer portal with more experience. Fourth down (Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) BYU wide Receiver Keelan Marion, at spring practice, on Thursday, Feb 27, 2025.
1. What does BYU need in the transfer portal? The portal opened last week and will close on April 25. Here are some positions BYU is looking to fill.
2. Taggart out Keeping Taggart was a priority for BYU. Now, he’s walking away.
3. Kealan Marion, too BYU will have to prepare for life without Darrius Lassiter and Keelan Marion. Roberts is coming off a shoulder injury.
The receiver room’s outlook has changed significantly. 4. Ryan Smith BYU alum Ryan Smith is out as the part-owner of RSL.
He will focus his efforts on the Jazz and UHC..
