Everything That Happened on the Fifth Day of BYU Football Fall Camp

BYU football kicked off the second week of Fall camp on Monday

BYU Football Helmet / BYU Photo

PROVO, Utah - Kalani Sitake and the BYU football program kicked off the second week of Fall camp on Monday. The media was permitted to view the last 15-20 minutes of practice. As the team settled into the 11-on-11 portion, the rain started to come down in Provo. Here is a recap of everything that happened during the media portion of the first day of Fall camp.

Play of the Day

The best play of the day was a deep play-action touchdown from Utah State transfer McCae Hillstead to true freshman Ty West. Hill hit West in stride who beat cornerback Kevin Doe in coverage.

Play of the day from media availability: Utah State transfer McCae Hillstead takes a shot off play action that hits true freshman Ty West in stride. pic.twitter.com/TwauhvI6Sh

— Casey Lundquist (@casey_lundquist) August 6, 2024

Tyler West committed to BYU back in February as a PWO. As a senior in high school last season, West had over 1,300 receiving yards, 21 touchdowns, and he was also dynamic as a kick returner. West led the Crimson Cliffs to a 4A state championship last season. 

Player of the Day

Siale Esera stood out in the 11-on-11 portion. Not once, but twice Esera met the ballcarrier in the backfield for a would-be TFL. Seeing Esera healthy and participating is a positive development considering the season-ending injury he suffered last October. Esera is a candidate to replace Ben Bywater in the starting lineup.

The Defense Wins the Day

Other than the long touchdown from Hillstead to West, the defense dominated the day. They were stout against the run, they created enough pressure to make the quarterbacks uncomfortable, and there were no open receivers downfield. For those BYU fans that have been calling for more pressure on the quarterback, the defense applied pressure on Monday. Both the first and second-team defenses didn't allow to the quarterbacks to get comfortable in the pocket.

While the defense was assisted a little bit by the rain, neither Gerry Bohanon nor Jake Retzlaff was able to complete a pass against the defense. One Bohanon pass attempt was a quick out route that was nearly intercepted by Tre Alexander. His next attempt was a misfire intended for walk-on receiver Rowan Reay. It's important to note that a lot of wide receivers are rotating in and out, so a "misfire" could actually be a miscommunication with a new wide receiver.

Jake Retzlaff was under consistent pressure by the defensive line. On one play, Retzlaff scrambled to his left and found Darius Lassiter. That pass was broken up by Mory Bamba. A few plays later, Retzlaff was on the move again when he attempted to throw to over the middle to Keelan Marion, but the throw was off target.

Linebacker Sione Moa, a transfer from Utah State, intercepted a pass attempt from McCae Hilstead.

Miles Davis was the bright spot for the first-team offense. Davis had a pair of nice runs.

Micah Harper

Of all the returning players on defense, Micah Harper looks like the quarterback of the defense. When Harper was the single-high safety, he was the one getting everyone lined up and diagnosing what the offense was doing. When a tight end was ineligible to catch a pass, for example, it was Harper that pointed it out. Harper has a command of the Jay Hill defense and his presence should elevate the performance of the defense overall.

It doesn't hurt that he is also one of the most physical players on the defense.

Harper could play either safety or nickel, but he will be on the field. His season-ending injury really impacted the defense in 2023.

Saturday Scrimmage

BYU is set to scrimmage for the first time on Saturday. After practice on Monday, BYU head coach Kalani Sitake told the media that the scrimmage will be the best opportunity to evaluate the quarterbacks. At that point, there could start to be some separation in the quarterback competition.

Cody Hagen Sighting

Cody Hagen sighting. The true freshman is just a few months removed from his mission. As a senior at Corner Canyon, Hagen ranked fifth in the country with 1,805 receiving yards. pic.twitter.com/o0hTTaw15S

— Casey Lundquist (@casey_lundquist) August 6, 2024

Monday featured a Cody Hagen sighting. The former four-star recruit returned home from his mission a few months ago. The mission rust will probably keep him off the field in 2024, at least early in the season, but he has the potential to be a future star for BYU.