It was announced that only two teams in D1 have played and won 5 P5 games this year, BYU is one of them. Georgia is the other.
BYU’s standings can be pegged to two events: ESPN’s early bump when BYU crushed Navy 40-0 to begin the covid year and coming within a whisker of beating CCU and an undefeated year.
And today there is a fair amount of buzz building about this validation season having beat 4 Pack 12 teams and now a top ACC team
It has been a historic year with the Big 12 invite. Read a great article surrounding the behemith of the NCAA and how it is NOT in control of college sports and why the Playoff picture is in shambles with no clear path to ligit N Champions. The P5 in football controls ALL sports as football controls all $$$$$ and that is WHY BYU’s big 12 invite is the biggest news on BYU’s history.
I watched Hill pin point his passes (especially to Pica Nacua) in the ISU game. I am DONE with any of my criticism over his passing ability. Sure he lobs that ball in but With his legs, he is the best option of our 3 very capable QBs. Anyone who knows a thing about BYU football knows that as our QB’s go…so goes the football team. These past 2 seasons with Wilson and Hill sprinkled in with Romney have been special and BYU appears ready to end the season with a bang and perhaps much more!
Another reason why BYU football is winning…We just landed our first 5 star transfer with several others looking our way. The Big 12 invite and the “family” that Sitake has built here is turning heads. Feels like BYU has turned the corner and now is the cool place that young recruits like to mention. A strong Utah and BYU will keep the USC’s and Oregon’s out of our back yard.
Can’t say enough about Sitake and Pope and their characters. They are recruiting machines and make these athletes feel loved and a part of family. Have to mention the hire of Ah You as a game changer and the transfer of the Nacua brothers (if you did not get to see them celebrate on Senior’s night after the ISU game, IT IS A MUST! They opened the flood gates. Oregon Transfer Kingsley Suamataia Commits to BYU Football - BYU Cougars on Sports Illustrated: News, Analysis, and More Mentions Sampson Nacua as a mentor.
Now to the nitty gritty…Is BYU a NY6 possibility? A week ago, I said, “No way”. while I am still a no because of the BSU debacle, enough teams are falling on hard times (Wake Forest and MSU) that the door is creaking open. With our rest week and another round of upsets, who can say? Go BSU and everyone BYU has played. Here’s What It’s Going to Take for BYU to Make a NY6 Bowl - BYU Cougars on Sports Illustrated: News, Analysis, and More Well, that article is soooo outdated.
Now if we could just find a creative DC some where? the future is bright.
Hopefully we are recruiting some potential big time runningbacks. McChesney can do it but he’s injury prone too. Don’t be surprised to see a transfer or two for RBs now.
We have a couple in the stable already, Davis being one of them. Not sure why Kalani is not playing them more (probably because the ones ahead are doing such a good job), but Fowler said during the game, there are plenty of replacements for Running back.
Time will tell of course, but thought what Fowler said on TV.
yes, I was referencing those Florida players coming to visit BYU. I talked about how BYU is now popular to come to. Pope lands Haarms, Stuake land the Nacua bros and that just opened up the flood gates… While the honor code will always be a barrier, there are a ton of young people that have strong christian values or they just don’t want to fool around before marriage and BYU is trendy now. But the main reason…Winning and placing a LOT is kids in the NFL.
Except McChesney, none of them look like they can replace Allgeirs who replaced Williams who replaced Williams. McChesney can but his health has been an issue. I believe we will go after a transfer again. Katoa runs to high and gets tripped up too easily. He doesn’t drive through people. If McChesney gets more patient he does have the low center of gravity and strength to drive through people.
McChesney, I believe, was recruited by Alabama. Injuries have hampered him. And, he runs like Allgeirs but as was mentioned by someone else he needs a bit more patient behind his blockers. If you remember the UM game where he had 200 yards. He can shift quickly like Allgeirs. If he gets that patience down he will start and be a work horse. Davis is a scat back.
Don’t forget Hinckley Ropati. We saw him a bit at the end of the ISU game. BYU football was excited when they signed Ropati just before last season, but he got hurt in practice and they decided to hold him out all year. He still has several years of eligibility. Big star vs good competition in HS and Juco. Analysts compared him to Fui Vakapuna and Paul Lasike–two tough BYU RBs who had good pro careers…
Big12 invite: agreed. It’s the key to everything BYU football.
Jaren Hall: He’s good and getting better.
Puka has established himself as a STAR. If he and Jaren are healthy and play together for a couple more years, Puka will finish with some big numbers at BYU.
As you say, both Kalani and Pope are GREAT recruiters…IF we keep winning…well, here in Oregon, the Kingsley Suamataia transfer to BYU is big news. It’s also big news for BYU, because 5 star recruits don’t always make the NFL, but they are almost always AT LEAST very good college players. Also, ANYONE WHO HASN’T SEEN IT, PLEASE SEE THE TWEET BELOW from Derwin Gray. He is a former BYU great and a FANTASTIC recruiter for BYU. He loved his time at BYU, met his wife there (he married my former girlfriend’s little sister, and I followed his career closely). Dewey had a very good NFL career and is now the longtime pastor at a “megachurch” in South Carolina. He is a frequent speaker at national coaching conventions and I’ve listened to many of his talks. He is an amazing person. He comes back to BYU and speaks to the athletes. He loves everything about his BYU experience and believes in BYU. As you noted, several recruits from Florida were at BYU over the weekend, including 5 star DB Cormani McClain. Derwin Gray learned of the visit, and tweeted the following to McClain:
where you will be challenged academically, morally, and athletically. In 1989, I signed with BYU. Got a degree. Became an all-american. Played Safety for 6 years in NFL. I have a doctorate, I write books, speak around the world, and pastor a great church.
I put a link below–click on the first highlight package “Freshman Year Highlights.” Remember this is from junior college in LA, where the competition is MUCH better than in any high school. Ropati is not always the fastest guy on the field (gets caught from behind a few times), but he is fast and PUNISHES tacklers. He almost never ever goes down on first contact. I think this is why he was being compared to Lasike and Fui. He just wrecks people.
What happened to Sione Finau who led the team in rushing two years ago when a bunch of running backs got injured? He got injured in the next to last game in 2019. He wasn’t very big but was quick and elusive. He seems to have fallen off the radar. Is he still in the program?
Finau is in the program and has appeared in 3 games this year. He got hurt JIT for the emergence of All American Allgeier, and has struggled to work his way back up the depth chart after recovering from his ACL tear. Super fast before the injury. I’m concerned for his prospects because this pure zone blocking scheme of ours really favors bigger backs who can cut back into the initial hole and run through initial contact.
You keep writing stuff like this - I will have to tone down my man crush. hahahaha. Gray, not LDS…is our biggest fan. That is all because of Lavell and his fatherly approach to football. Sitake in on record as wanting to be like his mentor. If you listen to the Nacua’s talking, he is well on his way.
It is common knowledge that USC and Oregon had figured out the Poly secret here in Utah. Get in with the family, become family! When ever I played pick up or league ball, the first thing I always did was make friends with the Polys. If a fight ever broke out, they had my back and Polys never fight alone, ever. There are about 40 athletes that show up at any given night at some LDS church to play pick up ball, I was a part of that scene for 30 years or so. Got me lots of Poly friends. Anyhow, Sitake is taking back turf that used to belong to Utah, USC and recently, Oregon.
He run mad