It’s that time of year where BYU is going to manage redshirt seasons for a few players. Two notable players were removed from the depth chart and, according to Jay Hill, will redshirt this season. Defensive tackle Justin Kirkland and Ephraim Asiata were removed from the depth chart for the TCU game.
On Wednesday, defensive coordinator Jay Hill told the media that the plan is for Kirkland and Asiata to redshirt this season.
“Where [Justin Kirkland] had played his four games, we just felt like with three left it would probably make sense to keep his year and he still has a redshirt, so we can bring him back next year,” Hill said.
Kirkland transferred to BYU from Oklahoma State earlier this year. He suffered a knee injury in Fall Camp that kept him out of the lineup until the Colorado game. Kirkland played from the Colorado game to the Utah game and he hasn’t played since. BYU has been getting solid production from John Taumoepeau and Keanu Tanuvasa which has allowed Kirkland to preserve his redshirt. Anisi Purcell has also been productive when healthy, and he is listed as probable for the TCU game.
Getting Kirkland back for next season would be a big boost to BYU’s interior defensive line. The Cougars will lose starter John Taumoepeau to graduation after this season, and it’s unclear whether Keanu Tanuvasa will use his final year of eligibility or not. Tanuvasa could return for one more year in 2026.
Ephraim Asiata is another candidate to redshirt this season. Asiata hasn’t played since the East Carolina game. He appeared in three games and has been dealing with a hand injury, per Hill. Asiata was a standout in Fall Camp and was set to play a role as an edge/outside linebacker. He would be a redshirt sophomore in 2026.
A few other candidates to redshirt could be true sophomores Tommy Prassas and Jonathan Kabeya. Prassas played in four games before suffering and injury and he hasn’t played since. He is listed as out for this game against TCU. Jonathan Kabeya has played in two games this season against Utah and Texas Tech. He could, theoretically, play against TCU and Cincinnati and sit out the UCF game to preserve a year of eligibility. When healthy, Kabeya is BYU’s starting nickel.
It’s also important to note that Kirkland and Kabeya could play for BYU in the postseason and still maintain a year of eligibility.
