Bryce Harper pulled up to BYU this week like he hasn’t spent years publicly hating them

Bryce Harper stopped by BYU this week to speak with the football team and newly extended head coach Kalani Sitake.

Bryce Harper visits BYU Football:

Appreciate two-time MVP, @bryceharper3, stopping by this afternoon! pic.twitter.com/9EbgCocMKm

— BYU FOOTBALL (@BYUfootball) December 4, 2025

Unfortunately, the second I saw those pictures, all I could think about was the College Gameday clip from 2018 where Bryce, in front of a national audience, absolutely torched BYU live on television.

People forget that Bryce Harper has a long and documented history of roasting BYU whenever he gets the chance. It has never been a playful rivalry type of hate either. This man cooked them live on ESPN.

The 2018 College Gameday Moment

College Gameday was in Columbus for Ohio State versus Michigan. The panel ran through their picks, including BYU versus No. 17 Utah. Bryce Harper, then with the Nationals, took the mic and said the quiet part extremely loud.

Bryce Harper: “Anytime I can root against BYU, I do. I can’t stand them. So, Utah all the way. Go Utes.”

Not an ounce of hesitation or fake diplomatic energy. Bryce Harper just openly said he cannot stand BYU and jumped straight into Utes propaganda like he had money on it.

That wasn’t the first time, either.

Bryce Harper Has Been Hating BYU Publicly for a Decade

Back in 2015 on MLB Network, Bryce corrected a host who assumed all LDS members love BYU. He deadpanned straight into the camera, “I hate BYU.”

No smirk. No punchline. Pure hostility. So now here we are in 2025, watching Bryce Harper shake hands and pose for pictures with the same program he has been verbally body-slamming for years. Life comes at you fast.

Why the BYU Hatred?

Naturally, theories exist. Bryce grew up a UNLV fan. BYU and UNLV had a real rivalry in the Mountain West days. That checks out.

His wife, Kayla Varner, actually played soccer at BYU before transferring to Ohio State. Maybe the BYU chapter did not end well. Maybe Bryce became a supportive husband in the pettiest way imaginable.

Maybe Bryce just hates BYU. Sometimes it really is that simple.

The Funny Part: BYU Is Acting Like This Is Totally Normal

BYU social media is posting Bryce like an honorary Cougar now. Inspirational captions. Heart emojis. Full rollout. That is fine. Winning cures everything. So does star power. Philadelphia knows this better than anyone. For the rest of us, who remember Bryce Harper trashing BYU every chance he got for nearly a decade, the irony is impossible to ignore.

Bryce Harper: Hates BYU (Historically)

Frankly, I hope Bryce was able to look around the room at BYU this week and suppress the urge to say “Go Utes” out of sheer muscle memory.

Old habits die hard.

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