BYU Football Produces Best Team GPA In 21 Years Amid COVID-19 Pandemic
May 20, 2020, 2:52 PM | Updated: 3:39 pm
BYU head coach Kalani Sitake cheers on his team during a timeout in the fourth quarter of the football game against Northern Illinois in Provo on Saturday, Oct. 27, 2018. (Ravell Call, Deseret News)
(Ravell Call, Deseret News)
PROVO, Utah – Players within the BYU football program took advantage of suspended athletic activities amid COVID-19 pandemic to deliver excellent results in the classroom.
Because of that additional time spent on their studies instead of football, BYU players put together the best team grade point average (GPA) since the program began tracking the stat in 1999.
BYU Football’s team GPA for the winter semester (January-April 2020) was 3.31.
GREAT WORK COUGS!! 📚 pic.twitter.com/J88RlajzNQ
— BYU FOOTBALL (@BYUfootball) May 20, 2020
Taking care of work in the classroom has been a top priority for head coach Kalani Sitake. Any chance Sitake speaks with the media, he usually makes sure to highlight the opportunities for his players to take care of their classwork.
When the Coronavirus pandemic forced athletics to come to a screeching halt, in-person classes at BYU were also suspended. Classes moved at the faith-based institution moved to an online arrangement for all students, including athletes.
“Love the way this team was able to adapt and respond to sudden change,” said BYU wide receivers coach Fesi Sitake.
With the 3.31 GPA from the winter semester, BYU’s cumulative GPA as a team is now up to 3.01. An impressive statistic considering how challenging and competitive Brigham Young University has become in academics. US News ranks BYU as the 77th best college in the nation according to its latest rankings.
BYU has not made a decision yet on arrangements for the fall semester as they continue to “study a number of options.” A decision could come as late as July according to the university.
Athletic facilities at BYU remain closed through the month of May and no open date has been set yet as the state of Utah is currently in a low-risk “yellow” phase.
BYU Football is scheduled to open the 2020 football season against rival Utah on Thursday, September 3rd in Salt Lake City at Rice-Eccles Stadium.
BYU leads in Honor Society Athletes
The National Football Foundation (NFF) puts together an “Honor Society” that highlights college football athletes that maintain a 3.2 GPA throughout their entire collegiate career. BYU currently sets the pace among all FBS programs for most players to earn recognition in the NFF Hampshire Honor Society with 64 honorees.
BYU’s 64 honorees are 12 more than second on the list in Minnesota who boasts 52, Duke (47), Rice (46), and Ohio State (45) round out the top five Honor Society student-athletes.
Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for sports.ksl.com and host of the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (Saturday from 12-3 pm) on KSL Newsradio. Follow him on Twitter: @Mitch_Harper.
