Spring football is upon us as BYU will now embark on its inaugural season as a member of the Big 12 Conference after 12 years of Independence. During that time period the cougs stacked up a record of 99-56 and now enter the league hoping to make an immediate impact.
This is where it all starts and the work begins. Following the disappointing 2022 season BYU revamped both the staff as well as the roster. BYU will now have 15 practice sessions stretched over six weeks discovering what it has, what changes still need to be addressed, implementing new schemes/strategies, figuring out a 2 deep, among other things with the end goal in mind placing the best product on the field to compete from day one.
During this time period there will be a number of things both coaches and fans will have in observations and their impressions. There are numerous questions to be asked. What will the offensive line look like this year with having so many departures and incoming transfers? Due to the same roster overhaul what will the 2 deep look like? Can the kicking game ever recover? What players will stand out and rise to the occasion, while others may decide to look elsewhere? How will the reworked defensive line perform this year? The list could go on.
The road graders. Most fans know everything starts and ends in the trenches. Offensive Line Assistant Coach Darrell Funk had to revamp pretty much the entire line with the numerous departures and incoming transfers. Listed below is my best guess at a OL 2 deep but is certainly wide open at the moment as is a work in progress as the staff is still trying to nail down what five work best together considering so many interchangeable rotating parts.
LT-Kingsley Suamataia, Brayden Keim
LG-Connor Pay, Sam Dawe
C-Paul Maile, Connor Pay
RG-Ian Fitzgerald, Weylin Lapuaho
RT-Lisala Tai
The quarterback room. With Jaren Hall onto the NFL who will step up to continue the quarterback factory? Initial observations have shown transfer Kedon Slovis to already have settled in nicely as the next man up. Jake Retzlaff may certainly push Slovis but has been sidelined due to having his tonsils out. Former Boise State transfer Cade Fennegan is also hoping to make the most of his opportunity. One note item worth mentioning at the moment Sol Jay Maiava Peters has been moved to running back. At the moment all indications seem to appear that BYU football is in good hands with Slovis holding the keys to the offense.
The pigskin and the carriers. Gone is Christopher Brooks but incoming UNLV transfer Aiden Robbins should be a rather fine replacement. There are a few remaining familiar faces in Miles Davis (has switched jersey numbers from 19 to 4), Hinckley Ropati and newcomers Sol-Jay (switching from QB), Helu Nukuluve. Helu back from a mission will be looking to make some noise while Ropati hopes to build and last year's success. The talent and depth will be reinforced even further in the fall with the arrival of heralded freshman LJ Martin.
Taking flight. Puka took his football (and his talents) to the next level. There still remains a solid core of receivers for Slovis to rely on: Kody Epps, Keanu Hill, Chase Roberts and look for Dom Henry to emerge. With Epps still recovering from shoulder surgery Slovis seems to have found a solid connection with Henry. Once the season starts look for Kody Epps to have a breakout season announcing himself to the nation.
Tight End Tradition Continues On. While BYU may be known predominantly as Quarterback Factory, those signal callers wouldn't receive all the notoriety without the hogs on the OL and someone on the receiving end of all of those passes. The cougs certainly have a rich history at this position. Names such as Clay Brown, Byron Rex, Chad Lewis, Matt Bushman, Chris Smith, Jonny Harline, Dennis Pitta, Doug Jolley, Todd Christensen, Gordon Hudson among so many others brings back many fond memories. This year's crew is no different full of talent. Isaac Rex is the headliner with Masen "Air" Wake, Ethan Erickson and Jackson Bowers (who will arrive in the Fall). Ethan has improved his blocking skills and has been emerging as the number 2. Look for Bowers to make a strong push in the two deep once on campus.
Defensive Line Overhaul. Coach Poppinga (over the defensive ends) and Sione Po'uha (over the defensive tackles) will have their work cut out for them starting nearly from scratch. Some scary stats BYU ranked 102nd in red zone defense (60 chances with 53 scores), ranked 98th in rushing defense (allowing 4.55 yards/rush, 173.8 yards per game with 22 rushing TDs), ranked 97th in scoring defense allowing 383 total points or 29.46 per game, 130th (out of 131 rankings) in team sacks 15 total or 1.15 sacks per game. Names to look for who hope to make the two deep for DEs include Isaiah Bagnah (transfer from Boise State), Michael Daley, Aisea Moa, Logan Lutui and Tyler Batty. Sione will work heavily with Atunaisa Mahe, Jackson Cravens (incoming transfer from Boise State), Caden Haws and John Nelson who seemed to make a strong impression towards the year end. The only way is up to improve on last years stats.
Linebacking Crew. BYU has a great history at this position. Such names include: Rob Morris, Kurt Gouveia, Fred Warner, Sione Takitaki, Shay Muirbrook, Kyle Van Noy, etc. This year is no different. Assistant Coach Justin Ena certainly will have some talent to worth with. Names hoping to be on the two deep include: Ben Bywater, Chaz Ah You, Isaiah Glasker, Max Tooley, Logan Pili and Siale Esera. Can Chaz remain healthy? When healthy he seems to have a nose for the ball. Having both Tooley and Bywater back should be a huge boost. This position though, could use possibly a bit more quality depth.
Who's in the Secondary. This year Assistant Coach Jernaro Gilford will be over the cornerbacks while Jay Hill will work with the safeties. Notable names of the safeties include Micah Harper, Malik Moore and Raider Damuni. Cornerback's incude Jakob Robinson, Eddie Heckard, George Udo, Mory Mamba and Macus McKenzie. Having Heckerd aboard should be real boost in terms of experience and familiarity with the defensive scheme. How fast can Raider get away from the old mission legs will be a great question. The secondary should be in great shape despite losing two starters in Gabe Jeudy Lally and D'Angelo Mandell. Maybe the question might be how fast can the defense adjust to Jay Hill's defensive scheme.
Not always Special Teams. Gone is Jake 'the make" Oldroyd who seemed to struggle down the stretch (9 of 14). BYU was 10 for 15 in FGs and 49-51 on PATs. The bright spot on the special teams was clearly Ryan Rekhow. He averaged 46.2 per pun (10th nationally, net punting) with a high 71 yard punt. Ryan clearly was an asset often helping to flip the field. Hobbs Nyborg certainly wasn't flashy but definitely incredibly consistent (22.8 avg kick return). At what point do the cougs find an answer in the kicking game? BYU picked up Will Ferrin from Boise State hoping to stabilize their kicking. Justen Smith seems to struggle since he kicks a low ball. Would like to see what Cash Peterman is capable of. There is certainly a possibility the cougs grab a kicker from the transfer portal as well. Time will tell what the answer is.
By the end of spring ball hopefully the cougs will have answers to many of these questions. The staff hopes to implement the new defensive scheme (although maybe very basic at this point), figure out decently what the two deep will look like, can we find a suitable kicker, get the newcomers familiar with the playbook, etc. Although, there still may be changes/additions ahead at the end of spring. Each day puts us towards the end goal in mind putting the best product on the field to compete from day one in the Big 12.
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