Bywater’s playing days ended after 36 games, including 24 starts, and his lone Big 12 participation proved to be his last.
When BYU linebacker Ben Bywater was struck hard on his right shoulder in the third quarter of a game against Kansas last year, he knew he was in trouble, but he never imagined it would end his career.
On Wednesday, he retired from football.
Bywater’s playing days are gone after 36 games, 24 of which he started, and his only Big 12 appearance proved to be his last.
“I hit the guy, and it felt like a 50-caliber shot right through my (right) shoulder,” said Bywater on the “Y’s Guys” podcast in January. “It just popped.”
The pop underwent surgery to heal a torn labrum two months after Bywater had his left shoulder repaired. The body can only take so much, and Bywater’s frame had had it.
BYU loses their commander and active career tackles leader (247), but not before Bywater steals the spotlight. An injury to top linebacker Keenan Pili in 2021 expanded Bywater’s role on defense, and the sophomore responded by leading the Cougars with 102 tackles.
The following year, with injuries limiting Payton Wilgar and Max Tooley, Bywater handled the weight once more, finishing with a team-high 98 tackles and three interceptions, including a 76-yard pick-six against SMU in the New Mexico Bowl.
Prior to the third-quarter collision at Kansas last September, the returned missionary (Guatemala) and finance student was on track to fulfill his NFL goal. The Big 12 season would be his chance to impress scouts that he could put up similar numbers against better opponents. But 32 tackles into 2023, Bywater was done.
His final detonation will remain a thud in his personal history, but it will not erase an incredible voyage filled with unforgettable events.
Three of his 36 games came in 2020, when Bywater saw what it was like to play in mostly empty stadiums amid a pandemic. He was a part of the Cougars’ 11-1 season, which sent quarterback Zach Wilson to the NFL as the second overall choice.
The next year, Bywater faced rival Utah on September 11, one day after BYU was officially asked to join the Big 12. After an outstanding performance, he rejoiced with fans who swarmed the field following the 26-17 victory.
Bywater was an important part of BYU’s Pac-12 sweep, which included victories over Arizona, Utah, Arizona State, Washington State, and USC.
In 2022, Bywater made 11 tackles in BYU’s 26-20 double-overtime victory over No. 9 Baylor, and he finished a season-ending four-game winning run with 11 more tackles and a pick-six to win the New Mexico Bowl.
Last year, Bywater led the Cougars into SEC territory, defeating Arkansas 38-31 before guiding his teammates into BYU’s historic Big 12 opener at Kansas, where his playing career came to an end.
Without a doubt, Bywater will be missed and much more difficult to replace, but his treasure trove of adventures, both high and low, will undoubtedly fascinate his children for years to come, just as he wowed Cougar fans during a successful career cut short by a larger hit at Kansas.