Eight Cougars named to Phil Steele Preseason All-Big 12 Football Team

PROVO, Utah – Eight BYU football players were named to the Phil Steele Preseason All-Big 12 Team for the 2023 football season.

No. 10 ranked Texas led all conference teams with 17 players selected to one of the four Big 12 teams. Rounding out the top five were Kansas State with 13, Kansas with 12, UCF with 10 and Oklahoma with nine. BYU was tied for sixth with Oklahoma State and West Virginia with eight selections each. 

The Cougars were led by transfer running back Aidan Robbins, who was named to the first-team offense, while BYU punter Ryan Rehkow was recognized on the second team and linebacker Ben Bywater was selected to the third team.

Five other Cougars were named to the fourth team, including tight end Isaac Rex and offensive tackle Kingsley Suamataia on offense, linebacker Max Tooley and cornerback Eddie Heokard on defense, and returner Hobbs Nyberg on special teams. 

Robbins comes to BYU after leading UNLV last season with 209 carries for 1,011 yards and nine touchdowns. He averaged 4.8 yards per carry, while also catching 23 passes for 125 yards and a touchdown in 2022.

Rehkow, who was a candidate for the Ray Guy Award in 2022, averaged 46.2 yards per punt last season, with a season-long of 71. He was named to the 2022 College Football Network All-Independent First Team. 

Bywater was the Defensive MVP of the New Mexico Bowl in 2022 and is one of 42 candidates for the 2023 Lott IMPACT Trophy. He led BYU in tackles with 98 last season after collecting 102 in 2021, becoming the first Cougar to lead BYU in tackles in back-to-back seasons since current San Francisco 49er All-Pro Fred Warner did so in 2016-17. 

Rex was named to the Phil Steele and the College Football Network All-Independent teams in 2022. As a freshman in 2020, he tied for No. 1 in the nation with 12 receiving touchdowns. Rex enters the 2023 season tied with former BYU Consensus All-American Dennis Pitta for No. 2 all-time at BYU in career touchdown receptions by a tight end with 21.

Suamataia was named to the Freshman All-America Second Team by the Athletic and to the College Football Network All-Independent Team in 2022 while playing right tackle. 

Despite a season-ending injury in game seven of 2022, Tooley finished the year as the Cougars fourth-leading tackler and tied for the team lead in interceptions with three, including two for touchdowns.

Heckard transferred to BYU for the 2023 season after three season at Weber State where he was part of three Big Sky Championships teams and was named All-American in 2022. In three seasons with the Wildcats, he had seven interceptions, forced six fumbles and finished with 218 tackles. 

Nyberg returned nine punts for 115 yards for an average 12.8 yards per return, the top average among Big 12 players returning for the 2023 season. He was named to the College Football Network All-Independent Second Team in 2022. 

BYU kicks off its inaugural season as a member of the Big 12 Conference against Sam Houston State on Sept. 2 at LaVell Edwards Stadium. The game will be broadcast live on FS1 with the kickoff scheduled for 8:15 p.m. MT.