**Carsen Ryan: BYU’s Mustachioed Leader and Standout Tight End in 2025**
PROVO — Carsen Ryan isn’t just BYU’s leader in receiving touchdowns through the first three games of the 2025 season; the senior also stands out in one crucial area — according to his coaches and teammates, he almost certainly has the best mustache on the team.
What’s even more impressive about the pass catcher’s flow’s upper lip hair? It’s all natural.
“I use a conditioner (on it) when I shower sometimes, but I don’t use any beard oil,” Ryan explained. “I trim it every couple of weeks to make sure it doesn’t get too long. There’s no secret to it. I’ve just been blessed to have a nice mustache.”
Of course, Ryan is more than just a ‘stache. Currently, he is the No. 6-rated tight end in college football this season, holding an 86.4 grade by Pro Football Focus—the highest rating for a tight end on a team west of Texas.
The 6-foot-4, 250-pound team captain has been an every-down tight end since BYU coach Kalani Sitake started recruiting him—initially at Timpview before Ryan finished his prep career at American Fork.
Interestingly, Ryan said “no” twice to scholarship offers from major programs: first to a Pac-12 school that would later join the Big Ten, and another Pac-12 school prior to its entrance into the Big 12.
Ryan played in all 12 games during his lone season at UCLA, starting five. Then, at Utah, he caught 10 passes for 113 yards, including a 2-yard touchdown on fourth-and-goal at Utah State. However, his usage declined after that, until a late-season surge where he made four catches for 78 yards in a 49-24 loss at Colorado in the penultimate game of the season.
Perhaps this limited role explains Ryan’s decision to transfer again—and why the third time proved to be the charm for Sitake and BYU.
“He can do so many things,” Sitake said, calling Ryan a “complete tight end.” “He’s versatile, he can block, he can catch, he’s big, he’s a great leader, and he’s bought into whatever we ask him to do.
“I don’t think anybody works harder than he does in practice; he sweats more than anyone I know, and that usually means he’s working really hard. And then he has an amazing mustache game. When you combine all those things, it just makes sense that you should be a great tight end at BYU.”
This commitment has translated into the main thing Ryan wanted out of his transfer: playing time—and plenty of it.
“Something they’ve really allowed me to do in this offense is just be on the field all the time,” Ryan said Monday after the Cougars improved to 3-0—marking the fifth time in six seasons they’ve started undefeated.
“Being an every-down tight end is my goal, to be a really physical blocker but also get out and make some plays in the pass game like I’ve been doing.
“It’s something I want to continue to do, too,” he added.
Ryan is also proving to be a reliable target for Bear Bachmeier, the former four-star prospect and Stanford early enrollee who transferred to BYU in the summer and won the starting quarterback job during training camp.
In a recent game, with an orbit play-action pass and a leaked wheel route, Bachmeier found Ryan for a crucial 20-yard touchdown with 6:33 left in the third quarter. That score gave the Cougars a 20-3 lead en route to a 33-13 road win over East Carolina.
Through three games, Ryan has caught nine passes for 146 yards and two touchdowns. He ranks second on the team in receptions and receiving yards, trailing only Chase Roberts.
For Ryan, being available for the true freshman starter is just as important as his ability to play every down—just as he plans to do Saturday night in the Cougars’ 14th all-time meeting against Colorado (8:15 p.m. MDT, ESPN).
“One thing I’ve really focused on since Bear came here is just to be consistent, to get up when I can, do my job and let him know that I’m there,” Ryan said. “But I just try to consistently be there and do my job, so that Bear knows if he needs me that I’m going to be there.”
https://www.ksl.com/article/51379120/how-carsen-ryan-is-bringing-tight-end-all-natural-mustache-back-in-style-with-byu