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PROVO — BYU’s spring football has been a mix of live play, run plays, long touchdown passes and a bevy of quarterbacks as the Cougars seek to rotate a room that includes Tanner Mangum, Beau Hoge, Joe Critchlow and freshman Zach Wilson amongst a group of a half-dozen signal callers needing reps.
But more important than the playbook and the work in 15 short practice sessions for new offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes is the culture.
“I could go for another 15. But what we try to do first is just build a culture,” Grimes said as the Cougars began the final week of spring ball Monday. “If the culture is right, then I think these guys will do enough between now and next fall.”
Establishing that culture has been the challenge of Grimes’ first spring camp since making the move to offensive coordinator. The former LSU offensive line coach, who had stops everywhere from Boise State to Auburn, has tried to instill in his players the needed culture to allow them to do their own work after Saturday, when coaches will be limited in their contact with players, per NCAA regulations.
That has meant a lot of physical, contact-oriented practice sessions that have led to a steady stream of injuries. Head coach Kalani Sitake doesn’t expect any players to miss extra time during fall camp, but he admits that the physicality of spring camp has led to plenty of injuries — notably players like running back KJ Hall, linebacker Morgan Unga, and defensive lineman Tevita Mo’unga.
Sitake even expects former Syracuse High standout Kavika Fonua to return by August.
“I had a similar injury, so I think he can come back,” Sitake said of Fonua. “It was more ugly than anything else, but we’re used to it.”
No player has openly complained or guffawed at the increasingly physical practices. But it also seems clear that many of them are ready for a break after the month-long grind that precedes Saturday’s spring scrimmage at LaVell Edwards Stadium and the next recruiting period that begins April 15.
“They’re probably a little worn out, but that’s OK,” Sitake said. “We’ll end the week with another live scrimmage, get some work in on Saturday, and get a jumpstart on fall.”
No starting QB named, but who’s making the call?
With the quarterback battle being in clear view during the public portions of practice, Sitake said the coaching staff isn’t ready to make a decision on who will start Week 1 at Arizona.
But there’s a clear pecking order of decision-making on the process, Grimes added.
“I think it starts with (quarterbacks coach Aaron) Roderick,” Grimes said. “He coaches the position, and nobody knows those guys better than he does.
“I’ll certainly have a say in it, and in the end, the head coach signs off on all things — but particularly the starting quarterback.”
Misexecution
Grimes wasn’t particularly happy about several aspects of Monday’s practice after a four-day layoff from the end of the penultimate week. Two false starts and a fumbled football really stuck out to him, and he said the overall offensive mentality was “not very good today.”
“If you give guys four days off, that’s sometimes the result,” Grimes said. “We just didn’t execute as well today.”
