PROVO, Utah– Summer is over, BYU football is here.
Offseasons are shorter than ever. It feels like yesterday when Kalani Sitake was addressing the media in a stadium-seating meeting room inside Boone Pickens Stadium after BYU fell in double-overtime to Oklahoma State.
The past eight months flew by as BYU prepares to kick off year two in the Big 12 Conference, with fall camp starting on July 31.
As we enter the final stretch until the start of the 2024 season, and with it being July 24th (Pioneer Day in Utah), I figured it’s a perfect time to unload 24 thoughts on BYU football, from the position battles to the obscure, with fall camp being the theme of it all.
1. Wide open QB competition
All eyes will be on BYU’s quarterback competition. Gerry Bohanon and Jake Retzlaff enter camp as the projected top two, but BYU will need Treyson Bourguet and McCae Hillstead to push the top of the depth chart and show they can step into game action this fall if called upon.
#BYU Football players lay out the positives of the open quarterback competition entering fall camp.#BYUFootball #GoCougs https://t.co/ktDotPpl1q
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) July 23, 2024
It’s the most wide-open quarterback competition I can remember for BYU football in the past 30 years. These quarterbacks will be under a microscope every snap.
2. True evaluation of Gerry Bohanon
Coming out of spring practices in March, the evaluation of Baylor/USF transfer Gerry Bohanon felt incomplete as he was returning from a shoulder injury he suffered in 2022.
By the final week of spring practice, Bohanon connected on deep passes that reminded people of the QB that led Baylor to a Big 12 Championship in 2021.
Entering fall camp after an entire offseason around the BYU program, Bohanon needs to hit the ground running to win the job. His arm strength and accuracy on deep passes will be an area to monitor.
3. BYU football needs a legit Big 12 ground attack
The Big 12 Conference is home to the best running backs in college football this season. Ollie Gordon at Oklahoma State, Devin Neal at Kansas, Kansas State has DJ Giddens and Dylan Edwards, West Virginia boasts Jaheim White and CJ Donaldson, Abu Sama at Iowa State, RJ Harvey at UCF, and so on.
Who will be the star for BYU in the backfield? Sophom*ore LJ Martin and redshirt senior Hinckley Ropati appear to be the top contenders. Martin added 20 pounds last winter in preparation for his second season in Provo.
Ropati is back after an ACL injury sidelined him last season.
4. Tyler Batty is the leader of BYU’s defense
The only player on BYU’s roster that enters the 2024 season as a preseason All-Big 12 pick. Batty has been productive in his BYU career, but there’s plenty of room to grow.
5. Wild Card(s): JUCO linemen
I’m intrigued to see the impact of JUCO transfers Sani Tuala and Luke To’omalatai along the defensive line. Tuala is a raw athlete but has a high ceiling. To’omalatai is the type of player who could immediately impact the defensive line’s interior, which needs to shore up the depth in camp.
6. Punters are people, too
Replacing All-Big 12 punter Ryan Rehkow is an important battle for BYU. The leader coming out of spring was Pitt transfer Sam Vander Haar, who got the upper hand as Landon Rehkow, Ryan’s younger brother, dealt with an injury.
Rehkow is back in the fall to compete with Vander Haar.
7. Team DJ
I’m always intrigued by the music selections at practice. Sometimes, it’s country; other times, old-school 50 Cent will blare in the speakers. My guess this time around is Post Malone will be a popular pick. Or maybe some trendy TikTok songs mixed in with old-school rock for the coaches.
8. New practice field at the Student Athlete Building
BYU installed a new practice surface on the south end of the practice fields. During spring practices last March, BYU only practiced on the artificial turf fields because the grass practice surfaces were in terrible shape.
9. How footballs are prepared
When BYU football released a video two years ago on how they prepare footballs, the whole process stuck with me.
I’m sure Josh Hewitt and the equipment team have been hard at work gearing up for their third season overseeing the equipment room.
𝙱𝙰𝙻𝙻 𝙿𝚁𝙴𝙿 𝟷𝟶𝟷 🏈
with @byuequipment. pic.twitter.com/kWtF3J5BdG
— BYU FOOTBALL (@BYUfootball) June 6, 2022
10. Gear that fans won’t be able to purchase
It’s a fall camp tradition unlike any other. During camp, a player or coach will wear a BYU team-issued T-shirt or bucket hat, and fans will see it on social media and ask, “Where can I buy this?”
The answer is typically nowhere.
It’s bad enough that BYU hasn’t given fans the chance to attend an occasional fall camp practice in years. Allow them to buy a team-issued shirt or hat.
Maybe set it up through the Royal Blue Collective so the sales can return to BYU’s NIL war chest. But give the fans something beyond the Game Day shirt to feel connected to the program before Toe meets Leather at LaVell Edwards Stadium on August 31.
If not, fans will pick up the gear in some players’ Instagram trunk sale when they enter the transfer portal in December.
