alt=Jay DrewMore than a dozen football players who plan to represent the Cougars on the gridiron this fall will have already graduated from BYU.
That’s just one of the findings from the school’s list of 87 student-athlete graduates that was released to the public on Friday. Other 2024 BYU football players, such as quarterback Gerry Bohanon (South Florida) will compete for the Cougars having earned their degrees at other schools.
BYU’s 87 student-athlete graduates were honored at a senior banquet Wednesday night and went through graduation ceremonies Thursday and Friday in Provo. All of the student-athletes had a graduation date ranging from December 2023 to August 2024.
Several, such as women’s basketball player Kaylee Smiler, have earned post-graduate degrees. Smiler earned a master’s degree in biology.
There’s the usual high number of graduates in exercise and wellness, but also some in disciplines such as wildlife and wetlands conservation, construction and facilities management, and microbiology.
“Brigham Young University’s 2024 student-athlete graduates demonstrate that despite the significant changes in college sports, there remains a symbiotic relationship between institutions of higher learning and college athletics,” said Trevor Wilson, senior associate athletic director for student-athlete ecosystem, in a school news release.
“At BYU, our student-athletes embrace the expectation to follow our mission statement: ‘Build a distinctive, exceptional, athletic program … by developing successful, faith-based, influential scholar-athlete leaders.’ The 2024 BYU student-athlete graduates truly exemplify our mission. They represent everything that is good about college athletics, BYU and Cougar Nation.”
All told, 19 football players have, or will have, received their degrees in this cycle. Last year, there were 24.
Among the graduates who will play this fall are defensive ends Tyler Batty and Isaiah Bagnah, defensive backs Micah Harper, Tanner Wall and Mory Bamba, linebacker Ben Bywater, running backs Mason Fakahua and Miles Davis, receiver Kody Epps and tight end Keanu Hill.
Epps and Harper have announced via social media that they have been accepted into the MBA program in BYU’s Marriott School of Business, which is quite an accomplishment.
Here’s the list of 2023-24 BYU student-athlete graduates
Baseball — 3
- Bryce Robinson, Exercise and Wellness
- Boston Mabeus, Communications
- Brock Watkins, Exercise and Wellness
Men’s basketball — 5
- Tredyn Christensen, Exercise and Wellness
- Aly Khalifa, History
- Jaxson Robinson, Communications
- Trey Stewart, Psychology
- Noah Waterman, Communications
Women’s Basketball — 2
- Arielle Mackey-Williams, Communications
- Kaylee Smiler, Biology (master’s degree)
Football — 19
- Isaiah Bagnah, Sociology
- Mory Bamba, Business Management
- Tyler Batty, Communications
- Ben Bywater, Finance
- Caleb Christensen, Communications
- Miles Davis, Family Life
- Kody Epps, Business Management
- Mason Fakahua, Family Life
- Kamden Garrett, Business Management
- Talmage Gunther, Finance
- Micah Harper, Business Management
- Keanu Hill, Exercise and Wellness
- Donovan Hanna, Political Science
- Caden Haws, Exercise and Wellness
- Fisher Jackson, Construction and Facilities Management
- Atunaisa Mahe, Experience Design and Management
- Tanner Wall, Finance
- Josh Wilson, Construction Management
- Seth Willis, Communications Studies
Men’s golf — 3
- Cole Ponich, Psychology
- Brock Goyen, Communications
- Keanu Akina, Entrepreneurial Management
Gymnastics — 3
- Anyssa Alvarado, Psychology
- Lindsey Hunter-Kempler, Art
- Lauren Ono, Psychology
Soccer — 6
- Zoe Jacobs, Sociology
- Olivia Wade-Katoa, Psychology
- Rachel McCarthy, Psychology
- Jamie Shepherd, Family Studies
- Olivia Smith-Griffits, Experience Design and Management
- Lyti Akinaka, Marketing
Softball — 5
- Huntyr Ava, Family Life
- Maddie Bejarano, Communications
- Taryn Lennon, Communications
- Macy Simmons, Psychology
- Chloe Temples, Microbiology
Women’s Swim and Dive — 2
- Addison Richards, Psychology
- Liza Slade, Neuroscience
Men’s swim and dive — 3
- Brigham Harrison, Neuroscience
- Brad Prolo, Information Systems
- Tama Tuitama, Global Supply Chain Management
Women’s tennis — 3
- Helen Jiao, Accounting
- Emilee Astle, Exercise and Wellness
- Kara Wheatley, Global Supply Chain Management
Men’s tennis — 1
- Jack Barnett, Psychology
Women’s track and field — 15
- Cierra Allphin, Wildlife and Wildlands Conservation
- Lauren Ellsworth-Barnes, Nursing
- Kathryn Bingham, Communications
- Maddy Eaton, Exercise and Wellness
- Alena Ellsworth, Nursing
- Destiny Everett, Exercise and Wellness
- Nicole Freestone, Exercise Science
- Aubrey Frentheway, Mathematics Education
- Anna Hart, Communications
- Gretchen Hoekstre, Exercise and Wellness
- Lindsey Middleton, Exercise and Wellness
- Elizabeth Parkinson, Computer Science
- Dolita Shaw, Communications
- Julie Sumsion, Exercise and Wellness
- Allison Warner, Family Life
Men’s track and field — 4
- Nathan Burnett, Electrical and Computer Engineering
- Abram Schaap, Exercise and Wellness
- Chase Clement, Molecular Biology
- Casey Clinger, Business Management
Women’s volleyball — 2
- Whitney Bower, Exercise and Wellness
- Morgan Clinger, Exercise and Wellness
Men’s volleyball — 2
- Kupono Browne, Psychology
- Gavin Julien, Public Health
Cheer — 1
- Daniel Standring, Microbiology
Cougarettes — 3
- Lauren Billings Gambill, Exercise Science
- Elise Bagley, Global Suppy Chain Management
- Trinity Sansom, Exercise Design Management
Dunk team — 6
- Evan Carter, Geography
- Hannah Moore, Exercise and Wellness
- Stephen Tveten, Computer Science
- Jacob Wengler, Biophysics
- Alexa Frost, Exercise and Wellness
- Cameron Wingrove, Strategic Management
