Cougar Tracks: Springing into the offseason


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BYU Football's four-week, 15-practice spring schedule came to a close last Friday--"Alumni Day"--as upwards of 800 former Cougars and their family members attended the final workout in Provo.

You can hear post-practice interviews with head coach Bronco Mendenhall, quarterback Riley Nelson, receiver Cody Hoffman, running back Josh Quezada and linebacker Spencer Hadley in "Cougar Cuts," left.

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About Friday's closing session, Mendenhall said "it was more just the final practice, with everyone I think ready for it to be done."

"There wasn't going to be a scrimmage, there wasn't going to be any contact, there was just more preparation for spring and summer in terms of drill work. Anti-climactic; just another work day."

While the spring practices were underscored by health-related absences of a large number of 2012's projected starters and main contributors, Mendenhall said the only question mark in his mind remains the playing status of placekicker Justin Sorensen, who is recovering from a back injury/surgery.

Mendenhall said it will be "a lot of fun" when his team gets eight injured or spring contact-limited offensive linemen back for camp in August.

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With spring drills in the books, it will now be up to the players to organize, conduct and attend off-season workouts. QB Riley Nelson said last week that while "the natural tendency is to take it easier" without the coaches around, "I would hope that we are harder on ourselves (than the coaches would be), so that when fall camp rolls around, the coaches are having to throttle us back, rather than having to push us forward."

Asked if it is easy to identify players who 'took it easy' in the offseason, Nelson said "hopefully there won't be any of them, and looking to the past, it's in the past; the summer is ahead of us, and so hopefully there won't be any of those guys that take it easy."

With an eye toward the next few months, Mendenhall set his own expectations, saying "I would love them to be in absolutely phenomenal condition. We spent the last four practices training our players how to run the player-run practices for the spring and summer, with the expectation of 'could that look like a practice where the coaches are out there?'

"Because if that happens, that's three-and-a-half to almost four months worth of additional leadership and practice and chemistry that can be developed, when we're not able to be with our team."

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Without a stable of healthy offensive linemen in the spring, there were very few full-contact practice periods that allowed the team to display and refine a complete offensive package. Mendenhall says the personnel limitations led to "a focus on more of a single dimension of throwing and defending the pass...we'll have to do some catch-up with running the football and run defense in fall camp."

Identifying the backfield trio of Michael Alisa, Josh Quezada and Iona Pritchard ("kind of Manase Tonga-like"), Mendenhall said "those three, I was impressed with through spring practice."

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Asked to characterized the performance of the defense through spring ball, Mendenhall said "I like that they're hard to score on, I like that they're willing, I like that they're confident, and I like that they're physical."

"I have high expectations for them."

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Since it's never too early to speculate, here's an early swing at a potential August depth chart, featuring many players who did not participate in spring drills (special teams projections will wait until August, as spring practices did not feature special teams work). Note that offensive line projections are more speculative than usual, as few of the linemen listed took full-contact snaps in spring. OL coach Mark Weber's line combinations are my biggest wild card going into the summer:

PROJECTED FALL DEPTH CHART - OFFENSE

Position1st team2nd Team3rd Team
LTRyker Mathews Solomone Kafu/Michael Yeck
LGFamika Anae/Brock Stringham Manaaki Vaitai
CHouston ReynoldsBlair Tushaus
RGBraden HansenBrock Stringham
RTBraden BrownWalter Kahaiali'i/Michael Yeck
TEMarcus MathewsAustin HoltRichard
Wilson/Kaneakua Friel
QBRiley NelsonJames LarkTaysom Hill
WR-XCody HoffmanMitch MathewsSkyler Ridley
WR-ZRoss ApoBrett ThompsonTerrenn Houk
WR-HJ.D. FalslevDallin Cutler (also Z)Cody
Raymond (also Z)
RBJuice QuezadaPaul LasikeAdam Hine/Jamaal
Williams
RBMichael AlisaIona PritchardZed Mendenhall

PROJECTED FALL DEPTH CHART - DEFENSE

Position1st team2nd Team3rd Team
LEEathyn ManumaleunaMike MuehlmannMichael
Doman
NTRomney FugaRussell Tialavea (also DE)Jordan
Richardson/Marques Johnson*
REIan DulanZiggy AnsahRussell Tialavea/Simote
Vea (also NT)
SLBSpencer Hadley (also nickel)Alani Fua (also
WLB)Austen Jorgensen
MLBUona KaveingaZac StoutUani Unga
BLBBrandon OgletreeTyler BeckManoa Pikula
WLBKyle Van NoyKevan Bills/Ziggy Ansah
FCJordan JohnsonRobbie BucknerO'Neill
Chambers
KatDaniel SorensenChase PendleyJray Galea'i
FSJoe Sampson (also nickel)/Mike Hague (also
BC)/Craig BillsSkye PoVey
BCPreston HadleyDeQuan EverettCameron Comer

*injured during spring practices; status for fall camp TBD

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Photo courtesy Jaren Wilkey, BYU Photo

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