Five Takeaways from the First Week of BYU Fall Camp that Didn't Make the Headlines

Some under-the-radar observations from the first week of BYU Fall camp.

BYU wide receiver Keelan Marion / BYU Photo

The second week of BYU football Fall camp is set to kickoff on Monday. There was no shortage of eye-catching headlines from the first week of camp. Star linebacker Ben Bywater announced that his BYU career is over due to a shoulder injury. LJ Martin told the media that he "participating in everything" amid speculation that he could miss the first few weeks due to injury. Meanwhile, the quarterback battle is too close to call. Today, we're taking a step back from the primary headlines to talk about some secondary observations from week one

1. The wide receiver room is as deep as advertised

Going into Fall camp, the wide receivers were regarded as one of the best and deepest position groups on the roster. Through one week, the wide receivers look as deep as advertised. Though the room lacks an elite talent like Puka Nacua or Austin Collie, Fesi Sitake has done a masterful job of roster construction for his position group.

The room is headlined by veterans Darius Lassiter, Kody Epps, and Chase Roberts. Both Epps and Roberts have been fairly quiet in the limited action viewed by the media, but that's likely by design. Those two are proven commodities that don't have much to prove in a camp setting. Then there's Darius Lassiter who has already made a few highlight catches in camp. Lassiter was the best BYU wide receiver in contested situations last season, and he looks poised maintain that title in 2024.

Behind those three, Keelan Marion, Parker Kingston, and Jojo Phillips are expected to be in the rotation as well. Marion was a standout from the first week. He has made a handful of plays, including this touchdown from Jake Retzlaff.

Play of the day from media availability. Jake Retzlaff navigates the pocket to find Keelan Marion in the back of the endzone.

Playing off-script is Jake Retzlaff's super power. If he can clean up the simple things and convert the layups, he can win the starting quarterback job. pic.twitter.com/nZF5evZPR5

— Casey Lundquist (@casey_lundquist) August 3, 2024

Redshirt freshman Jojo Phillips was a standout during Spring camp, and he's picked up where he left off in the first week of Fall camp. Phillips' 6'5 frame creates matchups problems, and he moves really well for a player of his size. He has been able to get behind the defense multiple times.

We haven't even talked about the true freshmen in the wide receiver room yet. Behind those six players, there is a wave of young wide receivers that are beginning their development. Cody Hagen, who is fresh off a mission, is one of the most decorated wide receivers in Utah high school football history. If he can shake the mission rust, he might be too talented to keep off the field. BYU will be very cautious with his health given his recent return.

Dominique McKenzie is also in the room. Dom is the identical twin of 2023 special teams standout Marcus McKenzie. He returned home from his mission in time to participate in Spring camp.

2024 signee Tei Nacua is also enrolled and participating in Fall camp. Tei will need some time to develop, but his family history suggests that he could develop into a really good player down the road. Tei is the younger brother of former BYU stars Puka Nacua, Samson Nacua, and Kai Nacua. Tei wears no. 45 like his brother Samson.

2. BYU turning to familiar faces at defensive tackle

The defensive line was an area of emphasis in the last recruiting class. The Cougars signed a large group of defensive ends to bolster the pass rush. Defensive tackle was another area of need, especially following the departure of senior Jackson Cravens. For interior support, BYU turned to the JUCO ranks, signing Danny Saili and Luke To'omalatai. Saili transferred out of the program following spring camp and committed to Arkansas, leaving BYU with a void to fill at that position.

BYU didn't sign a transfer to take Saili's spot, so going into the 2024 season, BYU is betting on a lot of returning players at that position. John Nelson has the most experience at that position, and you can probably pencil him in as a starter. The only other player on the roster with FBS experience at defensive tackle is David Latu - Latu played 175 snaps at that position for BYU last year. Blake Mangelson, who played defensive end in 2023, has been getting reps at defensive tackle.

In terms of areas of concerns, this is right near the top. BYU struggled to stop the run and ranked near the bottom of the country in sacks a year ago. That will need to improve if BYU wants to return to the postseason. If there is going to be improvement, it will have to come by way of individual development of those returning players.

3. Hinckley Ropati

Hinckley Ropati has looked good in the media sessions. Aaron Roderick said Ropati is right up there with LJ Martin at the running back spot. Ropati suffered a season-ending knee injury during Fall camp last season. It's important to note, however, that it wasn't an ACL injury. As a result, Ropati was available to participate in Spring camp. Ropati has been productive when healthy at BYU, but his availability has kept him from reaching his potential.

Ropati is poised to take on the biggest role of his BYU career this season.

4. A deeper roster from top to bottom

BYU's late-season struggles were well documented last season. The Cougars ran out of gas after a 5-2 start and ended the season 5-7. The depth of the roster was a problem during the back half of the season and contributed to the losing streak.

With the exception of a few positions like running back, defensive tackle, and maybe cornerback, you could argue that BYU is deeper at every other position in 2024. Are there still question marks at key positions like quarterback? Sure. But when injuries surface like they do every year, this roster looks more equipped to handle some injuries.

Take the safety position, for example. BYU lost two safeties during camp last season in Micah Harper and Talan Alfrey. After those two, BYU was turning to unproven players like Ethan Slade, Tanner Wall, Crew Wakely, and freshman Raider Damuni. Fast forward to this year and BYU gets Harper and Alfrey back. They also return every key contributor from 2023. On top of that, the Cougars have added talented freshmen like Faletau Satuala and Tommy Prassas. Coach Jay Hill described the competition at safety as "Battle Royale".

5. Speed on defense

When you think of BYU's calling card on defense, speed has never been the first thing that comes to mind. BYU's identity has always been physicality. This year, the physicality upfront is a major question mark, but the speed of the BYU defense has improved compared to last year. Whether it's beating the ballcarrier to the sideline on a jet sweep or closing in on passing windows, BYU's team speed on defense is better.

I know, I know. You couldn't get through a Fall camp report without hearing about the defense "flying around".

Most of the speed increase is related to personnel. Jack Kelly has great sideline-to-sideline speed. Ace Kaufusi, who was shaking the mission rust a year ago, has really changed his body. On one rep, Kaufusi beat the offensive tackle with a speed rush and got to the quarterback. Harrison Taggart, who is a candidate to replace Ben Bywater, was a sprinter in high school. BYU is much faster at the safety position. Time will tell whether more team speed translates to more stops, but the early returns look promising.

[Bonus]: A lesser-known name will contribute at defensive end

It's not breaking news to declare Tyler Batty and Isaiah Bagnah as BYU's top two defensive ends. After those two, redshirt senior Logan Lutui looks to be the next in line. Lutui quietly tallied eight tackles a year ago. We think he will play a bigger role in 2024.