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With only a matter of weeks remaining before BYU opens fall camp, Kalani Sitake and players made a trip to Las Vegas for Big 12 football media days.
History tells us BYU needs to field a good defense, but to make a splash, it needs a consistent, productive offense led by a playmaking quarterback to produce a winning record. The upcoming season is a mystery with a lot of new pieces to blend with returning talent from a five-win team.
From a scattering of interviews the past week, we have a glimpse into the mindset of coaches and players. In this piece, Hinckley Ropati explains why he expects to contribute in a big way after missing last season with an injury. Receiver Keelan Marion is a talent that may be overlooked by many on the national scene. In this story, offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick likes what he’s seen in BYU’s offensive depth. QB Cade Fennegan, a transfer from Boise State, has moved into a coaching position on the team.
Cougar Insider predictions
Question of the week: The QB position at BYU draws a ton of attention and pressure. From what you’ve heard, are BYU quarterbacks putting in the kind of work this summer needed to meet that challenge?
Jay Drew: The easy answer to this question is yes — by all accounts, all the quarterbacks are working extremely hard this summer in an intense competition for playing time this fall.
I personally know that Jake Retzlaff is putting in the work, because I asked him about it at the BYU Football Media Appreciation golf tournament on June 24. Retzlaff said they are getting together for PRPs — Player Run Practices — four or five times a week. He also said that every offensive player on the depth chart is putting in extra work in the weight room as well.
Retzlaff told me he was fired up by a West Virginia-based blogger’s ranking of the 16 presumed starting quarterbacks in the Big 12, which had Retzlaff at No. 15. So he’s driven by that.
Aaron Roderick told us at the same media event that Gerry Bohanon is finally 100% healthy and fully recovered from the shoulder injury that sidelined him all of last season. A-Rod said Bohanon’s arm strength is impressive now.
And I’ve heard nothing but good things about Treyson Bourguet, the former walk-on who is apparently going to get the scholarship vacated by Cade Fennegan, who is going to become a student assistant coach.
Dick Harmon: I like that Retzlaff, Bohanan, Bourguet and USU transfer McCae Hillstead are taking nothing for granted. They come to camp hungry and a little chippy. They are pushing one another, yet supporting each other. That’s a good sign.
Another sign is how some have sought out former QB John Beck from 3DQB in Southern California to polish up on their throwing mechanics during the offseason. While working with Beck isn’t a sure-fire path to success, he has become a proven factor in the development of NFL draft picks Zach Wilson and Jaren Hall. And the names of famous NFL and college QBs he works with is the who’s who of the game. I was impressed with Bourguet during spring practices. He has arm strength and accuracy. Hillstead is also a great addition to the QB room.
I predict Retzlaff will surprise a lot of folks this fall. He was put in a unique position last year when the Cougars had five wins and lost starter Kedon Slovis while the team was on the cusp of qualifying for a bowl trip. Retzlaff is a very good athlete, he is driven, competitive, has good footspeed and a strong arm. Bohanan is the fastest among the QBs and was a four-star recruit when he signed with Baylor out of Earle High in Arkansas. That Roderick has declared Bohanan healthy after a year battling an injury is a big deal.
What I like most is that this group feels a need to prove people wrong. I like BYU’s depth at QB better than Utah and as BYU found out a year ago, this is a big deal in the Big 12.
Cougar tales
Nine BYU athletes will be competing in the upcoming Olympics. As Jackson Payne reports, here is a guide as to who’s competing and in which sport. Former Cougar Whittni Morgan finds herself a late qualifier for the Olympics. In Denver, former BYU quarterback Zach Wilson is battling to start. Here’s a collection of reports detailing his chances so far. Brandon Judd takes a shot at highlighting the toughest stretch of the schedule for each Big 12 team in this piece.
From the archives
From the X-verse
Extra points
- Five burning questions for BYU football (KSL Sports)
- What kind of pressure are Sitake, Whittingham feeling? (Deseret News)
- Tom Holmoe describes state of the program 2024 (KSL Sports)
Fanalysts
Comments from Deseret News readers:
BYU made some huge mistakes when going after Whit by thinking that it was a forgone conclusion. Papers were announcing Whit going to BYU.
Massive mistakes were assuming that BYU was the gem when Whit was loving being at the U, and worse was the payment gap (in hindsight small potatoes) but the Utes decided to pay what they needed for their guy while BYU at the time was more like, “Dude, you say yes to a calling, the fact that we’ve got a stipend to pay you is generous.”
BYU certainly had the chance and the advantage to bring Whittingham to Provo and failed to do so.
I also need to be blunt about the wisdom of Whittingham in staying at Utah. Contrary to memory Whittingham and Bronco had a nearly identical record, Bronco’s last game was the Vegas Bowl and both coaches started off with 99 wins and Whittingham hit 100 that day. Conference wins in the MWC were identical, and while props go to Whittingham for getting into a P5 results were nearly identical. Whittingham is loved and Bronco was not really ever accepted — personality is one reason but the other is that Utah needed an identity while BYU had one, we’re the air raid team, it’s not a win without a 60-yard pass. Whittingham has instilled an identity for the Utes.
To be fair, would we have accepted Whit as the Utes did? We should have but I’m not sure given history that we would have, and that’s sort of sad but true.
—Josh from London
It is July. There are about 94 college football teams that believe they will win big, set records, win the Heisman and cure cancer. And that’s just the first week.
Will be interesting to see if the decision to stand pat on the existing cadre of receivers pays off. I’m thinking that the familiarity Kody, Keelan, Parker, Darius and others in the WR room have with the playbook may pay dividends. Same kinda deal in the RB room.
If our O line has upgraded like we’re told, LJ and his buddies may be able to move the chains.
— Mogli54
Up next
- Aug. 7 | TBA | Women’s soccer | @ Utah Valley
- Aug. 9 | TBA | Women’s soccer | Wisconsin