BYU Football: Three Observations From Spring Practice Day One
Feb 28, 2022, 8:43 PM | Updated: 10:13 pm
BYU QB Jaren Hall talks to the media at spring practice (Courtesy of BYU Photo/Jaren Wilkey)
(Courtesy of BYU Photo/Jaren Wilkey)
PROVO, Utah – The BYU football team opened up spring practice today in the indoor practice facility led by returning starting quarterback Jaren Hall.
Head coach Kalani Sitake had high praise for the offense after the first day.
#BYU spring football 2022 – Day 1 recap with @Mitch_Harper & @baiamontematt. 🏈🤙
From Jaren Hall to some promising underclassmen on defense, the guys share their takeaways.https://t.co/8Usd0TVr6y#BYUFootball #GoCougs pic.twitter.com/BpbYclaFjZ
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) March 1, 2022
Here are my observations from the media observation period of practice.
1. Jaren Hall arm strength
Hall is the unquestioned starting quarterback heading into his junior season. It’s hard to believe he has more eligibility beyond his fifth season at BYU, but he does.
The zip and velocity on his passes from what the media was allowed to see was impressive.
In one portion of team drills, Hall dropped back in play-action and fired a laser to Puka Nacua on a corner route.
#BYU QB Jaren Hall will be working on his deep ball accuracy and timing in spring practice so he can become a “top-tier dude.”
He’s well on his way. Hall looked outstanding today. @kslsports pic.twitter.com/gOxF55VcYe
— Matthew Baiamonte (@baiamontematt) March 1, 2022
The ball traveled in my estimation about 40 yards in the air before Nacua made a nice grab against the sideline.
All of the passes I observed from Hall were tight spirals, which is something he lacked at times last season.
Aaron Roderick must be a happy man with Hall at the helm, and the wealth of options they have offensively.
2. BYU football “F” position
Masen Wake isn’t participating in spring practice, which opens the door for Roderick to experiment with a new weapon: transfer Houston Heimuli.
Heimuli was previously at Stanford before joining BYU, and he saw plenty of action playing the “F” position in team drills.
Masen Wake told me he is going to utilize this time in spring to help mentor the underclassmen and new guys in the TE room. #BYU #BYUFootball @kslsports pic.twitter.com/iSeGbL6f6H
— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) March 1, 2022
He lined up as fullback, as well as in the slot position.
It’s going to be interesting to see how Roderick juggles Wake and Heimuli in games this fall.
From what I observed today, the “F” position will be utilized heavily in both the run and pass game.
3. The speed of Kody Epps
With Neil Pau’u departing for the NFL, the door has opened for someone to emerge as wide receiver three on the depth chart.
Kody Epps is someone who received rave reviews this offseason from wide receiver coach Fesi Sitake.
On one play in team drills, Epps took a short pass from Sol-Jay Maiava-Peters to the end-zone, showing off his impressive speed.
Injuries plagued him last season. If he can remain healthy, Epps will be someone that will see playing time in the fall.
You can hear Matt Baiamonte every Saturday on KSL Newsradio for Cougar Sports Saturday from 12:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. or you can find him on Twitter here.
