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PROVO — Gunner Romney was left impressed, but also a little astounded and befuddled by the sight.
It was No. 8 starting out wide, cutting around a defensive back, and hauling in a big play during a 7-on-7 portion of BYU football’s fall training camp.
The wide receivers were getting their work in, trying to prepare for a season unlike any other — one that would require them to fill in a lot of question marks left by a bevy of senior leaders from 2019. And No. 0 — that is, highly regarded freshman Kody Epps — was already proving he belonged in that squad.
The Mater Dei (California) product was showing out. But the astounding part was also cosmetic: for the first time in college football history, the No. 0 was opened as an option to help teams prevent two players with the same number from playing at the same time.
Epps took advantage of the rule change and immediately claimed No. 0. And he’s already making it look good, Romney said.
“It’s kind of weird seeing the No. 0 just because it’s never been done before,” Romney admitted. “But I think it’s really cool for Kody to be the first No. 0 (at BYU).
“I’m really excited for his career. Normally when freshmen get here, they’re sort of timid. But he really stepped up on the field immediately and showed what he can do. He has some things he can work on, but I’m really excited for him.”
With the bulk of last year’s receiving production gone to graduation, BYU will rely on newcomers like Epps in a big way in 2020.
That may not be a bad thing.
“I think this is the most talent that we’ve had in the position room,” said BYU’s Neil Pau’u, one of just four juniors in a wide receiver group that has no seniors. “We’re all excited to showcase that come Navy; hopefully we can throw the rock and show that.
“It’s exciting to see that everyone can go out there and play.”
A three-star performer from Santa Ana, California, Epps chose BYU over offers from Oregon, Oregon State, Nevada, UNLV and Utah State, among others. That’s not the usual list of choices for the Monarchs, who have been referred to as USC’s junior varsity team by Southern California prep circles.
It’s even more of a low-keeled recruiting season for a first-team All-American by USA Today wideout who averaged 18.7 yards on 93 catches for 1,735 yards and 28 touchdowns — all Mater Dei records —as a senior for the Monarchs, who went 11-2 and finished ranked No. 2 in the nation by MaxPreps in 2019.
But the Cougars will take it. He’s the type of player who can have an immediate impact on receiving corps looking that has definite holes to fill.
“He’s a super savvy route runner and can feel DBs really well,” Romney said of Epps, who wasn’t made available for interviews as a newcomer to the program. “With experience and time, I think he’s going to be really good here.”
BYU lost the bulk of its receiving production from the 2019 season. Take out Matt Bushman, the junior tight end who caught 47 passes for 688 yards and four touchdowns, and the Cougars watched as Micah Simon (616 yards, 2 touchdowns), Talon Shumway (688 yards, 4 touchdowns) and Aleva Hifo (483 yards, 3 touchdowns) departed due to graduation.
That leaves Romney as the leading returning true receiver, a junior-to-be younger brother of redshirt sophomore quarterback Baylor Romney who caught 31 passes for 377 yards and two touchdowns in 13 games in 2019, but just one start.
Romney leads a returning group that also includes former Bingham High standout Dax Milne, who had 285 receiving yards and two touchdowns in his first season on scholarship, as well as Brayden Cosper, Keanu Hill, Tevita Ika. Chris Jackson and Pau’u also lend upperclassmen status to the 2020 season, the latter being a mature junior from Servite High in Santa Ana, California, who has grown tremendously — both on the field, but mostly off it — after legal troubles forced him to redshirt the past season.
Such leadership will prove vital in a position group that features 11 freshmen, including highly-touted Miles Davis from Las Vegas, former Lone Peak standout Talmage Gunther, Dixie multi-sport athlete Hobbs Nyberg, and French-born receiver Terence Fall, to name a few.
There’s talent to uncover in the wide receiver room. It’s just that little of it is proven.
“I think we did lose a lot of experience last year, but we filled that in with a lot of talent,” said Romney, who will be one of the senior statesmen in the group. “We have guys who can make plays down the field, some big bodies to bully DBs, a lot of guys who can play the short route. We’re a really diverse group all around.
“It’s going to be hard to game plan against us.”
That makes the four weeks of training camp even more important for the group, not only to solidify the depth chart but also to acclimatize to the speed of NCAA Division I play.
With nearly half of FBS programs pulling out of the fall season, including two of the Power Five leagues, and BYU's own schedule hardly set in stone, that practice becomes even more invaluable.
The Cougars are appreciating the chance to practice, work out and train even more in a season that was nearly — and still could be — taken away from them due to the novel coronavirus pandemic. But they’re also taking advantage of every rep as if it could be their last.
“I don’t know if anyone understands how important practices are,” BYU quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator Aaron Roderick said. “That’s how you get better. You get 15 practices in spring ball, 29 practices before your first game, and once the season starts, you basically practice three times per week.
“In most football seasons, you’re more than halfway done with your practice season before you play your first game. As a coach, you start to gain appreciation for how critical every practice and every rep is.”
But there’s something intriguing about the young group, too — and it starts at zero.
“Kody Epps is probably one of the big standouts,” quarterback Zach Wilson said. “He really understands and has a feel for the game. He’s been going well.”
