Football Captains, Leadership Council Announced

PROVO, Utah -- BYU head football coach Bronco Mendenhall today announced team captains and position leadership council for the 2011 season.

Selected by their peers, offensive tackle Matt Reynolds and running back Bryan Kariya will serve as offensive captains, while outside linebacker Jameson Frazier and free safety Travis Uale will be captains for the defense. All four captains are seniors in 2011. Reynolds will serve for the second time after being selected as a captain last season.

The four captains also represent their positions on the team’s leadership council. Members of the team selected the following additional players from each position to serve on the team’s leadership council: senior Terence Brown (offensive line), senior Matt Edwards (tight ends), seniors McKay Jacobson and Spencer Hafoka (receivers), juniors Romney Fuga and Eathyn Manumaleuna (defensive line) and junior Brandon Ogletree (inside linebackers).

“The team has picked exceptional leaders,” Mendenhall said. “I have great confidence in the leadership they will provide our team and believe they will lead our program at the highest level, particularly as they prepare this summer for the 2011 season.”

Reynolds, from Provo, Utah, is an All-America candidate and three-year starter considered among the top contenders for the Outland Trophy and Lombardi Award as one of the nation’s top linemen. From Kaysville, Utah, Kariya is an Academic All-American who has played in 38 games as a key contributor in the Cougar backfield during his first three seasons.

Frazier and Uale both took over starting roles during the 2010 season and helped the BYU defense become one of the most improved in the nation, finishing No. 24 overall and second in the Mountain West Conference behind TCU, the NCAA’s top-rated defense. Frazier, from Draper, Utah, totaled 34 tackles last year with 2 interceptions, while Uale, a native of Hawaii Kai, Hawaii, recorded 42 tackles, including 23 solo takedowns, from his safety position.

The Cougars open fall camp in August in preparation for the program’s first year as a football independent with television partner ESPN.

The 2011 schedule includes opponents from the Southeastern Conference, Big 12, Pac-12, Conference USA, Western Athletic Conference, Mountain West Conference and Big Sky. The 12-game schedule kicks off at Ole Miss on Sept. 3 and concludes at Hawaii on Dec. 3.

Season tickets are now available through the Marriott Center Ticket Office (801-422-BYU1) or online at BYUtickets.com. Season ticket packages reflect the team’s seven-game home schedule in 2011, one more contest than last year, with season ticket package per-game prices staying the same as the 2010 season.