Projecting the BYU Football Depth Chart Now that Fall Camp is Over

Casey Lundquist | Aug 22, 2024

BYU wide receiver Chase Roberts / BYU Photo

2024 Fall camp is in the rearview mirror and BYU is preparing for the season opener against Southern Illinois. On Monday, BYU will release the first depth chart of the season. Today, we're going to project the depth chart based on observations throughout Fall camp.

When the actual depth chart is released, it's probably a safe bet to expect a lot of "ORs". We'll try to be a little more definitive and to predict the rotations to the best of our abilities.

Quarterback

1. Jake Retzlaff OR Gerry Bohanon

Right out of the gate, we went against our initial promise and used an "OR". We outlined in detail why an "OR" is warranted in an earlier article. This competition has been too close to call. It's about as close to 50/50 as it can get, but Retzlaff has been trending up over the last few weeks. Since it's close and Retzlaff has been trending in the right direction, we bet on Retzlaff continuing to surge and winning the job. With one great practice from Gerry Bohanon, this could flip and become Gerry's job to lose.

I don't know if we can reiterate enough how close this competition has been, at least during the media availability. It's gone back and forth and we wouldn't be surprised if either quarterback is named the starter for Southern Illinois.

Running Back

1. LJ Martin
2. Hinckley Ropati

No surprises here. The depth chart at running back has been solidified since the start of camp. LJ Martin is the guy. When he is healthy, he is BYU's best running back by a decent margin. Hinckley Ropati is the next in line. Those two will get the lion's share of the carries. Miles Davis will also be a factor.

Tight End

1. Keanu Hill
2. Mata'ava Ta'ase

There have been too many tight ends rotating in and out to count. Of all the position groups, this backup job is the most difficult to predict. Keanu Hill sure looks like the starter at this point.

Wide Receiver

1. Chase Roberts
2. Keelan Marion

1. Kody Epps
2. Parker Kingston OR Cody Hagen

1. Darius Lassiter
2. Jojo Phillips

Going into camp, BYU had a clear-cut top six at wide receiver: Chase Roberts, Darius Lassiter, Kody Epps, Parker Kingston, Jojo Phillips, and Keelan Marion. Cody Hagen, a former four-star recruit and standout at Corner Canyon, has shown flashes of his potential during camp. Even though he's a true freshman that returned home from his mission in May, we think he will contribute by the time the season is over.

Between the aforementioned top six, it seems like BYU's top three are Chase Roberts, Kody Epps, and Darius Lassiter.

Offensive Line

Left Tackle

1. Caleb Etienne
2. Isaiah Jatta

Left Guard

1. Weylin Lapuaho
2. Bruce Mitchell OR Sam Dawe

Center

1. Connor Pay
2. Jake Eichorn

Right Guard

1. Austin Leausa
2. Sonny Makasini

Right Tackle

1. Brayden Keim
2. Kaden Chidester OR Jake Griffin

Four of BYU's five starters are set in stone: Connor Pay, Weylin Lapuaho, Caleb Etienne, and Brayden Keim. The last guard spot is a battle between Austin Leausa and Sonny Makasini. That's another one that could go either way, but we're giving the slight edge to Leausa.

Defensive Line

Defensive Ends

1. Tyler Batty
2. Bodie Schoonover

1. Logan Lutui
2. Isaiah Bagnah

BYU's top four defensive ends are locked in. The only question mark is whether Logan Lutui or Isaiah Bagnah starts opposite of Tyler Batty.

Defensive Tackles

1. John Nelson
2. David Latu OR Luke To'omalatai

1. Blake Mangelson
2. John Taumoepeau

Converted defensive ends John Nelson and Blake Mangelson appear to be your top two defensive tackles. After those two, there could be a handful of guys listed on the depth chart.

Linebacker

1. Jack Kelly
2. Sione Moa

1. Harrison Taggart
2. Choe Bryant-Strother OR Siale Esera

1. Isaiah Glasker
2. Ace Kaufusi OR Aisea Moa

The three linebackers consistently running with the ones have been Harrison Taggart, Jack Kelly, and Isaiah Glasker.

Secondary

Cornerback

1. Jakob Robinson
2. Evan Johnson OR Tre Alexander

1. Mory Bamba
2. Marque Collins

Jakob Robinson is an undisputed starter. Mory Bamba and Marque Collins have been battling for the last starting spot.

Nickel

1. Micah Harper
2. Jonathan Kabeya

Free Safety

1. Tanner Wall
2. Tommy Prassas OR Faletau Satuala

Tanner Wall has had a good camp. He became the starter last season before he suffered a season-ending injury.

Strong Safety

1. Talan Alfrey
2. Crew Wakley OR Raider Damuni

Special Teams

Placekicker

1. Will Ferrin
2. Matthias Dunn

Punter

1. Sam Vander Haar
2. Landon Rehkow

Punt Return

1. Parker Kingston
2. Chase Roberts

Kick Return

1. Keelan Marion
2. Parker Kingston
3. Jonathan Kabeya