Projecting BYU Football's Depth Chart After the Spring Game

On Friday, BYU hosted a Spring scrimmage that lasted a total of 65 plays. Many players were held out of the scrimmage and six different quarterbacks were given the opportunity to run the offense. BYU will wrap up Spring camp next week, so it's time to update our predictions for BYU's 2023 depth chart.

Quarterback

Credit: BYU Photo

1. Kedon Slovis
2. Jake Retzlaff

Kedon Slovis took the first team reps in the scrimmage and he was the only quarterback in a green jersey, meaning he was the only quarterback protected against live action. Slovis had his ups and downs, finishing 6/13 for 50 yards and 1 interception in 5 drives. His best throw of the day was a 30-yard strike to Chase Roberts on the first play of the scrimmage. Overall, the first-team defense got the best of the first-team offense on Friday, but Slovis is still the odds-on favorite to be the starter against Sam Houston.

After Kedon Slovis, it was JUCO transfer Jake Retzlaff that took the reps with the second-team offense. Retzlaff, who has been limited in Spring after undergoing a tonsil surgery, makes throws from all arm angles while maintaining accuracy. He hasn't won the backup job, but in this author's opinion, he showed enough to suggest that he's on pace to be the backup in 2023.

Running Back

1. Aidan Robbins
2. Hinckley Ropati
3. Miles Davis OR LJ Martin

Credit: BYU Photo

UNLV transfer Aidan Robbins did not participate in the 11-on-11 portion. Robbins is recovering from an offseason wrist surgery. With Robbins temporarily out of the picture, Hinckley Ropati took the reps with the first-team offense. Miles Davis and Hinckley Ropati were competing for a spot on the depth chart throughout the season in 2022, and they will likely challenge each other until the season opener. For now, Ropati gets the nod as the backup running back.

LJ Martin has the talent to compete for playing time right away, but he won't have much time to learn the playbook and adjust to the college game. As the season progresses, Martin could become a fixture in the rotation.

Another name to monitor is Nukuluve Helu. Helu led all rushers in the Spring scrimmage.

Wide Receiver

1. Kody Epps
2. Parker Kingston OR Dom Henry

1. Keanu Hill
2. Hobbs Nyberg OR Jojo Phillips

1. Chase Roberts
2. Devin Downing OR Koa Eldredge

Kody Epps, Keanu Hill, and Chase Roberts are the undisputed starters. After those three, BYU is very inexperienced at wide receiver. True freshman Jojo Phillips will have a chance to crack the two-deep right away, and BYU needs to add a wide receiver or two into the fold before Fall camp. Up to this point, there are a lot of players competing for backup spots.

Tight End

1. Isaac Rex
2. Jackson Bowers OR Anthony Olsen OR Ethan Erickson

Isaac Rex returns to BYU for the 2023 season. True freshman Jackson Bowers, a four-star recruit, will have a chance to be in the rotation next season. He will compete with Ethan Erickson and Anthony Olsen for the backup tight end spot.

Offensive Line

Left Tackle
1. Kingsley Suamataia
2. Brayden Keim

Left Guard
1. Ian Fitzgerald OR Weylin Lapuaho
2. Tyler Little OR Vae Soifua

Center
1. Connor Pay OR Paul Maile
2. Peter Falaniko

Right Guard
1. Paul Maile OR Connor Pay
2. Ian Fitzgerald

Right Tackle
1. Brayden Keim
2. Lisala Tai

Kingsley Suamataia, Ian Fitzgerald, Tyler Little, Connor Pay, and Brayden Keim started at offensive line in the scrimmage. Utah transfer Paul Maile is out with an injury this Spring, but he is slated to start at either center or guard this Fall.

Ian Fitzgerald, Tyler Little, and Weylin Lapuaho are among those competing for the remaining starting spots.

Defensive Backs

Left Cornerback
1. Eddie Heckard
2. Marcus McKenzie OR Jayden Dunlap

Strong Safety
1. Micah Harper
2. Raider Damuni OR Chika Ebunoha

Free Safety
1. Malik Moore
2. Talan Alfrey

Right Cornerback
1. Jakob Robinson
2. Mory Bamba OR Evan Johnson

We know that Eddie Heckard, Micah Harper, Malik Moore, and Jakob Robinson will play key roles in BYU's secondary. After that, Raider Damuni is the kind of talent that will be hard to keep off the field if he can shake the mission rust. Damuni was limited in the Spring scrimmage. Talan Alfrey and Chika Ebunoha took the second-team reps in Friday's scrimmage.

Jakob Robinson started at cornerback and had a pair of interceptions on Friday, one in the 11-on-11 portion and one in the 7-on-7 portion. 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. Both McKenzie and Bamba were out with injuries for the scrimmage.

Linebackers

Outside

1. Max Tooley
2. Isaiah Glasker OR Ace Kaufusi

Mike

1. Ben Bywater
2. Siale Esera OR Logan Pili

Outside
1. Chaz Ah You
2. Maika Kaufusi OR Ammon Hannemann

Behind Tooley, Bywater, and Ah You, BYU is unproven at linebacker. Multiple newcomers will factor into this group and create a lot of competition during Fall camp. As of right now, this looks like a position group that would stand to gain by adding another veteran player from the portal. One name to monitor is Utah State transfer AJ Vongphachanh. Vongphachanh led the Aggies with 101 tackles last season.

Defensive Line

Defensive End
1. Isaiah Bagnah
2. Blake Mangelson

Defensive End
1. Tyler Batty
2. Aisea Moa

Defensive Tackle
1. Atunaisa Mahe
2. David Latu OR John Nelson

Nose Tackle
1. Jackson Cravens
2. Caden Haws OR Josh Larsen

BYU started two transfers along the defensive line in the scrimmage: Isaiah Bagnah and Jackson Cravens. In the 1v1 drills between the offensive and defensive lines, Bagnah looked like the most polished pass rusher. Bagnah looks the part at 6'4. Former four-star recruit Aisea Moa was running with the second team. He had the hardest hit of the day on Cade Fennegan. 

BYU will welcome more players into this room in time for Fall camp, most notably Snow College transfer David Latu.

Specialists

Place Kicker
1. Matthias Dunn OR Will Ferrin OR Justen Smith

Kickoff

1. Will Ferrin
2. Justen Smith

Punter
1. Ryan Rehkow
2. Landon Rehkow

Kick Return

1. Hobbs Nyberg
2. Hinckley Ropati

Punt Return

1. Hobbs Nyberg
2. Koa Eldredge

The return game will be interesting to monitor in 2023. New special teams coordinator Kelly Poppinga has stated that BYU needs a difference maker in the return game - freshman wide receiver Koa Eldredge returned punts in the scrimmage alongside Hobbs Nyberg. Running back Hinckley Ropati has taken some reps as a kick returner.

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