2022 Fall Camp: Second Scrimmage and Wide Receivers Preview

PROVO, Utah — Two weeks prior to kickoff at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, No. 25 BYU football practiced at LaVell Edwards Stadium, conducting its second scrimmage of fall camp on Saturday. 

Following the practice and 75-play scrimmage, head coach Kalani Sitake, passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach Fesi Sitake, wide receiver Chase Roberts and safety Malik Moore addressed the media to talk about the scrimmage. Read their quotes below.

Select the gallery button above to view photos from Saturday's scrimmage or click the link below to see the entire BYU Photo Fall Camp Exposure Gallery.

• Fall Camp Exposure Gallery

Wide Receivers Preview

More Watch Lists

• Nacua named to Polynesian Player of the Year Watch List
• Romney named to 2023 Senior Bowl Watch List
• Hill named to Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award Watch List

Led by veterans Puka Nacua and Gunner Romney, passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach Fesi Sitake has a plethora of weapons at wide receiver in 2022.

“I’ve got to play as many guys as I can without disrupting the flow of our veteran guys,” Sitake said at BYU Football Media Day on June 22. “Some years we’ve rotated three guys and other years it’s been six. That is yet to be determined for this season.”

After transferring from Washington following the 2020 season, Nacua quickly established himself as a playmaker for the Cougar offense in 2021. The 6-foot-2, 205-pound wideout led BYU with 805 receiving yards on 43 grabs while tying with Neil Pau’u for a team-high six receiving touchdowns. Nacua ranked No. 17 nationally averaging 18.7 yards per reception and recorded four games with more than 100 receiving yards. The Provo, Utah, native also saw some action carrying the ball and gobbled up 953 all-purpose yards producing 79.4 yards per game.

Pro Football Network awarded Nacua Independent Newcomer and Wide Receiver of the Year in 2021 along with a spot on its All-Independent First Team Offense. Phil Steele also recognized Nacua with All-Independent First Team honors.

Even with last season’s accolades, Nacua isn’t satisfied with the team’s 2021 results, particularly after a 31-28 loss to UAB in the Independence Bowl.

“The way our season ended last year,” Nacua said at Media Day, “losing our bowl game after a really good season is something that will drive us all the way to the first game when we land in Florida.”

Romney, a 6-foot-2, 195-pound native of Chandler, Arizona, fought through two injuries sustained being rolled up on from behind while blocking to play in 10 games a season ago, recording 34 receptions for 594 yards and three touchdowns. With 17.47 yards per reception in 2021, Romney joined Nacua to help BYU become one of just six FBS teams with two receivers ranked in the top-40 nationally for yards per grab. Romney was awarded a place on the Pro Football Network All-Independent First Team following the season.

The fifth-year senior enters 2022 as the Cougars’ active career receiving leader with 117 receptions for 1,900 yards and nine touchdowns. With an output in 2022 similar to that of last season, Romney can surpass All-American tight end Chris Smith (1987-90), All-American receiver Mark Bellini (1982-86) and the late College Football Hall of Fame tight end Gordon Hudson (1980-83) in BYU’s career receiving standings.

Sitake is optimistic that a return to full health will enable Romney to realize his potential in 2022.

“Gunner’s getting stronger, feels flexible and hopefully that durability kicks in,” Sitake said at Media Day. “He’s never dealt with season-ending stuff, just little nagging things. He’s making huge steps right now to have that be a non-factor in the season.”

Both Nacua and Romney were named to 2022 Phil Steele Preseason All-Independent teams, with Nacua also recognized on the 2022 Preseason Biletnikoff Award Watch List.

In 2021, BYU wide receivers helped the Cougars rank:

• No. 6 nationally in passing plays of over 40 yards
• No. 14 nationally in passing yards per attempt at 8.8
• No. 17 nationally in total offense at 542.2 yards per game 

Keanu Hill, a 6-foot-4, 215-pound sophomore from Bedford, Texas, makes for a reliable option alongside Nacua and Romney. Hill made strides in 2021 as he recorded 18 receptions for 343 yards and two touchdowns in 13 games played.

