Four Deadly Myths About BYU Football

Joe Wheat | Jul 30, 2024

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With fall camp just 6 days away, I think we need to take a collective deep breath about the current state of BYU football. I get it. Vibes are low. BYU is coming off their second losing season in two decades and is currently projected by oddsmakers to win 4.5 games this season. In my short 29 years on earth, I’m not sure I’ve seen or felt less anticipation for a BYU football season, and perhaps you feel the same. However, I think the deflation of a horrible close to 2023 is venturing too far into depression for 2024. I believe the realities currently facing BYU football are daunting, but not as bleak as they may seem.

As I peruse the X feeds and message boards, there are four myths that are believed by some BYU fans that I feel are worth discussing in greater depth. Strap in everyone. It’s time for a little BYU football therapy.

Myth #1: “BYU’s Quarterback room is a disaster”

BYU has massive question marks at quarterback, no question about it, but the position isn’t as bad as you might feel. BYU currently has four quarterbacks on the roster that have started a football game at the FBS level, compared to just one last season. Jake Retzlaff struggled in 2023, but BYU’s offense also improved from 4.5 yards per play to 5.0 yards per play once he took over. It stands to reason he will only get better now that he’s had a full offseason with John Beck, an improved offensive line, and an opportunity to mesh with a fully returned receiver group.

Gerry Bohanon came to the program with little fanfare, but once led Baylor to a Big12 title. If he can shake off the rust, he has proven capable of winning football games at the P5 level. McCae Hillstead showed well as a true freshman at Utah State, and received offers from Big Ten, SEC, and Big12 schools out of the portal. Their 4th QB, Treyson Bourget, received the highest transfer rating of the bunch from 247 and threw for 330 yards and 3 TDs in his last full start at WMU.

I do not pretend that BYU has a great situation at QB. I share in the frustration about the inability to parlay back-to-back NFL draft picks into a single 4-star recruit, but if we are being honest with ourselves, BYU’s recent run of QB success wasn’t built on blue chip recruits. Taysom Hill, Zach Wilson, and Jaren Hall were all 3-star prospects that developed into something legendary at BYU. In no way am I saying BYU has its next NFL QB on the roster, but BYU has at least one QB that can lead them to a bowl game if the pieces around them step up.

Myth #2: "BYU hasn't seen a BIG-12 recruiting bump"

There seems to be a misconception that BYU recruiting has not seen the “Big 12 bump" they were expecting. While the average fan definition of “Big 12 bump” is subjective and likely includes signing a 4-star Quarterback or two, BYU recruiting is improving by virtually every objective metric at nearly every single position.

There are two ways we can track recruiting progress: average recruit rating and competing offers. I previously wrote an article detailing the massive strides made in both areas after signing day, and that momentum has continued into the 2025 class. 247 describes a player rated an 86 or higher as an eventual P4 starting level player. BYU signed 5 total players rated 86 or higher in the 2020 and 2021 classes combined. The Cougars committed 8 such players in the month of June. 73% of players committed so far in the 2025 class have 247 ratings of at least an 86, compared to just over 21% of players signed from 2020-2022.

In terms of competing offers, from 2020-2022, BYU signed 29 players that held zero competing FBS offers compared to just three from 2023-2025. The average competing FBS offers per player has risen from 3 in 2020-2022 to 8 in 2023-2025 and from 1 competing P5 offer to 4 over that same span.

The characteristic BYU fans have bemoaned the most in the Kalani Sitake era is inconsistency. Great wins, but head scratching losses. The way to improve consistency is strengthening the program’s middle class. BYU has always been able to reel in a 4-star LDS kid or two, but BYU’s roster over the last few seasons was built on classes where the average recruit rating was between 82-83. That average puts BYU somewhere between Troy and Southern Miss. Since joining the Big 12, BYU’s average has improved every season, rising from 82.0 in the class of 2020 to 85.9 in the class of 2024 and 86.1 in the class of 2025. Whether or not that translates into 6 wins in 2024 remains to be seen, but the talent in the pipeline is better than its ever been.

Myth 3: “Kalani isn’t the man for the job. He will only go as far as his coordinators will take him.”

The first sentence is a myth, the second sentence is true of just about every active coach in college football. Dabo Sweeney was building the next great college football dynasty at Clemson until he lost defensive coordinator Brent Venebles to Oklahoma. Lincoln Riley made the playoff three straight years at Oklahoma but has largely flopped at USC thanks to an abysmal showing by their defensive coordinator. Even Kyle Whittingham couldn’t get Utah off the ground in the Pac-12 until they brought back offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig. Kalani’s tenure at BYU has been no different, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t an excellent football coach.

BYU football is in a better place than it was the day he took over. 10 players have been drafted into the NFL draft in the last 4 seasons, the most over a 4 season span in two decades. Kalani was able to do what Bronco could not and he did it twice: finish in the top 20 in the independence era. I understand that the last thing anyone wants to hear after a blowout home loss is “love and learn,” but don’t let that mantra make you think Kalani is a weak leader. Since he took over, he has fired a program legend in Ty Detmer and one of his closest friends in Ilaisa Tuiaki. He took the program from four wins to a top 15 finish in just 3 years. If there is anyone that has the guts to navigate BYU through these unchartered waters, it’s Kalani.

Myth 4: “BYU’s P4 transition is way behind schedule”

Let’s be honest, this offseason feels a lot different if BYU makes a bowl game in 2024. If Aidan Robbins gets the ball at the goal line against #14 Oklahoma or if BYU was able to close out a three-score lead against #20 Oklahoma State, we are talking about BYU being ahead of schedule in their Power Four transition.  Instead, we lament what could have been and endlessly debate the merits of the RPO. As time passes, though, I grow more encouraged by BYU’s performance the last two weeks of the season. For me, it shows BYU isn’t as far away as we thought from competing with the top teams in the conference.

It shows that what BYU needs is retooling, not redoing. They need time not a tear down. Time to get a more talented core of recruits into the program and developed. Time to let new faces on the coaching staff get settled and for additional positions to be filled. Time to adjust to a more demanding life of a P4 football program.

BYU's football program isn’t where we want them to be today, but I also think this is where most pundits expected them to be. I am as blue goggled as they come, but even my standard for the Big12 transition was one bowl game in the first 3 years. BYU came up one game short in 2023 and if the pieces come together, they can get there in 2024. Will they? I have no idea. But recruiting is better that it’s ever been, the coaching staff has proven it can build a top 20 program, and the future of the football program is brighter than it was when Kalani took over. That’s enough for me to be patient as BYU evolves in this new era.