11. Depth at wide receiver
BYU Passing Game Coordinator Fesi Sitake was excited about the outlook on his receivers during spring practice. Everyone returns from last season, including Chase Roberts and Darius Lassiter. Keelan Marion and Kody Epps return, and Jojo Phillips looks poised to take a significant step forward as a sophom*ore.
Then freshmen Cody Hagen and Tei Nacua join the mix. It’s a talented group.
If BYU can find answers at quarterback, the receivers should be solid in 2024.
12. The other cornerback spot
Senior Jakob Robinson is one of the top cornerbacks in the Big 12. In my preseason All-Big 12 team ballot, I placed Robinson as one of my four cornerback picks. He’s a playmaker.
But the other cornerback spot is up for grabs entering camp. The player I’m intrigued to see is Weber State transfer Marque Collins. He was out during spring practices with an injury. Others I’ll be watching for are Mory Bamba, Therrian Alexander, Marcus McKenzie, and Jayden Dunlap.
13. McCae Hillstead
Utah State transfer McCae Hillstead showed flashes of his talent in his only season in Logan last year. How quickly has he picked up BYU’s offense to become a legit threat in the quarterback competition?
14. Kalani’s straw hat
You know it’s BYU football fall camp when Kalani Sitake breaks out the straw hat. It’s a throwback to the days when LaVell Edwards ran the program. LaVell always wore a straw hat while riding in his golf cart during camp. No golf cart is needed for the energetic Sitake at practice.
Big hat season is a back at #BYU. pic.twitter.com/3n7tyBaCtw
— Ben Anderson (@BensHoops) August 3, 2018
15. The photo of Kalani’s Nike shades
There will be a photo in camp from a photographer that features a close-up of Sitake’s Nike sunglasses, and in the lenses, you’ll see all of the media members gathered around him. I’m not sure why it’s a thing. But at this point, it’s another sign that BYU football is back.
16. Don’t sleep on the safeties
BYU’s safety unit should be solid this year. The return of Micah Harper from injury and Talan Alfrey back to full strength gives BYU a pair of veterans near the top of the depth chart if they go that direction.
BYU also has returning lettermen Crew Wakley, Ethan Slade, and Tanner Wall, who all started in games last year. Raider Damuni enters his sophom*ore season as one of the hardest hitters on the team. Then freshmen Tommy Prassas, who shined in the spring, and four-star prospect Faletau Satuala join the mix.
17. More space in the team meeting rooms
During spring practices, BYU finalized construction on their expanded team meeting rooms at the Student Athlete Building. The extra space was necessary for a Big 12 program. BYU’s Student Athlete Building still pales compared to some of their Big 12 peers’ football facilities, but it was a step in the right direction.
18. Will Ferrin is a solid kicker
Remember last year when everyone thought BYU didn’t have a kicker? Special Teams Coordinator Kelly Poppinga had confidence that it would get sorted out. He was right. Former Boise State transfer Will Ferrin emerged and was a good kicker last season.
Loyal, Strong, and True 🤙#BYUFootball pic.twitter.com/TPD5Odb5bl
— Will Ferrin (@wtferrin) November 27, 2023
Ferrin finished last season 11-of-14 on field goal attempts and had a long of 49 yards while also booting 34 touchbacks.
19. Post-spring transfers
Besides QB McCae Hillstead, some of the other post-spring transfers worth following are offensive linemen Isaiah Jatta from Colorado and Austin Leausa from Southern Utah.
Both linemen could be contenders to start along the offensive line this fall.
On the defensive side, Choe Bryant-Strother is expected to compete at the inside linebacker spot this season.
20. Connor Pay anchors the offensive line
BYU’s offensive line will be a significant storyline this season. While all the attention is on the quarterbacks, BYU must play at a high level along the offensive line.
The leader of the group is senior center Connor Pay.
This offensive line doesn’t have the star power they’ve had in recent seasons. Still, they could be a better unit than BYU has produced in the past two years.
21. “Flying around”
Fans will accuse the media of saying this every year. Rarely does anyone say it, but it’s become a staple of the fall camp buzzwords.
22. What will be the fun camp activity?
River rafting down the Provo River, a trip to Splash Summit, or something else? I still vote that BYU brings back the slip ‘n slide tradition from the LaVell era.
23. New coaches
Kevin Gilbride (tight ends) and TJ Woods (Run Game Coordinator, offensive line) are the two new faces on the coaching staff. Since they arrived last winter, both coaches have received high praise from players.
24. BYU is talented enough to reach a bowl game in 2024
Despite the challenging schedule, BYU has a roster that can reach six wins this fall. With some of the unknowns at key positions, anything more than six is hard to envision right now. But six wins is doable.
The foundation to reach six begins with fall camp next week.
Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for KSLsports.com and hosts the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (12–3 p.m.) on KSL Newsradio. Follow Mitch’s coverage of BYU in the Big 12 Conference on X: @Mitch_Harper.
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