It was a snowy day in Provo on Friday, pushing the BYU football team inside for its spring practice.
Here are the key takeaways from what went down at the Indoor Practice Facility.
Darius Lassiter's return is 'unlikely'
It was always a long shot, but BYU head coach, Kalani Sitake, all but confirmed that wide receiver, Darius Lassiter, will likely not be coming back for the 2025 season.
Lassiter made an appeal to the NCAA for an additional season after Vanderbilt quarterback, Diego Pavia, was granted an extra year — due to his first two seasons playing at a junior college — in a court case that had national implications.
This gave BYU fans hope that their star receiver could come back to Provo for one more year, but it is not looking likely that Lassiter will win his appeal.
"It's highly unlikely," Sitake said, "but I know he'll have a shot at the next level."
In Lassiter's absence, returning receiver Keelan Marion has shown that he might be able to fill his shoes.
On Friday, Marion caught a 45-yard touchdown pass from Jake Retzlaff. Last week, Retzlaff highlighted Marion as a guy who could potentially boost his production on the receiving end.
Battle in the trenches
It is a new look for both the offensive and defensive lines.
On the defensive line, the Cougars lost four starters in Tyler Batty, John Nelson, Blake Mangelson, and Isaiah Bagnah.
On the offensive line, BYU lost Caleb Etienne, Connor Pay, and Weylin Lapuaho.
Defensive tackle, Keanu Tanuvasa, who transferred to BYU from Utah in December, talked about some of the learning curves for a new unit playing together for the first time.
"Some of the learning curves have just been learning each [defensive linemen's] style of play," Tanuvasa said. "One thing you want to have as a D-line is the ability to flow off of one another... we're building that."
The defensive line did get the better of BYU's offense when it forced a fumble from a Cougar running back during scrimmage.
Tanuvasa also gave props to the new and somewhat inexperienced offensive line, saying that they are "competing their butt off."
As of now, the starting offensive line consists of Bruce Mitchell at center, Isaiah Jatta at left tackle, Austin Leausa at right tackle, Southern Utah transfer Kyle Sfarcioc and Sonny Makasini at the guard spots.
Big goals from Tanuvasa and the team
There is no sugar coating coming from BYU. The Cougars are very open about their goal to win a national championship.
When asked what his goals were, Tanuvasa said it was to be the "best in the country."
Not only does Tanuvasa have big ambitions for the team, but personally, he thinks this season could be huge for himself.
"I believe in myself highly, Tanuvasa said. "All-American, All-Big 12, first round draft picks, that's the goal."