Top Position Battles to Watch During BYU Football Fall Camp

Casey Lundquist | Jul 26, 2024

BYU quarterback Jake Retzlaff at 2024 Spring practice / BYU Photo

Kalani Sitake and the BYU football program kickoff Fall camp in just five days. Here are the top position battles to follow during Fall camp.

1. All eyes on the quarterback battle

This season will feature the most competitive quarterback battle at BYU since Jake Heaps and Riley Nelson were competing against each other in 2010.

All eyes will be on the quarterback battle until the starting quarterback is named. At the start of Spring camp, Aaron Roderick named two players that will compete for the starting job: Jake Retzlaff and Gerry Bohanon. The competition between those two has continued into the Summer and will be settled during Fall camp.

During Big 12 Media Days, Kalani talked about four quarterbacks: Jake Retzlaff, Gerry Bohanon, Treyson Bourguet, and McCae Hillstead. Hillstead was added to the room after Spring camp as a transfer from Utah State.

Could either Bourguet or Hillstead turn the two-way battle for the starting job into a three-way battle? Maybe. At this point, it would be surprising if the week one starter is not Retzlaff or Bohanon.

Every spot on the quarterback depth chart is up for grabs.

2. Who will be the best option at right tackle?

The starting tackle spot is wide open. This looks like a two-way battle between Caleb Etienne and Colorado transfer Isaiah Jatta. Etienne has the frame and talent to be a dominant tackle, but he was a major liability in 2023. Perhaps a full offseason at BYU and a new offensive line coach in TJ Woods can help Etienne get on the right track.

Isaiah Jatta is another talented tackle that was unable to find his footing at Colorado. When Jatta entered the transfer portal earlier this year, he picked BYU over USC. If Jatta can get up to speed on the playbook, he has the talent to beat out Etienne.

3. Who starts opposite of Jakob Robinson?

Jakob Robinson is locked in as one of BYU's starting cornerbacks. The starting spot opposite of Robinson is up for grabs. Weber State transfer Marque Collins should be viewed as a frontrunner given his experience. Mory Bamba started against TCU when BYU was dealing with injuries at cornerback and will compete for the spot.

Then there's young guys like Marcus McKenzie and  Therrian Alexander. Those two could be the future at cornerback. It would be really great for the future of BYU's defense if one of those two could prove capable of starting as early as this year.

Jonathan Kabeya is a candidate to see the field as a true freshman. He has a college-ready frame if he can learn the playbook.

4. There's a logjam at safety

No depth chart on the roster is more convoluted than the safety position. There are veterans with experience, young players with talent, and five or six guys that saw the field in 2023. There is a long list of players competing for both the free safety and strong safety spots.

Micah Harper is most likely starter now that he's healthy. Harper suffered a season-ending knee injury that kept him out the entire 2023 season. Talan Alfrey also missed the majority of the season due to injury. He's another name to keep an eye on.

Ethan Slade, Tanner Wall, Crew Wakley, Raider Damuni, and Preston Rex played most of the snaps in 2023. They will also be competing for spots. Damuni has slimmed down 10 pounds and will look to play with more speed.

True freshman Thomas Prassas competed in Spring camp and is hoping to earn a spot on the depth chart.

Then there's true freshman Faletau Satuala. Satuala will be one of the most talented players on the BYU roster. If he can prove that he will avoid the major missed assignments as a true freshman, he will be too talented to keep off the field.

5. Three-way race for the backup running back job

If he is healthy, LJ Martin will be the starting running back. The race for the backup job is wide open. It looks like a three-way race between Miles Davis, Hinckley Ropati, and true freshman Pokaia Haunga.

BYU running back Pokaiaua Haunga at BYU Spring camp / BYU Photo

Health is the biggest question mark for everyone in this room.

6. Who is Available at Linebacker?

Injury concerns linger around two expected contributors at linebacker: Ben Bywater and Siale Esera. Both Bywater and Esera missed the last half of the 2023 season due to injury and did not participate in Spring camp.

If Bywater misses time, it will open a starting spot. If Esera misses time, that will open up another spot, although defensive coordinator Jay Hill said he expected Esera back for Fall camp. A lot of names will factor in at linebacker, namely Jack Kelly, Ace Kaufusi, Siale Esera, Harrison Taggart, and Choe Bryant-Strother.

7. Will a freshman emerge at tight end?

Converted wide receiver Keanu Hill has put on 25 pounds to compete for the starting job at tight end. He will factor in as a receiving tight end, though it remains to be seen if his blocking can translate to the tight end position.

There's two former four-star recruits that will be two of the top players to follow in camp. Jackson Bowers redshirted in 2023, this could be the year he breaks into the rotation. Ryner Swanson, who signed with BYU back in December, is enrolled and will compete in camp. Swanson is supremely talented and could win the job as a true freshman. Swanson was our top pick to be the next freshman phenom at BYU.

Mason Fakahua, Ray Paulo, Ethan Erickson, and Mata'ava Ta'ase played sparingly in 2023. They will be competing for a spot on the depth chart as well.