When linebacker Choe Bryant-Strother arrived on BYU’s campus last June after transferring from UCLA, he was somewhat surprised by what he found in the Cougars’ linebacker room.

He discovered that there was talent, perseverance and speed in the game after a number of training sessions led by other players and team training sessions.

Bryan-Strother, himself a tough, talented and fast three-star recruit out of Atlanta in 2020, was used to being surrounded by three-, four-, and occasionally five-star recruits in Westwood. When he committed to BYU in early June after four seasons at UCLA, he says he wouldn’t have agreed to play for the Cougars if he thought it was anything less than a Power Four program.

But still he had a few reservations. These were quickly dispelled.

“I think the whole room is talented; I’m talking about the linebacker room. So it definitely brings out the best in everybody every day,” Bryant-Strother said at the start of fall camp. “The competition (for starting spots) is intense, but it’s friendly. That brings out the best in people, and that’s what we’ve done. We all watch film every day, we all put in the extra work every day, we go out there every day as hard as we can.”

Though he didn’t earn a starting spot — those went to Isaiah Glasker, Harrison Taggart and Jack Kelly — Bryant-Strother quickly established himself as a Cougar. The half-brother of former BYU basketball star Elijah Bryant was caught in a tackle for loss on Southern Illinois’ third possession, bringing down Keontez Lewis four yards behind the line of scrimmage.

Overall, BYU’s linebackers performed well in the 41-13 win over the Salukis, head coach Kalani Sitake said in his weekly press conference Monday. Kelly led the way with five tackles and a quarterback hurry, while Taggart and Glasker each had two takedowns.

Utah State transfer Sione Moa had three tackles after coming off the bench, while Siale Esera, Bryant-Strother and Aisea “Ice” Moa also had tackles.

“Yeah, the (linebackers) were really good at scoring,” coach Kalani Sitake said. “There were still some plays that needed to be made, but overall they were doing some really good things. They’re really comfortable with the system, the scheme. It was just a lot different having those guys out there now knowing what they’re doing, and it’s a night and day difference when you get to spend more time in this system.”

BYU held SIU to 123 rushing yards on 25 attempts. Quarterback DJ Williams accounted for 121 of those yards, escaping the pocket several times for big gains. It’s something the Cougars need to work on, Sitake said, while also lamenting a pair of missed tackles and a dropped interception by a BYU linebacker.

“So I think there’s more that can be done with those guys. I like that we’ve rotated and used fresh bodies,” he added. “… So there’s a lot of guys that we can still bring in. We feel like this is a deep position group for us, and a lot of guys that have playmaking ability. I feel really good about the whole front seven.”

Indeed, BYU’s starting defensive line of all seniors — Tyler Batty, John Nelson, Blake Mangelson and Logan Lutui — set the tone early, forcing SIU to score on its first four possessions. Isaiah Bagnah came in for Lutui on the Saluki’s second possession and had a sack.

“We don’t want to be the thermometer. We want to be the thermostat — come in and we set the tone, no matter who we play,” Bagnah said. “Last week, we didn’t know who the starting quarterback was until we came in. I didn’t. And so with that being said, I’ve emphasized that no matter who the quarterback is, we’re still going to be ourselves and play (according to) our identity.”

BYU’s front seven will be tested more intensely on Friday against SMU, which has multiple quarterbacks with multiple skill sets. And they’re all better passers than Williams. Kickoff is at 5 p.m. MDT at Gerald J. Ford Stadium, and the game will be televised on ESPN2.

“Our guys, we challenged them to be physical and do their job. They did it, and I’m really proud of our coaches for getting them in place,” Sitake said. “It’s one game. Can you be consistent and do it week after week? And can you do it play to play? What we asked them to do is be physical. So that’s good for us.”

At linebacker, Glasker may have been a surprise starter to some, but not to those who watched preseason training camp. The former Bingham High receiver stands 6-foot-1, 215 pounds, has great ball skills and can cover a lot of ground quickly.

“Isaiah Glasker is a really good athlete,” linebackers coach Justin Ena said. “He’s got a little bit of a toughness to him. He’s got a chip on his shoulder. So the way he moves, the way he runs, there’s not a lot of guys I’ve coached that are as good as him. I’m excited to see what he can do in the future, being a sophomore. The sky’s the limit for him.”

Ena said two-year starting LB Ben Bywater, who had to take a medical retirement due to nerve damage in his shoulder, has helped with the transition, “passing the torch” of excellent linebacker play to guys like Glasker, Taggart, Esera and Bryant-Strother.

Esera is recovering from a foot injury that ended his season early last year, but Ena said the former four-star player from Timpview High is healthy.

“Siale is fine. He’s ready to go. I know he had an injury last year. He’s 100% now. I think some guys are probably surpassing him now. But again, the depth chart is a living, breathing organism. It can change at any time because of injuries, or people getting better,” Ena said. “The depth chart doesn’t stay like that all year.