Before the start of his 2025 season, one of BYU’s overlooked WRs promised himself to clinch the starter role on the team. However, that never panned out, as he notched just 97 receiving yards in 13 games. Fans hoped for a breakthrough in 2026, but little did they know that a late-season injury from 2024, which seemed minor at first, would force the WR into a drastic decision.

According to reports, BYU’s junior WR, Cody Hagen, has announced medical retirement from football and will leave the program. The returning WR was touted to be a prominent starter this year in the slot after Parker Kingstone departed from the program.

Hagen’s 2024 end-of-season injury didn’t look serious enough initially, but it required surgery after it became clear that it was a lingering issue. BYU participated in the Pop-Tarts Bowl game in December 2024, but Hagen’s season concluded well before the game. The recovery road was long for Hagen, and he missed the whole 2025 season’s spring ball due to the injury.

“I ended up getting injured, had to get surgery, which put me out for a lot of those backend season games,” Hagen said on the Coug Connect podcast. At the time, the media reports didn’t portray the injury as career-threatening, and so Cody played in the 2025 season. Then there was another “undisclosed” November 2025 injury as he missed the TCU game. Not much was revealed at the time, but it looks like his health has now given in to football’s physical needs.

Hagen came to BYU as a four-star prospect, committing to the program midway through his senior season at Corner Canyon High in Draper, Utah. At the time, though, he had offers from top programs like USC, Michigan, and Stanford, but chose to play for BYU due to his unwavering faith. Like many athletes at BYU, Hagen also took a two-year LDS mission, from 2022 to 2024, before arriving at the program in May 2024. BYU felt like home from the start.

“The coaches here are so supportive of a mission and of putting God first,” Hagen said about BYU after arriving. “I think going first definitely helped me. I know I was contemplating playing a year and then going. And I am happy I went on a mission first. Now I can just continually play these years here and get back to where I was.”

And so started the career of BYU’s future wide receiver star. In his initial season in 2024, Hagen redshirted, appearing in just three games, preparing for his 2025 season, which seemed to be his final breakthrough. That’s what receivers coach and passing game coordinator Fesi Sitake also signaled before the start of the 2025 season. In terms of snap count, though, Sitake kept his word.

Cody Hagen’s WRs coach trusted him to be an elite receiver in the future

BYU started its 2025 season just 16 months after Hagen returned from his two-year LDS mission. There were concerns about inexperience, but Sitake persisted with Hagen anyway. The 6’1″ and 185 lbs junior played in 13 games, had three starts, and even posted 18 kick returns for 409 yards, which ranked 34th nationally. Nevertheless, this season was still the ‘warming up’ before finally diving into the game in 2026.

“I could have started him at any time this year, any time the last half of last year. So he’s ready,” Fesi Sitake said last year about Hagen. “Number one, he is super smart and reliable. He’s tough. He’s obviously fast — his speed pops out, as everyone saw with the reverse (touchdown). Everyone knows what he can do skill-wise, but he is very tough. He’s very intentional in the way he approaches the games and practices.”

Hagen had all the talent in the world to succeed at BYU. Coming out of high school, he was the most prolific wide receiver out of Utah, catching 201 passes for a whopping 3,971 yards. But that was just the tip of the iceberg. He was also a prolific track and field athlete, as he showed his speed to open the 2025 season, scoring an incredible 57-yard touchdown against Portland State. That was the touchdown Sitake talked about, and that’s why the WRs coach also said:

“I have all the confidence in the world in him. I am excited to see how he does.” But?

That promise of being an elite WR remains unfilled, as Hagen explores other avenues. In 2025, he earned CSC Academic All-District and Fall Academic Big 12 honors and is currently majoring in business. He also speaks Mandarin fluently apart from English, and all of it will surely help for him in charting a life beyond football.