“Keanu is a proven guy who’s going to play a lot this year,” Sitake said. “Anytime he’s on the field, he plays with passion. I expect big things from him this year.”

Despite a lack of game experience, Sitake loves the talent and potential he sees in Chase Roberts, Kody Epps and Brayden Cosper.

Roberts, a 6-foot-4, 200-pound redshirt freshman spent 2021 returning to playing shape after a full-time mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Calgary, Alberta. The American Fork High School product rolled up 3,709 yards and 40 touchdowns during his Caveman career.

Epps and Cosper were also beset by injuries in 2021, but look to rebound to full strength in the season ahead.

“Between Chase, Kody and Brayden, it’s going to be interesting to see how all that unfolds,” Sitake said. “Those guys are going to be ready. They’ve all made huge strides this offseason and could start for us in game one.”

Chris Jackson, Talmage Gunther and Hobbs Nyberg each return with game experience under their belts on both offense and special teams.

Kade Moore, Terence Fall, Parker Kingston, Dom Henry, Kyson Hall and Tanner Wall makeup the remainder of the wide receiver room in 2022 and have shown good progress in camp. 

Regardless of experience, Epps sees a unity and momentum within the receiver room propelling them toward success this season.

“We’re on the rise,” Epps said at Media Day. “Everything is gelling together for us to go forward and do great things. I feel like we’re at the beginning of something great.”

Post-Scrimmage Quotes

Head coach Kalani Sitake (watch video)

On Saturday's scrimmage

“We had some good work today. I’m happy with our team. There’s obviously some things to fix since things never go perfect. I like the effort from our guys. The key for us is getting our team ready, getting our depth chart formed and syncing the reps for the guys we think are going to be helpful for our depth going into the first game. We’ll officially end camp with Tuesday’s practice and then move onto our first opponent.”

On the current health of the team

“We knew that there would be some guys banged up here and there and guys missing some practices and reps. But we’ve tried to be strategic with working with our trainers and sports scientists and trying to get guys in the right spot. I feel really confident about that with our team."

On the team’s depth

“It helps out having a lot of depth and a lot of veterans where this isn’t their first camp with us. Honestly, for the newcomers that are here, I feel really happy with their talent and the skill level that they have. If I’ve been surprised about anything, it’s that they are more ready than I thought they would be. I thought [newcomers] would probably need a little more development, but they’re further ahead than I expected. The comfort that we have is that they aren’t needed to be thrust onto the field right now. We feel comfortable being able to redshirt people and then utilize the four games that we can play them and get ready for next year.

In year’s past, we’ve had to throw a true freshman out there, and don’t get me wrong, if a true freshman deserves to start then he’s going to play. But now, we’re not in a position where we’re desperate for guys that can get out there and they may be a little behind with experience. Now, we feel like we have some time where we can work with them and get them enough experience where we feel comfortable with them being on the two-deep roster.”

On practicing in rainy weather to prepare for the season

“It rained a little bit today and I was hoping we could get a little bit more wet, but the ball was still wet and the grass was still wet. It was good for us to learn from that. It’s important for us to get used to playing in different climates. We have a strategy for how we will approach the heat in Florida. Everything we’re doing from now to then is deliberate. We just wanted to get our foundation set with our team in the first two weeks of camp and now we can focus on having our guys work in the heat.”

On which players have emerged at the safety position

“Names that come to mind right away are Malik Moore, Ammon Hannemann, Micah Harper, Matt Criddle and Talan Alfrey. I know I’m missing some people. I really like what I’ve seen from some of the young guys. Carter Krupp has done some good things, Ethan Slade too. I’m basically going to name the entire group, but we have seven or eight guys that we feel good about at that position. The guys battling for the second and third sports will be utilized in situational football for us in the safety spots.”

