PROVO — When former Jordan High star quarterback Austin Kafentzis enrolled at BYU last spring following a yo-yo start to his college career at Wisconsin, Nevada and Arizona Western, he hoped to finally find a home.

The home, though, has seen plenty of changes as he’s bounced from quarterback to wide receiver — and now running back in Ty Detmer’s offense.

But coaches want to make one thing clear: Kafentzis isn’t going anywhere.

“He’s a baller, and we’re just trying to find out where he can help us,” receivers coach Ben Cahoon said. “He’s coachable, dynamic, and we just had a lot of dynamic players at receiver — so we’re moving him around to try to find out where is most comfortable.”

With Tanner Mangum entrenched as the starting quarterback, and Beau Hoge and Koy Detmer Jr. seeing more and more playing time for backup minutes, Kafentzis’ role could’ve been squeezed out in the backfield.

He played wide receiver during BYU’s scrimmage last Thursday, then saw snaps with the running back group Monday as the Cougars’ moved practice to the morning in anticipation of the 2017 season.

His time with the receivers may not be over, though, head coach Kalani Sitake advised.

“Running back may be more suited for him, but he’ll do stuff with the wide receivers, too,” Sitake said. “He’s our athlete, and we’re just trying to find a place for him. I think he can help us win games, and as a coaching staff, we’re trying to put him in the best position for us.”

Kafentzis started all four years at Jordan High, where he won a Class 4A state championship and finished his career with 15 state records. He produced 19,678 offensive yards, leading to an early commitment to head coach Gary Andersen, then at Wisconsin.

But after enrolling early and throwing the javelin for the Badgers, Andersen left and Kafentzis transferred to Nevada — where he sat out a season per NCAA transfer rules and watched his offensive coordinator leave Reno.

Following a season in junior college, Kafentzis enrolled at BYU as a redshirt sophomore, with three years of eligibility remaining.

Seeing time at running back is a way for Kafentzis to get on the field, as well as through special teams, Sitake said.

“He knows that Tanner’s the starting quarterback and he can help us out to win games other ways — by playing receiver, special teams and running back,” Sitake said. “He just wants to contribute any way he can.”

The great outdoors

The Cougars did not practice over the weekend, spending time on a team campout that helped bond players beyond the football field.

“It was good for the boys to be out together with little phone service,” Sitake said. “It was cool for our guys to connect in a setting other than the football field, and it was a lot of fun.”

There were a few funny moments, though Sitake declined to mention who best impersonated the coaching staff. Cahoon, meanwhile, did call out wide receiver Jonah Trinnamann’s acting chops and offensive lineman Austin Hoyt earned plenty of brownie points with his specialty Dutch oven cobbler (that he did not share with the media).

“I think it was really valuable,” Cahoon said. “I don’t think you can manufacture that anyway, as far as team unity and bonding.

“You’ve got guys from Texas to Tonga who have never set up a tent in their lives. It was fun to see guys come together.”

Freshman turning heads

Both Cahoon and Sitake mentioned freshman receiver Neil Pau’u, the younger brother of linebacker and team captain Butch Pau’u, as one who is earning his way into the passing game with a strong fall camp.

Sitake mentioned the depth chart should be close to being solidified by the end of the week, after joking with media that he’ll gather their opinions first.

But Pau’u will see time.

“Ever since he got here in January, he’s been working hard,” Mangum said of the freshman. “He’s done a good job of getting better throughout fall camp, going against a physical defense, absorbing it, and still getting better.

“If you pick things up, it’ll speed the game up and he can go out and make more plays.”

BYU opens the regular season in 11 days, Aug. 26 at home against Portland State.

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