The 2024 preseason All-Big 12 football team and individual awards were announced Tuesday, chosen by members of the media who cover the league.
To no one’s surprise, no BYU player made the first team on offense; BYU senior defensive lineman Tyler Batty named to 14-member defense teamwhich wasn’t a surprise considering Batty was also part of Athlon Sports and Phil Steele’s Big 12 defensive teams.
Also on Tuesday, BYU was picked to finish 13th in the expanded 16-team league in the Big 12 Football Media preseason poll. This wasn’t a surprise either — several members of the media, including yours truly, predicted the Cougars would be in the bottom two or three.
Simply put, BYU’s 2024 offense will be without superstars and an experienced quarterback, and superstars and solid returning quarterbacks are what lead teams to the top of preseason polls.
“We don’t have a Puka Nacua,” BYU offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick said on BYU Media Appreciation Golf Tournament last week, referring to the former Cougar and current Los Angeles Rams star receiver. “But we have solid depth in all areas, solid depth in all (offensive) positions.”
Roderick said that includes depth at tight end, receiver, running back and quarterback.
“And I feel good about the depth of our (offensive) line,” he said. “I was a little nervous about it a year ago.”
Quarterback Jake Retzlaff, receiver Kody Epps and offensive lineman Connor Pay also spoke to the Deseret News last week and repeated the same mantra: BYU will rely on continuity, consistency and chemistry in its second season in the Big 12 to combat the perceived lack of power Four talents.
“Last year we had a lot of transfers,” Epps said of the group that produced a 5-7 record. “This year, everyone is acclimatized. Everyone knows what the deal is, knows what the standard is. So we’re coming together and getting along really well.”
Roderick said he’s more familiar with this BYU offense than previous ones because of continuity, but also because of some recent NCAA rule changes that allow coaches to spend more time with players in the off-season.
“I think our players are pretty unhappy with how we played last year,” Roderick said. “I see a determined group. I see guys who want to put a good product on the field this year and are working hard.”
Roderick said not attending a bowl game last year “was a wake-up call” for everyone on the team, especially the offensive players.
“I think it was a good reset for a lot of people,” he said. “So whatever people predict, I don’t think it will have a huge impact at this point. It’s more about being disappointed with how we played last year. Everyone wants to prove we’re better than that.”
Attack relying on continuity – and improved O-line
Of course, it all starts with the offensive line, and in that regard, the Cougars simply couldn’t get it together enough last year until it was too late. Pay, left guard Weylin Lapuaho, left tackle Caleb Etienne and right tackle Brayden Keim are likely starters, while sophomores Sonny Makasini and Peter Falaniko and freshman Joe Brown are among those fighting for starting spots.
“I think we’re in good shape right now. All these guys have improved a lot,” Roderick said. “I underestimated last year how long it would take us to play together because we had a lot of new guys. I feel like even though we’re playing with a lot of the same guys we played with last year, our playing will be so much better because just playing together is huge. Especially on the O-line, it’s a big deal.”
The offensive line was one of the unit’s strengths when the Cougars were 11-1 in 2020, 10-3 in 2021 and 8-5 in 2022. But the group regressed in 2023, resulting in the firing of the OL’s three-year head coach. Darrell Funk and longtime coach Steve Clark.
The aforementioned Pay said that the signing of TJ Woods is already paying dividends, but in his assessment the depth of the offensive line now constituted is “more tenuous than in previous years, especially in terms of game experience”.
Pay said Woods brings “coaching intensity and consistency” that seemed to be missing last year.
“It made it easier for guys to learn things faster,” he said. “And so I feel really good about where we are. We need to have a really good July and then a really good training camp.
“But I’m really excited about what this group will be able to do,” Pay continued. “I want to control football a lot this year. We have yards to make up for last year. So that’s the goal, the motivation.”
The starting quarterback competition is still close
Roderick said not much has changed in the starting quarterback competition since the end of spring camp and declared it a two-man battle between Retzlaff and sixth-year transfer Gerry Bohanon. He said Bohanon’s arm has shown “some really good improvements” and is “getting healthier” with each passing week.
“He’s throwing the ball better than he did in the spring,” Roderick said.
He then mentioned how well Retzlaff played in the spring, not committing turnovers and not backing down on his trademark aggressiveness.
“They’ve both made a lot of progress since spring ball ended, both physically and mentally,” Roderick said. “So I’m interested to see how that plays out in fall camp. We will do equal repetitions for an indefinite period of time. We’ll see how it goes.”
Retzlaff said he is getting “super stronger and faster every day” this summer thanks to the strength team “taking it to a new level.” He called last year’s ending and failure to make it a bowl game unacceptable.
“There’s been a fire under us since the last game,” Retzlaff said. “Not being able to go to a bowl game was obviously very disappointing. Spring ball had a different level of urgency, and I think that urgency carried over into the summer and will carry over into fall camp. There’s no doubt.”
Receivers appear poised for big year
Having worked with the receivers and tight ends four or five days a week for the past few weeks, Retzlaff said this group of pass-catchers is deep and talented. Epps, Darius Lassiter, Chase Roberts, Keelan Marion, JoJo Phillips and Parker Kingston are all in the mix to get reps, while Keanu Hill and incoming freshman Ryner Swanson are emerging as the top tight ends.
“There are a lot of veterans who are ready to put up crazy numbers and just blow everyone out of the water,” Retzlaff said. “I’m super excited for them. I think it’s a super deep room.”
Roderick said BYU’s receiver play “has been really good” since receivers coach and passing game coordinator Fesi Sitake has been in Provo.
“Last year, just like the O-line, I thought the receivers were good players – it just took us a while to really run the offense because we had a lot of new faces that were not only new to our offense, but they were all new to the conference.” , Roderick said. “But I think every one of these guys has improved and I think they’re all going to play even better this year. I’m excited about this group.”
