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BYU football needs an all-hands-on-deck approach to be successful this season. It takes a village, not just one guy, to make it happen. That said, offensive lineman Bruce Mitchell is a particularly pivotal figure for the 2026 Cougars. If he doesn't have a good year, the team might not meet expectations. Mitchell, as he told The Deseret News, wants to make sure the team comes first:
“I’ve got some lofty goals,” Mitchell said. “But I am going to keep them to myself, because I am superstitious, and also because I don’t want to take anything away from the team goals, which is to go further than we’ve ever gone.'
"Last year, in his first full season playing center after having played defensive tackle his first two seasons at BYU, Mitchell was a first-team All-Big 12 selection. Not surprisingly, the product of Kamas’ South Summit High is a preseason All-Big 12 pick this year. He could not care less about those accolades, he said, if they are not accompanied by more team success in 2026. In 2025, BYU’s offensive line ranked No. 13 nationally in fewest sacks allowed, and also helped the offense average 31.4 points per game.
"'I am not worried about any (numbers) except wins,” he said. 'I just want to go out and play good football and hopefully the accolades will follow that. But mostly I don’t pay any attention to those things.'”
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This article originally appeared on BYU Cougars Wire: Bruce Mitchell is hinge-point player for BYU football in 2026 season
