BYU's Roster Depth Was the Theme on the First Day of Fall Camp

Roster depth was the hot topic during media interviews

When BYU accepted an invitation to join the Big 12 back in 2021, roster depth was a concern. BYU's starting lineup was Power Five ready, but the roster was not ready to handle a full Power Five season. The BYU coaching staff even addressed it publicly, saying there was a need for more depth at every position group.

Ever since, BYU has recruited tirelessly to prepare the roster for the first season in the Big 12. The fruits of those recruiting labors can be found on the updated Fall camp roster. BYU added more than 20 transfers since the end of last season and nearly 60 newcomers are listed in total. 

Credit: BYU Photo

On Tuesday afternoon, BYU kicked off Fall camp. Roster depth was a hot topic in interviews with the media - BYU believes it has improved its roster depth ahead of the inaugural Big 12 season.

“We have a lot of talent, depth and good competition," head coach Kalani Sitake said in his opening statement after practice. "I want to keep the competition going and start to solidify the depth chart a little more. Right now, there’s a lot of great athletes competing for limited spots."

New defensive coordinator Jay Hill also referred to BYU's depth multiple times. "Establishing depth is critical right now," Hill said. "We’ve got to figure who our playmakers are, who we can most rely on when we need a play that’s got to be made and who are those guys that are going to step up and make it. We have a lot of new faces; we've taken some transfers out of the portal and we've taken a bunch of young freshmen that have just joined us that we expect to be really good players. I'd say depth, getting better with assignments and schemes is going to be critical."

Jay Hill singled out the linebackers as the position group that has added the most depth since the Spring. "I really liked the corner group. That group is coming along. We added some really good depth to that group and we have some good young players that are going to step up. The linebacker depth is probably the biggest improvement that I've seen from spring ball to now. That group got really deep, really fast and with a lot of guys that can play.”

Former USC and Pitt quarterback Kedon Slovis said BYU's depth on offense is the best he's seen in his college career. "Of all the teams I've been on, I feel like this is the most depth at every position offensively. It's a great problem to have."

After opening the season against Sam Houston and SUU, BYU will play 10 consecutive games against Power Five teams. BYU has done everything in its power to prepare the roster for the rigors of a P5 season. Ready or not, the Big 12 is here. Time will tell whether the roster depth is prepared or not.

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