Four-Star BYU Commit McKay Madsen Says His College Decision Came Down to the Wire

BYU commit McKay Madsen with BYU running backs coach Harvey Unga and BYU linebackers coach Justin Ena
BYU commit McKay Madsen with BYU running backs coach Harvey Unga and BYU linebackers coach Justin Ena / McKay Madsen
In this story:

Last Saturday, four-star athlete McKay Madsen committed to BYU over fellow finalists Oregon and UCLA. Madsen will sign with BYU in February before leaving to serve a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We caught up with Madsen to recap his decision to commit to BYU and the position he will play at BYU.

Madsen tells BYU On SI that his decision to commit to BYU came down to the wire. "I knew of a surety that BYU was the school for me really the day before announcing," Madsen said. "My week down in San Antonio for the Navy All-American Bowl game really gave me time to reflect on my recruitment and take everything into consideration without any outside influence. As announcement day got closer, I couldn’t get BYU of my mind and felt a peace as I imagined myself committing there."

The culture and environment differentiated BYU from the other finalists. "BYU stood out from UCLA and Oregon mainly for the community and culture BYU entails," Madsen said. "Those other schools are still amazing, but I just felt drawn to the religious aspect of BYU as a place where I share my beliefs with thousands of others."

When he was offered by BYU, he was offered by both linebackers coach Justin Ena and running backs coach Harvey Unga. He still has the choice to play either position at BYU. However, BYU head coach Kalani Sitake would like to see him play running back.

"I still have the choice between running back and linebacker," Madsen said. "Coach Sitake wants me at running back and I love that idea. If things were to change and I play linebacker, I would love that too under Coach Hill and Coach Ena."

Madsen has the ability to make an impact on either side of the ball at BYU.

As a junior, Madsen was named to the First Team All-State. He finished with over 1,000 rushing yards, averaging 8.3 yards per carry, and 18 touchdowns. On defense, he tallied 75 tackles, 4 interceptions, and 3 forced fumbles.

As a senior, Madsen ran for 1,238 yards and 19 touchdowns while averaging 8.84 yards per carry. He is a physical back that is tough to bring down and he can also make defenders miss in space.

It will be a couple years before Madsen suits up for BYU. On what he looks forward to in the future, Madsen said, "Come fall 2027, I think I’m most excited for LaVell Edward’s Stadium on a cool Saturday night. Hearing the ROC roar and being in BYU blue with my last name on my jersey gets me hyped just thinking about it. But I’m also stoked for the college journey of meeting new people, dating, and studying a major I’m passionate about."

Regardless of position, Madsen has all the physical abilities to make an impact at BYU. He's the kind of recruit that BYU needs to land to elevate the program to Big 12 championship caliber.


Published
Casey Lundquist
CASEY LUNDQUIST

Casey Lundquist is the publisher and lead editor of Cougs Daily. He has covered BYU athletics for the last four years. During that time, he has published over 2,000 stories that have reached more than three million people.