Young players stepping up as Cougars open second week of spring practices

PROVO, Utah — BYU football opened the second week of spring drills on Monday conducting its fourth practice session in the Indoor Practice Facility. BYU head coach Kalani Sitake said he likes what he is seeing at practice and is encouraged by young players stepping up already this spring.

On the offensive side of the ball, receiver Kody Epps is among the group of younger players taking advantage of opportunities at practice. He has fully returned this spring from his injuries that kept him off the field last season and has already been showing why he was a highly regarded recruit coming to BYU out of Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, California. As a senior at Mater Dei, Epps was a first-team Max Preps All-American and set school records with 93 receptions, 1,735 yards and 28 touchdowns

On defense, the team will welcome back all of its starters this fall. While some starters, like linebackers Keenan Pili and Payton Wilgar, are not practicing during spring while rehabbing injuries suffered last season, the defense still boasts a strong group of returning players as well as talented newcomers. BYU defensive coordinator 'Ilaisa Tuiaki met with the media following Monday's practice to talk about the defense, including the progress of both experienced players and young talents like freshman defensive lineman Logan Fano. 

See below some of what Coach Sitake, Coach Tuiaki and Epps had to say Monday after practice while talking to the media. 

Head Coach Kalani Sitake | watch interview

On the start of week two
“We had a good day with pads on, some more hitting and some real football out there. We had a lot of 11-on-11 looks today and saw some young guys step up and do some really good things. We think we have an idea of the guys we can count on. We’re letting them compete and trying to see what we can improve on. We have some new install this week, so we’ll see how that goes, but so far, I like what I’m seeing.”

On the defense
“They’re doing well. They’re hanging in there with the offense, especially up front. If you look at our offense from a defensive perspective, there’s a lot of great weapons running and catching the ball, combined with a quarterback that knows what he’s doing. That’s a tough task that will be good for the defense.”

On the intensity of practice
“We’ve prepared our guys for hitting in practice and I don’t know any other way to do it without the physical part. We want our guys to be smart, but at the same time we want them to improve. It’s hard to improve without some speed and intensity. We have to push the limits to improve.

On the backup quarterback battle
“Sol-Jay (Maiava-Peters) is stepping up and playing well with Jacob (Conover) and Cade (Fennegan) doing well too. Jaren’s doing well. I don’t know if anyone is going to catch him, but they’ll try. It’s a huge complement to how coach (Aaron) Roderick coaches his guys. They show up every day with a different attitude than you see from most back-up quarterbacks. Most fourth-string quarterbacks don’t have the presence and command of the offense that these guys do.”

Defensive Coordinator 'Ilaisa Tuiaki | watch interview

On defensive development thus far in spring ball
"The development is coming along. We’re a little bit further ahead this year in spring than last year. We’re seeing some good things in practice. We are about right where we need to be."

On depth on the defensive line
"Getting all the guys back from injury was a big thing. Growth is about experience. We have a veteran group, and those guys have a lot of experience. We also have a good group of young guys. It’s an evenly distributed group of guys and we are seeing a lot of good defensive line play."

On bringing in transfer players
That changes from year to year. You look at your team and who you are losing and who is coming back. There are millions of nuances that go into those decisions. We’re always trying to get the best players we can get. With the transfer portal, you can now get guys after spring ball, so that’s an ongoing conversation. You have those discussions all the time. Recruiting is never stagnant. 

On freshman defensive lineman Logan Fano
“Logan has done a phenomenal job. He's a lot further ahead for a guy that is new in college. Obviously, he is a returned missionary and has got a little bit more age to him just as far as physically, but he is a twitchy kid. You can tell that football is his profession. He studies the game. We give our install and he comes back and he doesn't make very many mistakes, and the mistakes that he does make when we correct it he corrects them. He has bumped himself up and made himself a legitimate candidate for playing time.”

On the secondary depth
"We will have more bodies in the secondary come the fall. We signed a bunch of kids, so we’ll have a legitimate group, they just won’t have the experience of spring ball. You always hope you have a couple of freshmen who can come in and give you some snaps and you’ll have others that will redshirt. We are really happy with the kids that have committed to come."

Wide Receiver Kody Epps | watch interview

On his goals for the 2022 season
“I’m just trying to get on the field and be a part of the team and do what’s needed to help the team win. The last few years it’s been rough to watch from a distance. The biggest thing for me this year is to be on the field, healthy throughout the season and ready to go.”

On filling the shoes of departed seniors Neil Pau’u and Samson Nacua
“It’s a great opportunity for all the receivers to compete and push each other. We have big shoes to fill without those guys and I want to be part of the group that does so. It’s a great chance for all of us to build each other up and move forward at that position.”