Four-Star WR LaMason Waller Discusses His Decision to Commit to BYU

Casey Lundquist | Jun 24, 2024

Last weekend, BYU hosted a large group of official visitors on campus. During one of the lunches, four-star wide receiver LaMason Waller stood in front of the group and announced his commitment to BYU. Waller, a 6'2 wide receiver that amassed 44 total offers during his recruitment, has been a high-profile recruiting dating back to 2021. Even though an overwhelming number of programs offered him a scholarship, BYU was always in the back of his mind.

Waller was first introduced to BYU through his seventh grade teacher: former BYU standout defensive back Tim McTyer. McTyer was an all-conference performer on the 1996 BYU team that won the Cottow Bowl. "[Tim McTyer] told me he went [to BYU] so he would always share his experiences from there."

I Will be visiting Brigham Young University On Thursday The 16th!! @fsitake @kalanifsitake

MR BYU HIMSELF @timmctyer!! pic.twitter.com/d7SYLLSXHV

— LaMason Waller lll (@LamasonW) June 10, 2022

While it was McTyer that introduced Waller to BYU, it was Waller's relationship with BYU wide receivers coach Fesi Sitake that made the difference in his recruitment. Waller and Sitake formed a strong connection before his sophomore season.

"The end of my freshman year going into sophomore year, I actually visited BYU," Waller said. "In my very first interview with Fesi I knew, like he was the guy. Our conversation that we had was so great. I just knew that was always gonna be my guy no matter what I ended up doing and he ended up just coming back full circle and I committed to him."

Sitake was consistent in his recruitment of Waller and that paid major dividends when it came time for Waller to make his college decision. "[Fesi] came every single year, he came to see me. I started noticing like he's always hitting me up, always calling me and then he's just always around me. So the closer we got, the more knew like I can actually see myself [at BYU]. Then he came to see me in February, I think, and he was talking to my Dad and I was just talking to him. I told my high school coach like, I'm gonna go there, but I didn't even tell Fesi nothing. So I just let it play out."

Ultimately, it was the people on staff that differentiated BYU from the other 43 schools that offered Waller a scholarship. "It was a lot actually," Waller said on what made his BYU visit unique. "But the one thing I would say is the people at BYU are different. I've been everywhere, but the people in that building. It's just, it's second to none."

Waller had one more connection to BYU: 2024 quarterback signee Noah Lugo. Lugo played little league football with Waller when they were little kids growing up in California. On reuniting with Noah Lugo, Waller said, "It's honestly a cherry on top, but Noah was doing a really good job like he was recruiting me hard too."

As a football player, Waller brings a lot to the table. He has good size at 6'2 and he runs crisp routes. He has a knack for getting open and making contested catches. Waller models his game after NFL great Keenan Allen. Allen has a reputation for being one of the best route runners ever, an you can see glimpses of Allen's game when you turn on Waller's film. He uses cadence, quickness, and leverage to create space on his routes. He racked up over 1,100 yards and 15 touchdowns as a junior.

Junior season highlights!
62 receptions, 1151 total yards!
15 Touchdowns. @CoachTroop3 @CoachTCClevela1 https://t.co/6Up0tQD5A7 pic.twitter.com/OXNrwlS3K7

— LaMason Waller lll (@LamasonW) December 3, 2023

BYU sees him as a player that could contribute early on in his BYU career. BYU has a group of veteran wide receivers in Darius Lassiter, Kody Epps, and Chase Roberts that will graduate over the next year or two. There could be an opportunity for playing time as early as 2025. Waller will be an early enrollee which will help his odds of seeing the field as a true freshman.

"I can't wait to get there and compete." Waller said. "I'm an early enrollee so I can't wait to get there and just compete in Spring and try to work my way to get some play time early."

BYU's 2025 recruiting class is off to a promising start, but there are still spots to fill. On what his pitch to other recruits would be, Waller said, "I would say you, you can get an elite education, you'll meet some of the greatest people in the world and you're gonna play big-time football. I don't really see how you can beat that. So that would be my pitch to any recruit that's thinking about BYU."

Waller will be one of the foundational pieces of BYU's 2025 recruiting class. It is players of Waller's caliber that can help BYU transition to new life in the Big 12.