Observations From BYU Football’s Final Week Of Fall Camp Practice
Aug 19, 2024, 11:06 PM
BYU football kicked off week four of fall camp. Kody Epps had a touchdown grab from Jake Retzlaff. (Jaren Wilkey/BYU Photo)
(Jaren Wilkey/BYU Photo)
PROVO, Utah— BYU football held its 15th practice of fall camp on Monday. The media was able to observe the final 20 minutes of practice.
Coming out of Monday’s practice, the quarterback situation was the big story—or lack of story.
#BYU Football QB Watch from Fall Camp@Mitch_Harper & @baiamontematt share their observations from practice.#BYUFootball #GoCougs pic.twitter.com/iVY1QJEDWz
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) August 20, 2024
BYU football offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick said no decision had been made between Jake Retzlaff and Gerry Bohanon.
Practice observations from Day 15 of BYU football camp
During the media observation portion of practice, Jake Retzlaff was the first quarterback the media watched take snaps. However, he was with the second-team offense.
Retzlaff had a nice pass over the middle to freshman wide receiver Cody Hagen. The former Corner Canyon High standout appeared to have a big gain in front of him, but cornerback Marcus McKenzie was right there to knock the ball away from Hagen’s hands, resulting in an incompletion.
The practice transitioned to the team portion, where Gerry Bohanon led the first-team offense.
Bohanon completed a pass to Darius Lassiter, which resulted in a completion. The only problem was that Lassiter was going to the left and Bohanon threw it slightly behind the senior receiver. Lassiter still came up with the grab. But little things like that take on significance in a quarterback battle.
Bohanon then connected on a quick pass to Keanu Hill, and one play later, found Hill in the endzone for a touchdown.
Jake Retzlaff’s drive was with the second-team offense. On the first play, he connected with Parker Kingston on a great ball, and Kingston high-pointed the pass to come up with the grab for a score.
Retzlaff stayed on the field and then led the first-team offense. He had another touchdown pass, this time to Kody Epps, which Retzlaff put right on target as Epps was in stride for a score. During the media observation windows in fall camp, Retzlaff’s TD pass to Epps was one of the best passes Retzlaff has thrown this past month.
The pass was even more notable because star cornerback Jakob Robinson was defending Epps.
Gerry Bohanon was back on the field to lead the second unit, and they scored quickly. He connected with Pokaiaua Haunga on a screen, resulting in a touchdown.
Safety battle
It will be interesting to see how the snaps at safety shake out in a game. Talan Alfrey and Tanner Wall were getting first-team reps during Monday’s practice. True freshman Tommy Prassas is contending for a first-team opportunity; Crew Wakley has had a solid camp, and Ethan Slade is also there, along with four-star Faletau Satuala.
Is there separation at right guard?
During the first-team offensive snaps, Southern Utah transfer Austin Leausa was lined up at right guard. In previous media observations, Leausa and Sonny Makasini have rotated at that spot. BYU head coach Kalani Sitake pointed out after Monday’s practice that the battle at right guard continues between those two.
Makasini was taking snaps at center with the second-team offense on Monday.
Who will be Jakob Robinson’s running mate at cornerback?
A big question during fall camp is at the second cornerback spot, opposite of star Jakob Robinson.
On Monday, Weber State transfer Marque Collins was lined up with the first-team defense.
Collins continues to work his way back from an ACL injury he suffered last season.
BYU football deep cuts
Treyson Bourguet had a deep pass attempt for walk-on wide receiver Ty West, resulting in an incomplete pass. West out of Crimson Cliffs High School has emerged as a deep-ball threat with the third and fourth-team offense during camp.
Weston Covey ran a nice slant route for a catch on a pass from McCae Hillstead.
True freshman Dallin Johnson, out of Springville High School, appears to be battling with the third team. He’s a strong football player who could be someone to watch down the road.
Faces in the crowd
Former BYU defensive end Bronson Kaufusi and linebacker Isaiah Kaufusi attended practice on Monday.
Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for sports.ksl.com and hosts the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (12–3 p.m.) on KSL Newsradio. Follow Mitch’s coverage of BYU in the Big 12 Conference on X: @Mitch_Harper.
