The buzz around BYU Football has been a bit quieter than it was this time last year when the Cougars were coming off five straight winning seasons and entering the Big 12. This time last year there was nothing that could get Cougar fans down as nothing seemed to matter, all was good with them.
Then 2023 happened.
Following a 4-1 and 5-2 start, the Cougars would go on to lose their final five games and ultimately miss out on a bowl game. Then, they failed to pick up a big-name quarterback in the transfer portal. Finally, they watched as their overall recruiting rank fell further and further back, with big-name transfers not picking the Cougars (despite still having their best-ever recruiting class).
But not everything is doom and gloom in Provo. There is still a lot to look forward to, including these three position groups, who appear to be coming back stronger than they were last year.
1. Wide Receivers
BYU Football got great news earlier this week when it was announced that Darius Lassiter had been granted another year of eligibility. His return means that he will be joining Kody Epps, Chase Roberts, Keelan Marion, and Parker Kingston. Additionally, Keeanu Hill will be moving over to tight end to join Ethan Erickson and Jackson Bowers.
Essentially, the only receiving threat that the team is losing is Isaac Rex, who, although an amazing tight end, was very under-utilized and doesn’t feel like he is leaving a void that won’t get filled by these other players now with another year of experience.
2. Safties
Losing Eddie Heckard is a tough loss, but the Cougars are returning just about everyone else, and with the amount of injuries they had last year, they should have a really solid depth chart. Last season, third-stringers Raider Damuni and Talan Alfrey were forced to play significant minutes against the best Big 12 competition. While they certainly were exposed and gave up plenty of big plays, they learned and gained very valuable reps.
Going into 2024, they are still likely going to be third-string behind guys like Micah Harper, Crew Wakely, Ethan Slade, and Marcus McKenzie, but their experience may help the starters and backups stay healthy. Even if it means a few plays per half, being able to rotate all six players in and out will keep the starters from getting too many reps and putting themselves at higher risk of injury.
3. Defensive Line
BYU Football held their own last year at the defensive line, which is saying a lot considering where they were in 2022 (almost last in college football at third down defense and stopping the run). Most of those guys return with Tyler Batty, Josh Nelson and Isaiah Bagnah being the biggest names. Additionally, BYU got some really big guys in their high school signing class including Danny Saili, Kinilau Fonohema, and Devoux Tuataga.
Add all of those guys with another year under Jay Hill’s defesnive scheme, and it is almost a sure thing that they will be much deeper and more productive than they were in 2023.
BYU Football Hoping for More Success
Last year, BYU Football felt like a sure lock to make a bowl game after a hot start but depth proved to be a task too tall to finish off the season with enough wins. This year, the early signs are showing that there is definetly more depth, the question now is whether there will be enough to get to a sixth win.
The Cougars open up their season against Southern Illinois on August 31st.
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