BYU ends fall camp still polishing final depth chart

PROVO — BYU’s final scrimmage of fall camp Thursday didn’t establish a starting quarterback.

But it will go a long way toward determining the Cougars’ two-deep and travel-squad depth chart for the 2018 season as they try to rebound from a 4-9 campaign.

And that, head coach Kalani Sitake said, may be just as important. After all, even the players dubbed "twos" and "threes" are one injury away from jumping into a game.

"I’m a little frustrated with some of the stuff that I saw on defense, but that was more with the twos and threes than the ones," Sitake admitted. "They are still one play away from being in the game, so we’ve got to get that fixed.

"We try to do as much live work to get those guys ready, but we’ll try to use these last few days to get our depth ready to play."

The Cougars lost 37 players for significant time with injuries in the 2017 season, including starting quarterback Tanner Mangum, former quarterback-turned-running back Beau Hoge, and presumed starting tight end Moroni Laulu-Pututau — who suffered a Lisfranc injury just days before the season opener.

The injured-reserve list included 13 starters and 25 players on the two-deep roster.

"Going through that experience gets people more anxious and ready to play," Sitake said. "Last year, we had a bunch of injuries, and it put a bunch of guys on the field that probably weren’t expecting it. Now they know that can happen again."

Mangum is also preparing, but for a crack at the starting quarterback job over true freshman challenger Zach Wilson

Mangum likened the race for the starting quarterback job with Wilson to a courtroom drama. A lover of true-crime documentaries, Mangum said he put all of his arguments on the floor — and now is time to wait while the jury of Sitake, offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes and quarterbacks coach Aaron Roderick deliberate.

"That's the coaches' decision. They're the judges in this decision," Mangum said. "I’ve done my best; that’s all I can say. From day one, that’s all I’ve been trying to do — play my best and do what I can to let the cards fall where they may.

"At the end of the day, it’s an upstairs decision. I’m just going to go out, have fun and make the most out of every rep — and then enjoy whatever comes my way."

He's made an impression on his head coach. But so, too, have the other quarterbacks in the room, Sitake added — including Wilson.

"I’ve been really pleased with Tanner and Zach and the way they work," Sitake said. "I think they have a great command on the offense and have made great decisions. I’ve been really surprised and excited for the up-and-coming guys, too. Jaren Hall has been doing some great things, and Joe Critchlow. It’s a good group, and we have young guys like Baylor Romney and Stacy Conner who are there to give us a lot of different looks.

“I’m happy with the group right now.”

Quarterback isn’t the only position battle the Cougars face in the fall. Starting spots have been up for grabs at running back, where Squally Canada appears to be the frontrunner, as well as center, with Tristen Hoge, James Empey and Jacob Jimenez all seeing time at the position during fall camp.

"There are still a couple of guys who are in the mix who might want a starting job who have been going back and forth, so we are still going to be doing some moving around, playing musical chairs to find the right combination of the best five guys," said Grimes, the first-year offensive coordinator whose extensive background is on the offensive line.

Even BYU’s kicker hasn’t been formally decided, though returned-missionary freshman Skyler Southam, the U.S. Army All-American from Wasatch High School, seems to have the advantage.

BYU opened its preparations for Arizona after Thursday’s scrimmage, and if any starters have their positions nailed down, more will be made known by Monday.

"The guys are really excited," Sitake said. "That just tells them that the season is right around the corner. I’m excited to see these guys play."

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