On progress at the nickel spot

“We have a combination of George Udo and Jakob Robinson, Micah Harper too. We have guys that can rotate at that position, including Jacob Boren. There’s a bunch of names, it’s just ironing out who’s going to be in which personnel package for our defense.”

Passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach Fesi Sitake (watch video)

On his impressions of Chase Roberts and what he brings to the team

“Chase brings a lot of energy. He is one of the most optimistic guys I have in my group and shows up with the same energy every day. Even if he has a practice that might be a little worse than his expectations, he doesn’t waver and is super mature. He is going to be a really good player and is going to have a great career here. He just needs to keep working hard and stay on the trajectory he is on now. I definitely have high hopes for him and envision him playing in some big games for us this year.”

On what the coaches wanted from the offense today and how they delivered

“A big thing we wanted to see was how those in our two-deep step up. Up to this point in camp, there have been a lot of moments where we have been stagnant as a second group. Today, I thought they took a huge jump and felt like they were the highlight of the day. They were efficient at moving the ball, made plays and executed, and played clean football. They really answered the call today and that was promising to see.”

On running backs that stood out today

“They all got a pretty even number of reps today, but Miles Davis is someone who continues to emerge and improve as more reps come his way. He made a couple of runs today where he was hitting the hole with confidence.”

On the status of the depth chart

“I think it varies by position group, but overall, I still think we need some time. Everyone knows who the guys are that have solidified themselves in certain positions, but when it comes to depth, I still think we need another week. I think we could play a game tomorrow and feel good about our depth, but the competition has been good. A lot of guys have been able to showcase what we are looking for.”

On moving into the last week of fall camp and preparing for South Florida

“Competitively, we are ready to get started. But truthfully, we need another week. We will break up into scout teams and do a lot more South Florida preparation emphasis and try to replicate what they do in all three phases of the game this week. But there’s a new wave of energy that I think our guys will feed from as they realize two weeks from today, we will be kicking off week one.”

Wide receiver Chase Roberts (watch video)

On returning from injury

“It’s been awesome to be back at 100 percent. It’s been so fun to be out there with Jaren and with the ones compared to being injured last year. It was hard, but it made me more passionate about this year. I want to go out there and win games and help the team. We're focused on the first game against USF. We're going to go out and perform and do well." 

On the offense's performance in the scrimmage

"I think we were looking really good, especially Jacob Conover. He looked really good today. He was throwing some awesome tight spirals and our running backs were hitting the holes hard. We put together a great first drive and kept it going throughout the whole scrimmage."

On Jacob Conover's growth as a quarterback

"Jacob and I have been tight ever since we were recruited. From spring ball to now his confidence level has grown. I’ve always trusted in Jacob and his play, but this fall he’s really stepped it up and solidified that number two quarterback spot. We’re confident that if he comes in during a game, that he will perform and do his job. All the quarterbacks are looking amazing, but Jacob has really stood out.

Safety Malik Moore (watch video)

On the structure of Saturday's scrimmage

“We scrimmaged today. We did ones against ones and twos against twos. Some threes got some work and fours did as well. Everybody got some good quality work. There was some thud tempo, there was some tackle. It was a good scrimmage.”

On the defense's performance in the scrimmage

"There’s always things we can fix, but overall our defense is looking really good and so is our offense. We balance each other out. Sometimes the offense makes plays and the next thing you know we make plays and force a three-and-out. The defense is playing really, really well. We’re all healthy and ready to go."

On the depth of the secondary

"We have so many guys that it’s going to be hard for the coaches to choose who’s starting, who’s second and who’s third-string. We have so many athletes on our team. Anybody can step in and play. If I get hurt or someone else gets hurt, our third-string is going to come in and do the same amount of work that we do. We’re looking good and looking deep."

On the freshmen corners

“They’re all gaining weight and getting the playbook down. They’re making a lot of good plays and good decisions. They have a couple of mental breakdowns here and there, but they’ve only been here for two months. They’re learning a lot faster than I did my freshman year. They’re ready to go. Cougar nation is going to have some good corners in the future."