Cougars have managed to keep most of their key players out of transfer portal — for now
A year ago, the mass exodus of BYU football players to the transfer portal started early, as tight end Dallin Holker surprised almost everyone with the announcement that he was leaving BYU just three games into the 2022 season.
All told, more than 20 Cougars from the 2022 squad would eventually hit the portal, which wasn’t altogether a bad thing because many of them were non-contributors and their departures enabled coach Kalani Sitake and his staff to bring in nearly two dozen transfers, most notably quarterback Kedon Slovis, running back Aidan Robbins and defensive back Eddie Heckard.
“In recruiting, the first thing you gotta do is retain your current players. I was happy with the progress of the guys that played for us last year. We retained those guys. They are coming back. Cougar Nation will be excited to know that our best players are still here at BYU.” — defensive coordinator Jay Hill
With the deadline for players to submit their names to school compliance officers declaring their intention having passed Tuesday, it appears that the program won’t lose nearly as many players as it did last year. As of Wednesday morning, fewer than 10 guys who have played for or signed with BYU in the past were in the portal.
The list includes defensive ends Michael Daley (Rice), John Henry Daley (Utah) and punt returner Hobbs Nyberg. Those three are probably the most significant losses to date, especially the younger Daley, John Henry.
Long snapper Austin Riggs, receiver Dom Henry, quarterback/running back Sol-Jay Maiava-Peters, defensive back Quenton Rice, receiver Maguire Anderson and offensive lineman Dylan Rollins are also in the portal.
Running back Miles Davis entered the portal on Dec. 7, but withdrew his name on Dec. 13 and told the Deseret News he plans to stay at BYU.
Of course, another crop could depart after spring ball in March and early April, when the next transfer portal window opens from April 16-30.
“In recruiting, the first thing you gotta do is retain your current players. I was happy with the progress of the guys that played for us last year. We retained those guys. They are coming back,” defensive coordinator Jay Hill said on Dec. 20, when the early signing period began for the class of 2024 recruits. “Cougar Nation will be excited to know that our best players are still here at BYU.”
To date, BYU has announced two transfer portal signings: Pitt punter Sam Vander Haar and Weber State linebacker Jack Kelly.
The list of former BYU players who have declared for the NFL draft, although they have eligibility remaining, includes the aforementioned Robbins, offensive lineman Kingsley Suamataia, tight end Isaac Rex and punter Ryan Rehkow.
Offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick acknowledged last month that losing Robbins, somewhat unexpectedly, will hurt. But like Hill, he expressed confidence that BYU did a “good job” at keeping its offensive core intact, at least for now.
“First of all, I think the guys believe in what we are doing. We have a lot of guys coming back who played a lot of football for us,” Roderick said on Dec. 20. “They have been through some ups and downs. But they believe in the culture that Kalani has established here and I think they believe in what we are doing on offense. I think those guys, they have a unity about them.”
As an example, Roderick pointed to the receivers group, which “has kinda been together for a bit now, and those guys have something they want to prove next year as a group.”
Indeed, receivers Kody Epps, Chase Roberts, Parker Kingston, Keelan Marion, Darius Lassiter and Keanu Hill are all still in the fold, although the 230-pound Hill is being moved to tight end so he doesn’t have to fight so much to keep his weight down.
Offensive linemen Connor Pay and Brayden Keim have said they are returning, a year after the Cougars lost expected 2023 starters Clark and Campbell Barrington to the portal and eventually to Big 12 rival Baylor.
“We have got some offensive linemen returning that have a chip on their shoulder about something they want to prove,” Roderick said. “I think there is a unity there amongst the group offensively that the year didn’t go the way we hoped, and we didn’t play the kind of offense we have been playing the last few years, and I think that those guys have a huge chip on their shoulder to stick together and keep getting better.”
Last year, a record 20 players transferred out, most notably Holker, quarterback Jacob Conover, the Barrington brothers, cornerback Gabe Jeudy-Lally, linebackers Tate Romney, Logan Pili and Keenan Pili and defensive end Logan Fano.
Of those, Holker made the biggest impact elsewhere, shining for Colorado State and being named a finalist for the 2023 John Mackey Award. The former Lehi star recorded six touchdown catches, 767 receiving yards and made several All-America lists.
Holker, who has declared for April’s NFL draft, was sorely missed the latter half of 2022 and all of 2023, forcing Rex to shoulder the load despite never quite being 100% after a devastating late 2021 season ankle injury.
So was Fano, who was starring for the Utes before he tore his ACL in a loss at Oregon State. BYU could never get a pass rush going in 2023, and tied with Virginia for last in the country in total sacks. Sitake and Hill were able to get veteran defensive end Tyler Batty to stay, which is a positive.
“I think our coaching staff did a phenomenal job this (year) with just keeping our players here and them buying into what we know this is going to look like in the next couple of years,” Hill said. “We are super excited about the future of these recruits and where our defense is headed.”
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A couple of defensive additions from the portal last year — Utah State’s Crew Wakley, Boise State’s Isaiah Bagnah and Oregon’s Harrison Taggart — have apparently found a home to their liking at BYU, too.
Technically, defensive linemen Danny Saili, Sani Tuala and Luke To’omalatai didn’t come from the transfer portal — all three are junior college transfers — but Hill and Sitake said the newcomers will greatly bolster the defensive line in 2024.
“It has got to be about the relationships. And then also, (learning) what is best for the young men. … It is about hearing them out,” Sitake said of BYU’s transfer portal strategy. “Most of the guys in the portal right now from BYU are looking for more playing time. Normally, when we do have guys in the portal, that is the No. 1 concern, that they want to play more and they want to get on the field. … Some times we are just loaded (at a certain position) and they have to find different places to go. That’s just the game.”
Sitake said he doesn’t believe in using the “loyalty card” to get players to stay.
“We have to give them reasons to stay. … They have to weigh and consider it all, just like the recruits do,” Sitake said. “And if we can show them that there is more to what we are as a program, compared to everyone else, then I think we will get them. That’s why it has worked out so well for us, especially this year.”
