Paul Ukighir
Jack Kelly, a redshirt junior linebacker, will play his senior season for the Cougars in Provo the following season.
Jack has chosen to return to school for his final year of NCAA eligibility in the hopes of not only improving his draft stock but also resolving some outstanding issues with the Cougars, even though Kelly was eligible to declare for the NFL draft and would have undoubtedly been on the big boards of many teams come April.
Jack Kelly transferred from Weber State to BYU for the 2024 season after the Cougars hired former Wildcats head coach Jay Hill as their defensive coordinator.
Kelly recorded 51 total tackles in his rookie season, 33 of which were solo. With 15 tackles for loss for 157 yards, including five sacks, he was also a threat in the backfield.
With two forced fumbles and an interception, Jack also contributed to three turnovers. BYU’s scoring frenzy was sparked by one of those forced fumbles against Kansas State in Week 4, which resulted in a scoop-and-score and their first ranked victory of the season.
BYU lost their chance to play in the College Football Playoff after two late-season losses that left them a tiebreaker away from the Big 12 Championship game. This ending left many of their players and Cougar fans unhappy.
Jack Kelly is one of several outstanding Cougars, including Jake Retzlaff, Chase Roberts, and LJ Martin, who chose to return to Provo rather than take advantage of the transfer portal or the NFL draft. Kelly was the 28th-best recruit in the state of Utah and a three-star prospect when he graduated from high school.
Kelly, who played on both ends at Kearns High School, recorded 66 receptions for 1,299 yards and 13 touchdowns on offense and 59 tackles with 4.5 sacks and two interceptions on defense. After signing with Weber State in December 2020, he played in one game while redshirting in 2021.
Kelly participated in all 13 games in 2022 and recorded six sacks, one pass breakup, one forced fumble, eight tackles for loss, and 28 total tackles. Kelly had better overall stats with 56 total tackles, 12 tackles for loss, 10.5 sacks, four forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, and an interception in his 11 games with the Wildcats last season.
He moved to BYU after having a stellar sophomore campaign.
