Questions persist as ‘disrespected’ Cougars embark on first year in Big 12
Well-traveled graduate transfer quarterback Kedon Slovis says he felt it from the moment he stepped on BYU’s campus as a member of the Cougars’ 2023 football team.
It continued through spring camp, amid a hot summer of player-run practices and weightlifting sessions, plenty of rounds of golf and other team-bonding activities, and into preseason training camp this month.
“There is a certain energy here. I don’t know if it is happy-go-lucky or just constant optimism. Guys take so much pride in the ‘Y’ and have so much confidence in themselves and the teammates around them. … There’s a belief that I haven’t really been around.” — BYU quarterback Kedon Slovis
“There is a certain energy here,” the former USC and Pitt QB told Bryan Fischer of Fox Sports. “I don’t know if it is happy-go-lucky or just constant optimism. Guys take so much pride in the ‘Y’ and have so much confidence in themselves and the teammates around them. … There’s a belief that I haven’t really been around.”
The question now becomes: Will that pride, belief and adherence to the culture that head coach Kalani Sitake has established — albeit with more than 60 new faces this year — translate into wins on the football field in BYU’s first season in the Big 12?
While expectations are high within the walls of the Student Athlete Building, the Indoor Practice Facility and the outdoor practice field just north of the SAB, they most certainly are not outside of the team and its fans.
The Cougars, who went 8-5 in their final season of independence, are picked to finish 11th in the 14-team league, ahead of only fellow newcomers Houston and Cincinnati and Big 12 holdover West Virginia.
At Big 12 football media days last month and throughout August, Sitake has maintained that dire preseason predictions aren’t fazing him or his team, which, in many ways, has been overhauled from the defensive coaching staff to key positions on both sides of the ball, starting with the aforementioned Slovis.
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“It’s OK. Let’s fly under the radar and give figure out what we can do to make some people wrong,” Sitake said in June. “I have a really good feeling that we are in a good spot.”
A big reason for the renewed optimism has come in the form of new defensive coordinator Jay Hill and the energy, enthusiasm and determination he has injected into not just the defense, but the entire team. Hill, the former Weber State head coach, brought in former Cougars Justin Ena (linebackers) and Kelly Poppinga (rush ends, special teams) and former Utah Ute Sione Po’uha (defensive tackles) and implemented a more aggressive, attacking style of defense that returning players say was much needed.
“We believe in this guy (Hill), and the other new coaches,” said linebacker Ben Bywater at the Big 12 media gathering. “There’s a whole different vibe around BYU’s defense, and I like it. We know we’ve been disrespected. We don’t forget (predictions) like that.”
Surrounded by coaches he worked with at Utah and other stops, Sitake said the cohesion on his staff will spill over to the team, which brought in more than 20 transfers from other programs, has about a half-dozen true freshmen who could contribute right away, and some recently returned missionaries who were big-time prep players before they departed for two years.
“You look at the connection and camaraderie we have as a coaching staff, there is definitely a great connection with everybody,” Sitake said. “I feel really excited about our coaching staff and our support staff and our strength staff — everybody that is available that is helping our guys — and our players are doing really well together. Especially for the collection of newcomers, I think it is coming along really, really nicely.”
Coaches get them ready, but players win games, obviously. In that regard, the Cougars appear to have lured some bona fide difference-makers from the transfer portal, including Slovis, running backs Aidan Robbins and Deion Smith, receivers Darius Lassiter and Keelan Marion, and defenders Eddie Heckard and AJ Vongphachanh.
Midway through fall camp, they lost one of their top defensive playmakers, as safety Micah Harper announced he’s out for the season with a knee injury suffered during the first scrimmage of fall camp.
“I am just really happy with the team so far,” Sitake said after the scrimmage. “I am more than pleased with their efforts and leadership, but also with the coaches and the demand. … Kedon looks really comfortable in the offense. Altogether I thought the team looked pretty good for it being three weeks out before the game.”
With the 2023 opener at LaVell Edwards Stadium set for Saturday, here’s a quick look at BYU’s offense, defense and special teams:
‘Upgraded at every position on offense’
Gone from an offensive unit that averaged 426.3 yards and 31 points a game last year are QB Jaren Hall, receivers Puka Nacua and Gunner Romney and underused running back Chris Brooks, along with one of the best offensive linemen in school history, Blake Freeland.
But the aforementioned Roderick said at the start of the third week of camp that the Cougars won’t skip a beat with Slovis, Robbins and company stepping in.
