Football looks to finish spring strong in final week before Alumni Day on Thursday

PROVO, Utah — BYU football began its final week of spring drills on Monday, conducting its 13th practice session on the SAB outdoor fields. With a lot of versatility and improving depth, the team is looking to finish strong this week before heading into offseason workouts in advance of fall camp.

The team will practice three times this week before finishing spring on Thursday with the program's annual Alumni Day. This year, Cougar fans are invited to attend a BYU football meet-the-team autograph signing event and special Alumni Game at LaVell Edwards Stadium on Thursday evening as part of the Alumni Day conclude spring practices.

The event is free to the public. Stadium gates will open at 5:30 p.m. for the Alumni Game pregame festivities before the alums put their skills and competitive juices on display once again in LaVell Edwards Stadium at 6:30 p.m. Members of the 2022 BYU football team will sign autographs at a Meet & Greet with fans in the stadium following the Alumni Game.

BYUtv will broadcast the Alumni Game live on the BYUtv App and BYUtv.org starting at 6:30 p.m. Select the following link to see the Alumni Game roster and game rules.

“Our team is looking forward to being able to interact with fans again, and we are excited to welcome back all of our football alumni for the various activities of Alumni Day,” said BYU head coach Kalani Sitake. “It will be fun watching some of our former players get out there again on the field at LaVell Edwards Stadium for the Alumni Game.”

One of the opportunities for fans attending the Alumni Game and Team Meet & Greet is to help refugees around the world by donating to a Diaper Drive organized by BYU cornerback D’Angelo Mandell with the organization Lifting Hands International. Fans can drop store-purchased diapers in locations at each gate as they enter the stadium.

Following practice on Monday, Mandell spoke about trying to help refugees and the impact it has had on him. Read some of his comments below, as well as what offensive lineman Blake Freeland and offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick said about the progress and improvement of the offense during spring.

Defensive Back D'Angelo Mandell

On his diaper drive at the alumni game
"A month and a half ago, I went to this place called Helping Hands International, it’s a refugee center. I went there to help my friend's auntie. She was bringing beanies and stuff like that, like a package. I went in there and the lady showed me pictures like how they live day-to-day. Obviously everyone's lives are different, but for the most part, we’ve got it better than them. They don't have everyday things like diapers, tents, clothes, stuff like that. So in my head, I was like, we’ve got a big BYU fan base, so let's get some diapers going and we'll try to coordinate when we can do it. We decided that we’d do it at the alumni game."

On his platform
"It means a lot, because I don't think people really know about stuff like that that often. Obviously people want to help and do things but we don't know about stuff like that on a day-to-day basis. Something like this is important because I don’t want it to be a one-time thing, I want people to be able to go and just donate whenever they can or hopefully this can be an annual thing. I think that’d be cool."

On spring ball
"It’s been good, it’s been fun. Guys have been out here competing, doing what they’ve got to do. We're just trying to get better each and every day, Kalani teaches it all the time. That's the big thing. Keeping guys healthy, too. You know how football is, things happening, so you want to make sure you guys are safe. But at the end of the day, we're trying to get better all the time."

On being close with the defensive backfield
"We’re living together all the time, doing everything together every day. I mean, it's not just us. I think it's the team culture in general. I think we're all messing around each other like that. We spend time with a lot of guys each and every day. We all love each other."

Offensive Lineman Blake Freeland

On the last week of spring practice
“Finishing strong this week is a good way to go into the offseason. We’ve had a good spring ball and all of us are learning a lot. We’ve definitely grown as a team and are creating a lot of depth.”

On the depth of the team
“I am excited about our depth. We have 10 guys right now who could start for us. A lot of the O-linemen are battling for positions and it definitely makes us a better unit. Depth wise, not just the O-line but the whole team has grown a lot. We have a good balance of young players and experience players and all have stepped up and continue to progress.”

On Campbell Barrington
“Campbell Barrington keeps improving every year. He can fit into any position and he’s fighting for a starting spot currently.”

On naming starters
“It’s too early to name starters now. I think we will be competing for starting spots all summer. It is a long four months, so we have a lot of time to improve and work on our craft.”

On April training
“We will all train a couple times a day and do a lot of position workouts. We are always working on getting bigger, faster, stronger every season.”

Offensive Coordinator Aaron Roderick

On the quarterbacks
“Jaren Hall is playing really well, Jacob Conover has separated himself a little bit as number two, but the other two are improving every day and I am still giving them reps, so that’s where we stand right now.”

On why Jacob Conover has stood out in spring practice
“I think the reps are accumulating now because he’s been here long enough, and he’s starting to show he knows what he’s doing. It just comes with playing, and the game seems to be slowing down for him a little bit and he’s a talented guy.”

On receivers Keanu Hill, Chase Roberts, Kody Epps
“Those guys are all ready to contribute this year. Puka Nacua and Gunner Romney are on another level, and then those three are all guys you are going to see play and contribute. How big of a role they play is up to them, but I think all three of them will have really good careers here and bright futures.”

On offensive improvement
“Just the versatility that we have is great, and we can play so many different personnel groups. It’s probably the most personnel versatility I have ever had and we’re doing a lot of different things this spring that are pretty exciting, things we haven’t done before. While the language is all the same, we have evolved this spring and we have some good things in store.”