BYU Football is coming off a difficult 5-7 regular season in 2023 and has many questions and areas of concern that need to be addressed. The fact that BYU went 5-7 overall wasn’t the biggest problem; the issue was that the team had that record despite a 3-1 and 4-2 overall start. Multiple media sources were penciling BYU football into a bowl game, assuming they’d finish with at least a 2-4 record to finish the season.
Instead, they finished 1-5, losing their final four games.
As the calendar continues to roll on toward September (albeit very slowly), the answers to many questions are starting to be answered. For example, we know that the QB1 battle is between Jake Retzlaff and Gerry Bohannon. We know that the recruiting primarily focuses on building depth on the defensive side of the ball, and we’ve learned who the new coaching staff is.
But there are still questions that fans hope to be answered in the next few weeks of spring football.
1. Which Quarterbacks Intend to Transfer?
BYU Football has ten quarterbacks in the QB room, meaning it isn’t a question of if a quarterback will enter the transfer portal starting on May 1st, but who and how many. The issue BYU has is that they don’t have a clear starter, and the two players in the running for being a starter have already used up a bunch of eligibility.
In other words, BYU must have a few young players with all their eligibility to remain in the system. The biggest issue with this, of course, is NIL and BYU’s growing pattern of getting guys out of the transfer portal. Imagine being the fourth-string quarterback after last season and hoping to move up to third or the backup in 2024. Suddenly, BYU football brings in two more quarterbacks, sliding that player back to the fourth or fifth stringer again.
For a player looking to get on the field and make NIL money, it almost becomes obvious that he will transfer.
2. Who Are the Breakout Players?
The unique thing about BYU Football is that there are RMs (returned missionaries) who return from their missions and are either ready to play or entirely out of shape every year. It will be interesting to see if any recent RMs get into the mix running plays with first-stringers. Additionally, at least one or two true freshmen typically excel from day one and get reps with the top group.
Finally, with the transfers coming in, it’s always interesting to see which ones fit in the system well and struggle to learn the new play style. It seems like every year, at least one player who transfers that nobody knows about excels, while a few of the big names end up falling in the depth chart.
3. Why Isn’t There a BYU Football Spring Game?
It’s no secret that football coaches like to keep things relatively secret as much as possible. Whether it is releasing a depth chart or injury report or being extra cautious in play calling, coaches don’t like to give their opponents any edge.
Yet, many teams broadcast their spring football game on ESPN, ESPN2, or a channel like the SEC Network. In many ways, it’s more of a treat for the fans, and it typically doesn’t give too much away to future opponents because the playcalls are pretty vanilla.
Yet, BYU football isn’t doing anything this year. They are still holding the alumni game at the old Provo High School field, showing that BYU could still have a team scrimmage. Hopefully, one of the reporters will ask Kalani directly why they aren’t having the spring scrimmage this year and get an answer that explains things.
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