Connor Pay, Tyler Batty Pay Testament To BYU Football Brotherhood
Jul 10, 2024, 4:05 PM
BYU football defensive end Tyler Batty was one of 10 players on the Cougars to receive All-Big 12 recognition. (Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News)
(Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News)
LAS VEGAS – BYU lineman Connor Pay and Tyler Batty go at each other’s throats in practice every day but it’s nothing but love when they get off the gridiron.
Pay and Batty joined the KSL Sports Zone from the Big 12 Media Days in Las Vegas on Wednesday.
Suited up. pic.twitter.com/Qjwzw8i9TQ
— BYU FOOTBALL (@BYUfootball) July 10, 2024
Brothers Off The Field, Competitors On The Field
Pay and Batty have both been at BYU since 2020.
They spend a lot of time together but a good chunk of that time is spent butting heads on the practice field.
“It’s been four years but we are (friends) now,” Pay said. “It wasn’t always that way.”
Jokes aside, Batty spoke on the competitive nature of the team and how trash talk on the field has no effect off of the field.
Younger players don’t always catch on right away and the talk can sometimes go too far even for the vets. But, there is still trust on game day that all hostility will be directed toward the opponent.
“We have a great team culture,” Batty said. “On the field, you try to murder each other for two hours straight. The moment you step off, that’s over. You’re teammates, you take care of each other.”
Another week in the books 🤙
— BYU FOOTBALL (@BYUfootball) July 6, 2024
Offensive Line Changes May Lead To Success
With some big names out the door and a new offensive line coach, Pay thought that his time as a Cougar was coming to an end.
After testing the waters, Pay was pleasantly surprised by what he saw and decided to run it back in Provo.
“I felt that with a less talented (offensive) line than we’ve had in the past, we probably performed better in spring ball than years past,” Pay said. “That makes me really optimistic for the season. The offensive line is so intricate. You have to master things that your body isn’t designed to do.”
About 2024 Big 12 Media Days
For the first time, the Big 12 is making its way to Las Vegas, Nevada.
See y’all next week?#Big12FB | @totinos pic.twitter.com/dX26CwBqjM
— Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) July 1, 2024
Allegiant Stadium, home of the Las Vegas Raiders, is hosting the two-day event on Tuesday, July 9, and Wednesday, July 10.
The BYU Cougars will be attending their second Media Day as a member of the Big 12 after joining the conference in 2023. Last year, the Media Days were held at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
Utah is one of four newcomers to the Big 12 in 2024. The Utes will have a sense of familiarity at Allegiant Stadium though, having attended the 2023 Pac-12 Media Day at Resorts World in Las Vegas.
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Chandler Holt is a co-host of the Jazz Notes podcast, a Locals In The NFL Insider, and Digital Sports Producer for sports.ksl.com. Follow Chandler on Twitter @ChandlerHoltKSL or on Threads @chandlerho1t.
