BYU Players Report for Fall Camp

PROVO -- BYU fall football camp gets underway this weekend as newcomers and returners reported on Friday in advance of the team’s first practice session on Saturday afternoon.

Student-athletes from 22 states, Canada and Ghana make up the 105-man roster that will participate in fall camp in preparation for the upcoming season. Freshmen and other players joining the team for the first time took part in orientation on Friday and were joined by returning players for team meetings and activities.

“We are excited to begin fall camp,” BYU head coach Bronco Mendenhall said, whose team is listed No. 28 in the preseason USA Today Coaches’ Poll released Friday. “We have great young men on our team and anticipate this group will work hard during camp as we prepare for the season.”

BYU opens the 2010 season against Washington on Sept. 4 at LaVell Edwards Stadium. Four practices during fall camp will be open to the public, including both practices on Aug. 13 (10:15 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.) and morning sessions on Aug. 14 (10:15 a.m.) and Aug. 19 (10:15 a.m.).

In addition to players reporting, several roster items of note were announced.

Mendenhall announced that an NCAA waiver submitted on behalf of USC transfer Uona Kaveinga was denied on Friday and BYU has submitted an appeal. The waiver asked that the junior linebacker be allowed to play immediately without sitting out a year after transferring from USC.

“We received word today that the requested waiver for Uona was denied,” Mendenhall said. “We have submitted an appeal and expect a final decision within the next two weeks.”

Additionally, Mendenhall announced that freshman wide receiver Jordan Smith will join the team in January and junior defensive end Matt Putnam and senior linebacker Jordan Atkinson will miss the first few practices for academic and personal reasons. Both are expected to be available for practice sometime next week.