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BYU offense leads football squad early in camp

dick harmon
·6 min read
BYU quarterback Kedon Slovis throws a pass during a team scrimmage at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Aug. 12, 2023.
BYU quarterback Kedon Slovis throws a pass during a team scrimmage at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Aug. 12, 2023. | BYU Photo

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After the first major scrimmage of spring football, BYU’s offense turned a lot of heads during the closed practice that featured live hitting and tackling. In this report, defensive coaches and players praised the polish and execution of Aaron Roderick’s offense right out of the chute.

Here is some of our fall football camp coverage:

Cougar Insider predictions

Question of the week: Receiver coach Fesi Sitake claims this group of receivers is the best he’s seen at BYU. Do you agree or disagree?

Jay Drew: None of the coaches on Kalani Sitake’s staff are prone to hyperbole, so when receivers coach and passing game coordinator Fesi Sitake told me a few weeks ago that this group of BYU receivers is the deepest and most talented group he’s had in his six years at the school it kind of took me by surprise.

The Cougars have had some great receivers the past few years, guys such as Puka Nacua, Gunner Romney (when he was healthy) and Dax Milne. Are Kody Epps, Chase Roberts, Keanu Hill, Parker Kingston and the newcomers up to their standard?

Apparently so. I will say this: UConn transfer Keelan Marion and Eastern Michigan transfer Darius Lassiter are impressive guys — on and off the field. I’ve watched their film from their previous stops, and have been nothing but impressed by that as well.

So perhaps Fesi Sitake is right. On paper, this group looks deep, talented and explosive. Only time will tell — beginning Sept. 2 against Sam Houston.

Dick Harmon: I thought the group of receivers that included Milne, Nacua, Romney and Neil Pau’u were extremely impressive. They were fast, smart, consistent and helped make Zach Wilson realize an impressive NFL No. 2 draft pick. Their coach was Fesi Sitake and he seemingly had some magic in his efforts.

Fast forward to this fall. He’s added some impressive talent and we’ll likely see this depth front and center. Why? Because last year Nacua, Epps and Roberts all missed games due to injuries. The addition of Lassiter and Marion, the return of Hill and the emergence of Kingston are a very big deal.

Let’s not forget Dom Henry, a freshman from Florida who has turned heads in both spring and this month’s camp. Then there is Hobbs Nyberg, who will take punt return duties, and Talmage Gunther, who has made big plays this summer. Add JoJo Phillips’ potential and yes, I can see that Fesi has a nice problem on hand — keeping them all happy.

No question this is the best corps of receivers in the state of Utah and this group will make waves this season because Kedon Slovis can really spin the ball accurately.

Cougar tales

Basketball coach Mark Pope blames himself for losing guard Ques Glover to NIL money and adding the four corners schools to the Big 12 thrills Pope, as explained in this piece. Puka Nacua is making noise with the Los Angeles Rams in this report. In football recruiting, Aaron Roderick received a commitment from a 3-star QB from Texas. Here is my tribute to former track and field head coach Willard Hirschi, who died at age 89. Former hoops coach Dave Rose will headline the Utah Sports Hall of Fame’s latest class. Here is a rundown on sensational steeplechaser Kenneth Rooks competing at the world championships.

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Comments from Deseret News readers:

NIL is now the way things work in college sports. But it is ruining college football and basketball for me, I am finding myself less and less interested each year. The “student-athletes” are becoming increasingly focused on the money, most have no loyalty to the school, and as a result, it has just destroyed any continuity on teams. It is just a collection of players thrown together for a year. I can’t really develop an enthusiasm for the players since I hardly get to familiarize myself with them and then they are gone. They’ll spout all the platitudes about the school and their teammates while they are on the team, but they jump ship so quickly and easily that it is hard to see it as anything but a scam to separate their fans from their money.

— Northshorecoug

So what is coach Pope supposed to do? Approach each player daily with “G’morning. Do you want more money today?” Or “have you been contacted by another school and offered more?”

What do you expect a college student to say to the first question? No? And as to the second, if the student hasn’t already disclosed that, will he then?

— Mowgli

Up next

Aug. 17 | 7 p.m. | Women’s soccer | St Louis | @Provo

Aug. 19 | 7 p.m. | Women’s soccer | Cal State Fullerton | @Provo

Aug. 24 | 6 p.m. | Women’s soccer | Long Beach State | @Provo

Aug. 25 | 2 p.m. | Women’s volleyball | Pitt | @Missoula, Montana

Aug. 26 | Noon | Women’s volleyball | Texas Rio Grande | @Missoula, Montana