Story thread · 4 reports / 4 sources

Are these 3 college football players with Utah ties among the 40 most important in the whole country?

deseret.com · 4dShare

Earlier this week, ESPN released a list of “The 40 most important players in college football in 2026” written by Bill Connelly, and three with Utah ties landed on the list. At No. 31 is BYU quarterback Bear Bachmeier , at No. 34 is Utah running back Wayshawn Parker , and at No. 36 is Boise State Broncos quarterback Maddux Madsen, who prepped at American Fork High. Bachmeier and Parker are both in a section highlighting five players from the Big 12, while Madsen is in a section highlighting five players from all of the Group of Six conferences. Of Bachmeier, Connelly wrote, “BYU had to unexpectedly hand the reins to Bachmeier, a true freshman, last season and had to keep the offense pretty cautious and low-tempo because of it. The Cougars also went 12-0 against teams not named Texas Tech. “Kalani Sitake’s Cougars have proven size and physicality in the trenches, and they could unfurl a new level of upside in 2026 if Bachmeier is able to learn and develop further. That will require rece

First report: The big lesson Kalani Sitake hopes Bear Bachmeier learned from last season — sltrib.com, 6d