Previewing the Top Position Battles to Watch During BYU's Fall Camp

Multiple starting spots are up for grabs as BYU kicks off Fall camp

Kalani Sitake and the BYU football program kick off 2023 Fall camp next week. Ahead of Fall camp, there are many important storylines to follow and there are various starting spots up for grabs. Today, we begin our Fall camp preview by outlining the position battles to watch. 

1. Backup Quarterback

Credit: BYU Photo

Kedon Slovis was named BYU's starting quarterback after Spring camp. The battle for the backup quarterback spot will be one of the top position battles of Fall camp. JUCO transfer Jake Retzlaff, true freshman Ryder Burton, and sophomore Cade Fennegan will compete for the backup job. The winner of this position battle could also have the leg up to win the starting job in 2024.

2. Running Back

Both the starting and backup running back spots are up for grabs. Despite being limited during Spring camp due to injury, UNLV transfer Aidan Robbins is the favorite to be the starting running back in 2023. Robbins, who ran for over 1,000 yards last season, was a four-star recruit in the previous transfer cycle.

Colorado Smith, who has one year of eligibility remaining, led the Buffaloes in rushing yards last season with 393 yards and 2 touchdowns. BYU wouldn't have brought Smith on board if they didn't believe he could contribute right away. Smith brings a unique skillset to the room and he will factor in.

Four-star running back LJ Martin is another name to watch. Martin joined the program earlier this Summer. Martin has the physical talent to compete with anyone in the room if he can learn the playbook.

Two running backs return that have played valuable snaps in their careers: Miles Davis and Hinckley Ropati. Both Davis and Ropati have been career backups in Provo, but this Fall will give them a chance to take on a more prominent role in BYU's offense.

3. Wide Receiver

BYU returns Chase Roberts, Kody Epps, and Keanu Hill at wide receiver. Those three will be fixtures in the rotation at wide receiver. Over the last few seasons, BYU has rotated five wide receivers in the regular rotation, meaning two more spots are up for grabs. 

UConn transfer Keelan Marion and Eastern Michigan transfer Darius Lassiter will compete for those spots. Marion, who has three years of eligibility remaining, led the Huskies in receiving as a freshman in 2021. He missed the majority of the 2022 season after he suffered a collarbone injury in the season opener at Utah State. Lassiter picked BYU over competing offers from Colorado, Washington State, Pitt, Boston College, Tulsa, ECU, UConn, Toledo, and UNLV. He has two years of eligibility remaining.

Of the returning wide receivers, Parker Kingston is perhaps the leading candidate to break into the rotation. Kingston has impressed when healthy, but he missed most of Spring camp with a hand injury.

Highly-touted freshman Jojo Phillips has joined the program and will try to earn a rotation spot early in his BYU career. Phillips will wear number 19 this year. 

4. Backup Tight End

Returning starters Isaac Rex and Masen Wake return in 2023. Both Rex and Wake will be fixtures in BYU's offense this season. The backup spot, however, is up for grabs. Four-star true freshman Jackson Bowers has joined the program and will compete for that spot right away. Other players like Anthony Olson and Ethan Erickson will compete as well. Another newcomer, JUCO transfer Ray Paulo, will try to learn the playbook quickly and compete for playing time.

5. Offensive Line

Kingsley Suamataia and Connor Pay are the only returning starters along BYU's offensive line this year. They will start for the Cougars once again. Power Five transfers Paule Maile and Caleb Etienne are expected to start at two of the other spots, leaving just one more up for grabs. 

Offensive lineman Weylin Lapuaho is a really strong candidate to win the last remaining starting spot along BYU's offensive line. Lapuaho started 13 games for the Aggies last season as a true freshman. He joins a deep offensive line room in Provo for his sophomore season. Lapuaho transferred to BYU in time for Spring camp. Lapuaho will compete for the starting job during Fall camp against talented players like Ian Fitzgerald and Tyler Little.

6. Backup Defensive Line

Credit: BYU Photo

Tyler Batty, Jackson Cravens, Atunaisa Mahe, and Isaiah Bagnah started for the defensive line during Spring. We expect those four to start for the Cougars in the season opener against Sam Houston. John Nelson started for the Cougars last year, and he will factor into the rotation. Nelson is listed as a defensive tackle this year after playing defensive end last year. The backup spots along the entire defensive line are up for grabs.

Aisea Moa, Blake Mangelson, Bodie Schoonver, Michael Daley, and Nuuletau Sellesin will compete for the two spots at defensive end.

David Latu, Caden Haws, and Joshua Singh will compete for the backup spots at defensive tackle.

7. Linebackers

Various newcomers will join a group full of veterans in the linebackers room. The incoming players will create a lot of competition this Fall. Four scholarship linebackers have joined the program in time for Fall camp:

1. AJ Vongphachanh
2. Harrison Taggart
3. Siale Esera
4. Miles Hall

They will enter a BYU linebacker room that includes veterans Max Tooley, Ben Bywater, and Chaz Ah You. Those three veterans are joined by a handful of young scholarship players like Isaiah Glasker, Ace Kaufusi, and Maika Kaufusi. 

AJ Vongphachanh will be one of the most experienced players on BYU's defense next season - he is expected to earn a starting role right away. Harrison Taggart doesn't have much experience in terms of FBS snaps, but he will be the fastest linebacker on the team. His skillset is unique enough to see the field right away, even if it's situational while he learns the full playbook.

Ben Bywater and Max Tooley will be mainstays of the BYU defense in 2023, that's no surprise. In our earlier depth chart projections, we named Harrison Taggart a co-starter alongside Max Tooley mostly because we ran out of starting spots. We expect a 4-3 defense from BYU, meaning three linebackers will start. Regardless of alignment, Tooley will be on the field as long as he stays healthy.

Chaz Ah You is a wildcard here. If he is fully healthy, he is undoubtedly one of the best 11 players on defense. His playmaking ability will fit nicely into Jay Hill's complex scheme. The problem for Ah You has been his health. He has suffered multiple injuries over the past several seasons that have kept him out of the lineup.

Multiple freshman will factor into this group and create a lot of competition during Fall camp. The Kaufusi cousins were consistently mentioned as standouts during Spring camp along with Isaiah Glasker. They ran with the first-team defense while the three veterans were sidelined with injuries this Spring.

2023 signee Siale Esera is as talented as any player in the room. Even as a true freshman, don't be surprised to see his name on the two-deep in week one. Because of the experience ahead of him, Esera probably won't be asked to start right away. Regardless, he is a key member of a young linebacking core with a very bright future in Provo. 

8. Backup Defensive Backs

We know that Eddie Heckard, Micah Harper, Malik Moore, and Jakob Robinson will play key roles in BYU's secondary. BYU also added veteran Weber State transfer Kamden Garrett who is a candidate to start at cornerback right away. After that group of veterans, there are multiple young, talented players that could factor in. Raider Damuni is the kind of talent that will be hard to keep off the field if he can shake the mission rust. Talan Alfrey and Chika Ebunoha took the second-team reps during BYU's Spring scrimmage.

Eddie Heckard will start in the secondary at cornerback or nickel. After Heckard, BYU doesn't have a proven cornerbacks as backups, but they have a few guys competing for those spots. JUCO transfer Jayden Dunlap will compete with returning players like Mory Bamba and Evan Johnson. Returned missionary Marcus McKenzie could also factor in if he shakes the mission rust.

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