PROVO, Utah-ESPN college football insider Phil Steele placed eight BYU football players on his preseason independent All-American team ahead of a purported 2020 college football season.
Other independents in what is now called the FBS (Football Bowl Subdivision; the higher level of Division I football) classification include Notre Dame, Liberty, Army, UMASS (Massachusetts), New Mexico State and Connecticut.
The Cougars on Steele’s preseason team are as follows:
Senior tight end Matt Bushman. The 6-5 240-pound product out of Sabino High School (Tucson, Ariz.) has 125 career receptions for 1,719 yards (13.8 yards per reception) and nine scoring grabs in his career with the Cougars. In 2019, Bushman had 47 grabs for 688 yards and four touchdowns for the Cougars.
Junior receiver Gunner Romney. The Chandler, Ariz. native has 44 grabs for 539 yards and four scores for the Cougars during his collegiate career.
Junior offensive lineman James Empey. The durable American Fork, Utah native has played in all the Cougars’ games the past two seasons.
Junior left tackle Brady Christensen. The Bountiful, Utah native has been a stalwart on the Cougars’ offensive line the past two seasons.
Senior linebacker Isaiah Kaufusi. The native of Cottonwood Heights, Utah has 121 career tackles (76 solo), 10.5 tackles for a loss, one sack, four interceptions, nine passes defensed and one forced fumble for the Cougars.
Senior linebacker Kavika Fonua. The Syracuse, Utah native has 121 career tackles (70 solo stops), 1 sack, 2 interceptions, one forced fumble and three pass breakups.
Junior linebacker Chaz Ah You. The native of Saratoga Springs, Utah has 40 career tackles (30 solo stops), 6.5 tackles for a loss, one sack, one interception and one forced fumble.
Junior wide receiver/punt returner Dax Milne. Milne, a junior out of Bingham High School in South Jordan, Utah, is on Steele’s squad as a punt returner. Last season, Milne had 5 punt returns for 57 yards (11.4 yards per return) and added two kickoff returns for 32 yards.
Milne also has 31 career receptions for 354 yards and three scores for the Cougars.