Cougars on the air
Sam Houston (0-0)
at BYU (0-0)
Saturday, 8:15 p.m. MDT
Provo, Utah
TV: Fox Sports 1
Radio: KSL 102.7 FM/1160 AM
“We are not game ready yet, but we have a good team. We have upgraded at every position on offense this year,” Roderick said. “I would say at quarterback, we are replacing a good player (Jaren Hall) so that is probably a wash, but I feel like we are stronger at every position group on our team than we were a year ago.”
At receiver, Kody Epps, Keanu Hill and Chase Roberts are back, but need to stay healthy for an entire season, which has proven to be difficult for all three. Lassiter (Eastern Michigan) and Marion (UConn) are big additions. Also, watch for redshirt-freshman Parker Kingston and true freshman JoJo Phillips to make a contribution, receivers coach Fesi Sitake said.
Isaac Rex gives the Cougars an outstanding tight end. In a mild surprise, Mata’ava Ta’ase, a transfer from SUU, is listed as the backup tight end on the depth chart. Freshman Jackson Bowers is drawing rave reviews early, while returner Ethan Erickson and transfer Ray Paulo (Allan Hancock College) could also see playing time.
“We have a lot of new players who are very talented. We have got some weapons,” Roderick said. “It is a matter of getting the execution down now with all these new guys and being in midseason form by the time we kick off for Sam Houston, and that’s the goal.”
Offensive line should be a team strength, but you’ve heard that before; Returners Connor Pay and Kingsley Suamataia will be bolstered by Utah transfers Paul Maile and Simi Moala, Utah State transfer Weylin Lapuaho and Oklahoma State transfer Caleb Etienne.
Can Hill get BYU’s defense back on top?
Former defensive coordinator Ilaisa Tuiaki’s tenure at BYU did not end well, but it should be remembered that the man built several solid defenses for the Cougars before everything went south the last few years.
Last year, the Cougars ranked No. 97 in scoring defense, allowing 29.46 points per game. They gave up 408.1 yards per game in Tuiaki’s bend-but-don’t-break scheme, ranking No. 94 in that category.
So in steps Hill, and his Energizer Bunny type personality and promise to bring aggression and playmaking back to BYU. Can he do it? He said after the scrimmage that the rebuild is on track.
“We have a lot to get better at, still. We have a lot to work on,” Hill said. “We also have a lot that we are doing well. … I like our personnel. We are getting people to step up, especially the (first-teamers) right now. I feel very confident in what those guys can do.”
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Losing Harper hurts. A lot. The onus will be on fifth-year senior Malik Moore to step up after missing the second half of last season with a hand injury. Sophomore Talan Alfrey was ticketed to step in for Harper, but suffered an undisclosed injury in the second scrimmage and is “highly doubtful” to play in September, Kalani Sitake said last Monday.
“The reality is that in that group we probably have six or seven guys that we can win with,” Hill said before Harper’s injury. “I want to see some more separation over these next 15 practices (and) somebody stepping up to be a big-time, Big 12 all-conference defender.”
The arrival of USU’s AJ Vongphachanh should help the linebacking corps in a big way, but it still seems a bit thin outside of the graduate transfer and returners Bywater and Max Tooley.
At defensive line, Hill said Tyler Batty, Atunaisa Mahe, Caden Haws and Boise State transfer Jackson Cravens have stood out in camp. Another BSU transfer, Isaiah Bagnah, was brought in to bolster BYU’s pass rush.
Special teams: Can kickers get it turned around?
A big topic in the offseason has been the abysmal showing by kickers in spring camp who were trying to replace Jake Oldroyd, the all-time leading scorer in BYU history.
Boise State transfer Will Ferrin, a Davis High product, was battling with Wasatch High walk-on Matthias Dunn and Justen Smith, who was a valuable backup kicker last year when Oldroyd struggled. Ferrin earned the starting spot, special teams coordinator Kelly Poppinga said Monday.
Smith has taken a medical retirement, leaving Ferrin, Dunn and Jordan Kapisi, a walk-on from Hawaii who recently joined the team, to handle all the kicking chores.
During a media viewing portion of practice last week, Dunn and Ferrin made all the kicks they attempted, including some from beyond 40 yards.
Problem fixed?
“Yeah, I think Will and Matthias have done an amazing job kicking throughout this camp. And we know that they struggled a little bit. We put them in some tough spots in the spring. But they are going to be fine,” Sitake said.
Ryan Rehkow returns as one of the top punters in the country, backed by his younger brother, Landon.
Hobbs Nyberg probably has the punter returner spot nailed down, after some nice returns in 2022. Look for UConn transfer Marion to challenge for kickoff return duties, because he has done some of that in the past, with success.
