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PROVO — So, BYU has a starting quarterback.
In case you missed the late Friday news dump, quarterback Tanner Mangum was named the No. 1 signal caller coming out of fall camp, edging true freshman Zach Wilson for the job as the Cougars transition to Week 1 preparation at Arizona.
The depth chart, as it was released Friday, was hardly questionable.
Squally Canada and Lopini Katoa are listed as co-starters at running back, and Neil Pau'u and Akile Davis will continue battling at one wide receiver spot, with Dylan Collie or Aleva Hifo taking the most snaps at slot receiver.
Perhaps the biggest position up for grabs is at center, where James Empey and Jacob Jimenez are listed as co-starters.
But even that isn’t the most competitive position on BYU’s starting offense.
Five tight ends are still competing for the No. 1 spot in Jeff Grimes’ first-year offense, including returning freshman All-American Matt Bushman. But in addition to senior JJ Nwigwe and redshirt juniors Moroni Laulu-Pututau and Addison Pulsipher, true freshman Dalllin Holker has emerged as a legitimate starting candidate on the end of the Cougars’ offense line.
"I just wanted to come in and help my team that best I could," Holker said after finishing the final full practice session of fall camp. "I’ll do anything I have to do."
The 6-foot-5, 230-pound Holker signed with the Cougars in February and was originally going to serve a two-year church mission after graduating from Lehi High School. But the Pioneer alum instead enrolled in classes immediately after spring football, and has learned the offense well enough to see significant playing time as a teenager.
"He was here through the end of spring, and now through the summer," tight ends coach Steve Clark said of Holker. "He understands this complex offense really well, and that really helped him."
Holker has also earned the respect of his teammates.
"He's a dog. He’s a hard worker, and he never complains," said Nwgiwe, the converted lineman who stands 6-foot-5 and 260 pounds. "We'll run him to death in practice, but he’s still a playmaker. He’s just an overall athlete, and a great addition to the tight end room.
"I can’t wait to see what he does; he’s going to turn some heads, definitely."
Holker, who also played basketball at Lehi, caught 202 passes for 3,061 yards and 33 touchdowns in two years with the Pioneers. Under the direction of coach Ed Larson and record-setting, Washington State-bound quarterback Cammon Cooper, the Pioneers won the Class 5A state championship last November.
That success helped prepare him to jump in quickly at BYU.
"The coaches at Lehi got me pretty prepared. They are really good," Holker said. "They run a pretty hard offense over there. It’s nothing like a college offense, but it got me pretty prepared to learn everything."
Of course that’s not to say that Holker will start Saturday on the road against the Wildcats. He admits that he’s still got some growth to achieve at BYU, and Clark said the Cougars’ tight-end setup could involve some rotation.
"They each have their strengths they bring, and things they need to work on," the former Weber State offensive coordinator added. "But so far, Matt, Dallin, Moroni, JJ and Addison have all been standing out and taking most of the reps right now."
And whether he starts or not, there’s a good chance the name "Dallin Holker" might be called a lot in 2018.
"I'm just trying to be the best for my team that I can be," he said.
