1 signing the #1 pick in all of college Basketball, AJ Dybantsa, Historic
2 Replacing Pope with Kevin Young. I would put this #1 but we don’t know how good KY can be yet.
3 Sitake, BYU Football goes 9-0 and looked like a CFP lock. 11-2 and missing the CFP only because of Media bias. Sitake wanted to be like Lavel, he’s well on his way. even opponents love Kalani.
4 The total domination of Colo in the Alamo Bowl. There is quite a buzz going on about how BYU should have been in the CFP. the Alamo bowl was the most watched bowl game to date more so then all the SEC/Big 10 matchups! Thank You coach Prime! BYU’s big payout-8.25 million! Big 12 Dominating Viewership Numbers in Non-CFP Bowl Games
5 Signing two NBA prospects in Demin and Catchings. In the ASU game, commentators covered Demin, Then Catchings, then Dybantsa. Get used to it, It will happen in every game this season and next year, Everyone will come to Provo to see him play.
6 Mark Pope leave for Kentucky and BYU sports world is devistated…for about 6 days.
7 Mens and Women’s cross country track wins the Natty.
8 BYU reaches the NCAA tourny and finishes 5th in the Big 12 after hanging around #3 for most of the season, Beating Kansas @Kansas.
9 BYU Olympians in Paris.
10 Ryan Smith’s commitment to BYU Basketball along with Danny Ainge become a recruiting/NIL force for BYU.
(I could mix 1-3 up, that is how big all 3 sports stories are!) What say you?
I would add one name to your list: Saunders. The national media who were aware of him, and his transfer portal options, considered him one of the best glue guys available…with potential to be more…and so far the be more is the reality.
I am impressed with Saunders. He seems to be improving and consistent. That is what it takes to play at the next level. I feel like he has that potential.
As for the big 3 that you mentioned, Demin, Catchings and Dybantsa from what I have seen Dybantsa is light years ahead of those two and honestly, ahead of most college players I have seen. I really believe the kid is a generational talent on the order of MJ or Lebron. Will he attain that level? I don’t know, only time will tell, but he has ALL of the talent and tools necessary to get there. If he has the mental fortitude that MJ had I see no reason why he couldn’t be there as well. His level of play at this stage in his development and being only 18 years old, I am beyond impressed with what he can do.
Everyone in the basketball world is coming to Provo to watch these High Draft pics
1 should be good news for Saunders. Tom and I always thought he was a diamond in the rough. Remember, He was a lock down defender before we ever talked about scoring game.
2 good for BYU recruiting and youngsters wanting to play with winners.
3 look at what is transforming in the recruiting world with BYU’s big finish vs. Colo and a 11-2 season.
4 People gripping about Retzlaff should look at why BYU will be ranked going into next season, mainly because of Retzlaff, LJ Martin, the receivers and our big D. BYU landed Utah’s best lineman…the heart and soul of Utah’s traditionally top 10 Defense. Would he have come if BYU was average? or if Utah dominated. The consequences of losing vs. winning.
Yep, most people recognize that a QB’s 2nd and 3rd seasons with the same team include better play from year to year. There is always that one that doesn’t get it
All I can say is I hope Retzlaff is better than he has been the past two years. I really believe he has the skill level and talent to be better. My biggest concern is that his decision making and reckless play style will hinder his growth and improvement. If he can clean that up then yes, he will be much improved. Only time will tell.
Or better said there is always that one that doesn’t get a lot of things, primarily not getting what others post and understanding it. I’m still waiting for it to happen with you… I mean you have been on this board for a long time and still have huge difficulties understanding what others write.
Just not as optimistic regarding Retzlaff. Hope I am dead wrong but——
BYU is a top 10 to 15 team and probably be ranked top 20 the start or next year
Retzlaff is ranked what the 45-50 in nation?
See the problem with the math?
He will have great receivers and running backs and a pretty good line. He’s getting his opportunity on a platter.
If he is smart (and depends on Arod not calling plays he can’t make) Retzlaff could excell at game management and the team could be highly successful. If he thinks he has to personally win every game then we will lose 3-4 games. Like I said, he can dazzle and then implode trying to press. KU game is perfect example.
If he can play ONE, just ONE complete game, not a half, not the last minute 13 against a good big12 defense I will be a believer. Somewhere I saw he had 6 TDs an 7 ints the last 6 games? And the bowl game was a poor performance.
I still say if they can upgrade at a with a stud an do it. Skys the limit if we do (but we won’t)
Just think if we had a top 20 qb? Last 4-5 games he was the weak link. Has the occasional brilliance that keeps the believers in the fold.
I hope I am wrong about next year and he is off the charts with his side arm throwing.
I’m confident you are wrong. This was his first real D1 year. There is always a growth between the first and second years. With all the experience coming back, we should dominate.
OK, let’s flesh this out: Starting the season, BYU was ranked next to last preseason. By 8 games in, BYU was on the national scene ranked as high as #6 I believe.
If we look at this years pre-season, the Big 12 went something like: Utah, then Kansas, Baylor
Out of the top 5
Utah
KSU
OSU
Kansas
Arizona
Everyone but KSU bombed completely, everyone in the football world was completely wrong.
Colo was ranked 11
BYU ranked 13
ASU…dead last.
Now look at the QBs of the big 12, ranking them: 2024 Big 12 Season Leaders Total QBR | ESPN
While QBs are the generals, some teams have excelled without them, such as Utah for many years with their running/control and defense but that won’t win championships, you need a top QB to do that…who won the Xll championship this year? #1 Sawyer Robertson, Baylor ( started slow but won last 6 in a row) Sr. #2 Shedour Saunders, gone NFL #3 Sam Levett of ASU, Soph. (he also had the best RB in the league Skattebo, gone to the NFL #4 Josh Hoover, TCU, Jr. #7 Avery Johnson, KSU Jr #11 Retzaiff, BYU
my point is that you can predict a lot about Big 12 teams in 2025 by looking at the QB.
moving forward, I would rank the big 12 as
BYU
Kansas
KSU
Baylor as my top 4. all great QBs except BYU, who has a great D
ASU will struggle without Skattebo but they had the #1 D.
now I’m just ramblin.
If you are that confident you would have said “we will dominate”, not “we should dominate”.
You only say that because you can’t take your blue goggles off long enough to be objective. Whether or not Retzlaff comes through next season is the most important factor in determining BYU’s success. It is the primary reason they didn’t make the CFP this season.
I would hope he would spend the summer months working with Beck on his mechanics and reviewing his decision making… That would improve his performance for sure.
It’s not good. There is more to the picture than just the numbers. The timing of those interceptions, when and where they happened, along with how they happened in the course of the game has a big effect on the bigger picture. It’s not just the numbers all the time.
Yup. And in the last 5 games when the pressure was on, he had 2 TDs and 5int. That is actually just pathetic. It’s not a talent issue. When he is stressed he just forgets how important the ball is. He tries to do to much and makes stupid throws. And it doesn’t help that the OC keeps feeding his ego telling everyone how awesome he is.
Yes. It’s bad. A TD/int ratio under 2.0 is awful. Take the ND QB for example. Doesn’t throw much, a “game manager,” and good runner. He only had 18TDs, but only threw 6 int for a 3:1 ratio. And I think it was DesNews that reported this week that 10 of his 12 picks were inside our opponents’ 40 yard line. Jake just doesn’t respect the football. A bunch of his picks were on just reprehensible dumb throws.
