2025 TE Blake Bryce commits to BYU: 'It just felt right'

Newbury Park (Calif.) three-star tight end Blake Bryce wasn’t planning on committing in the spring. The rising prospect had lined up multiple upcoming visits after taking his latest trip to BYU this week.

Upon arriving at Provo for the third time as a recruit, however, Bryce got a feeling about the Cougars. On Friday, he committed to Kilani Sitake and the Big 12 program.

“This was not my plan,” Bryce told On3. “I am on a visit now and I had a visit to Arizona State scheduled for March 28, then visits to Tennessee, Stanford and UCLA in April. But on this visit, it just felt right.”

The Cougars offered last January and immediately stepped on the gas in their pursuit of the 6-foot-5, 218-pound tight end. BYU brought in Super Bowl champion and longtime NFL coach Kevin Gilbride as the new TEs coach — and that addition helped solidify Bryce’s decision.

“They have been pretty heavy on me all along. I started calling them first before they could call me, then things grew from there,” Bryce said. “Kevin Gilbride is the new tight ends coach, so that is exciting. He recruits me now and he coached in the NFL for 17 years.”

Bryce is a legacy commit for the Cougars

Bryce’s father, Gary, is a former BYU tight end. After growing up a fan of the Cougars, Blake is now set to follow in his father’s footsteps in Provo.

“My dad played at BYU from 1999-2004, so I grew up watching BYU, wearing BYU gear and now I get to go there, It is so cool,” Bryce said.

It’s more than that for Bryce, however. In his three visits, he’s been consistently struck by the culture on campus and within the program. Everything aligned, and following another great conversation with Sitake, his decision was an easy one to make. Bryce is now the second member of BYU’s 2025 recruiting class.

“BYU has everything I am looking for,” he said. “An amazing culture, we live by the same standard since I am Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the culture is like family. They have everything I am looking for and it is a great sense of family there. They have had success, they are building on that and they can become a powerhouse. Everything felt right, so I committed today.”

“I met with Kalani Sitake and that is when I made my decision. He is a great dude, he lives a great life and we talked about a lot of things. We talked BYU, his vision for the program and what their plan is moving forward. I loved what he had to say.”