‘I have way more to prove’: Why star linebacker Jack Kelly is returning to BYU for one more year

BYU’s Jack Kelly was chatting with reporters after a practice at Trinity University in San Antonio and two days before the Cougars’ 36-14 Alamo Bowl victory over Colorado when fellow linebacker Harrison Taggart stood behind the cameras and playfully asked Kelly what it would take to get him to stay at BYU for another season.

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“You stay,” Kelly retorted, with the implication that he was leaning toward entering the NFL draft in April.

So it was somewhat of a surprise the following month when the First Team All-Big 12 linebacker (College Football Network) announced on social media on Jan. 22 that he was returning to BYU for his final season of eligibility.

“Let’s run it back,” Kelly wrote in his typical low-key, understated fashion.

“There is still a lot more I can improve on to help this team. The bonds and connections I have built in this program really played a big factor.”

BYU linebacker on why he chose to return to BYU rather than turn pro

Obviously, BYU coaches and fans were thrilled, because in 2024 after transferring in from Weber State the 6-foot-2, 240-pound inside linebacker from Kearns was one of BYU’s best defensive players, if not the best.

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Kelly will combine with Taggart, Isaiah Glasker and Siale Esera to give BYU one of the top linebacker groups in the Big 12, maybe even the country.

“When all those guys decided to come back I was excited,” BYU coach Kalani Sitake said the first week of spring camp. “… I am excited when anybody that has played a significant amount of reps, and started for us (returns). It keeps the culture of the team locked in and provides us great leadership. So those (linebackers) have done a great job. I like the looks of this team. We just gotta keep working hard.”

The first time he spoke to the media in spring camp, defensive coordinator Jay Hill was asked about his early impressions of the defense in 2025, and the first player he mentioned was you know who.

“Well, I loved Jack Kelly today,” said Hill, who had coached the All-Big Sky player in Ogden. “He looked like an absolute stud.”

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Kelly started all 13 games for the 11-2 Cougars last year and set a school record for single-season quarterback hurries, with 12. He also led BYU in sacks (five), forced fumbles (two) and tackle-for-loss yardage (86).

“We have great players, and keeping those guys around for as long as possible is important to us and our future success,” Hill said. “We need to keep the guys that have helped build this defense, and Jack is one of those guys.”

After BYU started the 2024 season 3-0 with wins over Southern Illinois, SMU and Wyoming, it appeared as if Kelly moving on to the NFL was a foregone conclusion when ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. ranked him as the fifth-best prospect in the 2025 NFL draft at inside linebacker.

“BYU outside linebacker Jack Kelley was relatively unknown in August, but he is quickly rising, as I have him fifth at the position after three weeks,” Kiper noted. “He added his second sack of the season Saturday against Wyoming, and you can see the high-end closing speed on tape. At 6-foot-2 and 240 pounds, Kelly flies all over the field and can also play off the ball.”

Kelly continued to flash that eye-popping speed (for a man his size) throughout the season, and finished fifth on the team in total tackles, 51, and also snared an interception on Senior Night in the regular-season finale win over Houston.

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At the aforementioned practice in San Antonio, Kelly said he would make the decision “pretty quickly” after the season ended, after talking to his parents, praying, and getting feedback from coaches and the NFL.

Why did he decide to stay?

Kelly told the Deseret News on March 3 that it was a “very difficult decision” and at one time it was “50-50” whether he would stay or go. What turned out to be the deciding factor?

“Just that I felt like I have way more to prove,” Kelly said. “There is still a lot more I can improve on to help this team. The bonds and connections I have built in this program really played a big factor.

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“Coach (Justin) Ena, coach Hill, coach Kalani (Sitake), all the coaches really played a factor in it.

“Not that they forced me to stay, but they gave me reasons why I should stay. The bonds I have built with them and how much I trust them really played into how much I wanted to stay.”

It has been awhile since BYU had a defensive player drafted, but that could change later this month because defensive end Tyler Batty is a good possibility. The last BYU defensive players drafted were DL Khyris Tonga and DB Chris Wilcox in the seventh round of the 2021 draft.

“I didn’t really know (getting drafted) was a thing that was on the table when I transferred in from Weber State. I didn’t ever think about leaving early,” Kelly said. “Then I started getting some feedback and stuff and it was brought to my attention.”

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Kelly said the desire to graduate from college — he is on track to get his degree in business management next fall — also played into his decision.

“That is a big thing for my parents as well,” Kelly said. “I think it was best for me and my family to come back for my senior year.”

Mark and Melissa Kelly, and his older sister Grace, a University of Utah graduate, have always stressed having a backup route in case pro football doesn’t work out, the All-America candidate said.

“They want me to have a fallback plan. Even if it is not exactly what I want to do in life, it is never bad to have a degree, especially from BYU,” said Kelly, who was an accomplished BMX dirt track racer in his younger days. “All the amazing professors and resources you get from here is something that is big to them.”

Where can Kelly improve?

Kelly said some of the feedback he received when he explored the NFL draft was the usual — getting better at fighting off blocks, getting better at striking offensive linemen, getting better at stuffing the run.

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“Also, my open-field (pursuit) needs some work,” he said. “Because I have the speed, but sometimes I over-run things. And then I need to be more physical in the box.”

Kelly plays the rover linebacker position in BYU’s defense, while Taggart and Esera are dueling to be the starting middle linebacker, or Mac. Glasker and UCLA transfer Choe Bryant-Strother play the strongside linebacker spot, called the Sam.

Whatever happens, Hill is just happy that Kelly will be back in blue this fall to spearhead it all.

“Jack Kelly was projected to be an early linebacker taken in the draft. And he had a lot of people in his ear, especially (after September) when the projections came out and he was super highly touted. And it continued that way,” Hill said.

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“I think our relationship was important to him, and it was important to me, that we could have a conversation regarding the NFL,” Hill continued. “But Jack came back because I think he feels it is the best thing he can do.

“After one more year playing inside linebacker, I think he can be one of the top linebackers in the country, for sure. And so, it is good for BYU that he came back. It is good for me, selfishly, that he came back, and I think it is good for him.”