BYU football players sprint in the opening practice of spring camp on March 2, 2015. (BYU Photo)
The BYU football team is back on the field — even if it is only for spring camp. The Cougars opened practices on Monday in early preparation for the upcoming season this fall.
'We want to come back and have a better year,' senior defensive lineman Remington Peck said. 'It's a new start, and we have to regroup and get back at it.'
The Cougars are expected to go through the entirety of spring ball with limited participation from Taysom Hill, who is still recovering from a fractured left leg he suffered last year against Utah State.
'Everything's going great, but probably not to the point where we would want to put him in a team situation,' BYU quarterbacks coach Jason Beck said of Hill. 'He threw the ball well and looked really good, but not all the way back athletically. We've been planning on early May (for Hill) to be 100 percent back.'
Recovering from injuries is a common objective within the team. Junior wide receiver Nick Kurtz is expected to make an impact after sitting out the 2014 season with a stress fracture in his left foot.
'It was hard, but I'm back,' Kurtz said. 'I feel so much better this spring than I did last spring. I'm good to go now.'
Changes following last season included the announcement that head coach Bronco Mendenhall would take over defensive coordinator responsibilities.
'It's going to be a whole different ballgame with Mendenhall,' Peck said. 'We feel more confident with him there, and our attention to detail is a lot stronger.'
The Cougars will play their annual Blue and White scrimmage in LaVell Edwards Stadum on March 27 before ending spring camp April 3. The Cougars open the 2015 season at Nebraska on Sept. 5.