BYU defensive end Tyler Batty listened to the feedback he got from NFL scouts and came to the conclusion that he could kill two birds with one stone by returning to school for one last season in 2024.
First, he could improve his draft stock. Second, he could rid himself of the ick he felt from BYU’s 5-7 season in 2023, which was the program’s first in the Big 12 Conference.
“There was definitely an opportunity to go to the NFL this year,” Batty told KSL Sports in Dec. 2023. “But I felt like coming back and playing another year, improving my draft stock, improving myself as a player, and finishing my college eligibility out. The more I thought about it, ‘what the heck?’ Why not use it all up and don’t have any regrets? You only get this opportunity once.”
Batty, 6-foot-5 and 285 pounds, has been one of BYU’s most productive pass rushers in the last 25 years. He had 6 quarterback pressures in 2023 and his 15 career quarterback pressures is third among all BYU players since 2000. Batty also has 15 career sacks.
BYU opens the season on Aug. 31 at home against Southern Illinois.