Although BYU began competing in intercollegiate football in 1922,[1] these lists are dominated by more recent players for several reasons:
Since 1922, seasons have increased from 6 games to 11 and then 12 games in length.
The NCAA didn't allow freshmen to play varsity football until 1972 (with the exception of the World War II years), allowing players to have four-year careers.
Bowl games only began counting toward single-season and career statistics in 2002.[2] The Cougars have played in 16 bowl games since then, allowing many recent players an extra game to accumulate statistics.
Similarly, the Cougars have played games at Hawaii 16 times since 1978. When a team plays at Hawaii, they are allowed to schedule another game beyond the usual limit.[3]
Since 2018, players have been allowed to participate in as many as four games in a redshirt season; previously, playing in even one game "burned" the redshirt.[4] Since 2024, postseason games have not counted against the four-game limit.[5] These changes to redshirt rules have given very recent players several extra games to accumulate statistics.
Due to COVID-19 issues, the NCAA ruled that the 2020 season would not count against the athletic eligibility of any football player, giving everyone who played in that season the opportunity for five years of eligibility instead of the normal four.[6]
The Big 12 has held a championship game during two different periods—first from 1996–2010, and since 2017. Should BYU qualify for this game in any season, it will be assured of playing at least 14 games.
These lists are updated to the end of the 2021 season.
All-purpose yardage is the sum of all yards credited to a player who is in possession of the ball. It includes rushing, receiving, and returns, but does not include passing.[17]
BYU does not list a complete top 10 in all-purpose yardage over any time frame (career, season, game), only listing the top 5 for each. It also does not break down its leaders' performances by type of play.[1]
