The wait is almost over. With the arrival of fall camp comes the anticipation for opening kickoff on Aug. 31. Now just under a month away, you can almost feel the energy and taste the Cougartails in LaVell Edwards Stadium.
The first day of fall camp provided all sorts of ground-breaking quotes and insights, such as, "It's good to see the guys in pads"; "They were really flying around out there"; and of course, "This is the most physical first day of fall camp we've ever had." You wouldn't get these kinds of gems anywhere else folks.
In all seriousness, fall camp is good for a few things. We can get a better feel for the roster, see where everyone is at with their health and generally just feel how close we are to the season.
Although we don't get a whole lot from the coaches talking to media, there was still a lot to unpack on the first day of fall camp.
Ben Bywater officially retires
Linebacker Ben Bywater was BYU's leading tackler in 2021 and 2022 and most likely would have been in 2023 had he stayed healthy.
Bywater made the decision a couple weeks ago, but made it official Wednesday that he will be medically retiring from BYU football. The shoulder injury he sustained at Kansas last season resulted in an obscure nerve injury. After multiple medical procedures and opinions, he was not going to be ready for the 2024 season.
There's no way to sugar coat it; this is a massive hit for BYU's linebacker room, defense and team as a whole. The Cougars are losing their best linebacker and a senior captain.
So, who will be filling this hole in the defense? The answer is a couple different guys. Harrison Taggart seems to be the frontrunner to take the first-team reps but Siale Esera is someone else who could compete for time. Both saw time last year in Bywater's absence and both are sophomores, former 4-star recruits, and have the chance to make their mark on BYU's linebackers room.
Quarterback competition
For most of the offseason the quarterback competition seemed to have just two occupants: Gerry Bohanon and Jake Retzlaff. However, the first day of fall camp saw four different quarterbacks taking first-team reps.
The two joining Retzlaff and Bohanon in the race are Treyson Bourguet and McCae Hillstead.
There are a couple ways to look at this. On one hand, it's good to have a talented, deep room with a lot of guys you can trust. On the other hand, it's typically not a great sign to enter fall camp without a clear frontrunner for the job.
The situation BYU is in right now isn't one of those QB competitions that are made up for an inflated fall camp storyline. Not a soul on the team or coaching staff knows who will be starting under center week one.
"All four quarterbacks did a great job today," said coach Kalani Sitake. "Their job is to make it hard on us to make a decision . . . We'll just go with the best one. Right now that hasn't stood out yet."
As far as how they looked during practice, it can be hard to tell in the limited time allotted to media who really stood out. Perhaps the biggest tell is that they all looked comfortable throwing the ball downfield and each quarterback took time with the first team receivers.
BYU's best and worst positions
Perhaps the most obvious thing that came out of day one was the depth at receiver.
The Cougars return all four starting receivers from last year in Chase Roberts, Darius Lassiter, Keelan Marion, and Kody Epps. Not to mention speedster Parker Kingston and red-shirt freshman JoJo Phillips. Even Keanu Hill is back as a tight end.
This room brings an abundance of experience and talent that will absolutely shine on the field—if BYU can find the right guy to throw it to them.
On the opposite end, the defensive backs struggled when pitted against their counterparts. At one point during practice, the defensive backs and receivers went one on one. The receivers ended up getting open and catching the ball on what seemed like every rep.
As good as the receivers looked, the cornerbacks were lacking. Jakob Robinson returns as the clear leader of the room, but after that comes a lot of unfamiliar names. Mory Bamba and Weber State transfer Marque Collins should take the majority of the reps.
The safety position was devastated with injuries last season and some of those players are still feeling the effects. Micah Harper is back on the field but still doesn't look 100%. Talon Alfrey also is back from an injury and should have the free safety position locked down.
Fall camp is just getting started and each practice gets us closer to opening night. Starters will continue to be solidified as the Cougars get game ready over the next four weeks.