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PROVO — Keenan Ellis originally came to BYU without a position — or at least, without a best position — but the versatile defensive player has found a home in the Cougars' defensive secondary.
Now the junior cornerback has become one of the most experienced players on a young BYU defense that will look to follow up on last year's 11-1 season, a top-15 ranking in each major national poll, and Zach Wilson's selection as No. 2 overall pick by the New York Jets.
And while the loss of Wilson, left tackle Brady Christensen and wide receiver Dax Milne are perhaps the biggest keys to replace in 2021, BYU has a strong line of veteran leadership in an unfamiliar spot from most outside observers.
The struggles of the Cougars' recruiting in the defensive backfield are well-documented. For whatever reason, BYU has struggled to bring in a deep group of defensive players that have the right speed, athleticism and savvy to patrol the backfield and force takeaways.
Yet in 2021, that's exactly what they have. While BYU's defensive line and linebacker core have unique upside and possibilities, only four full-time starters return to a defense that allowed 15.3 points, 318 yards and 4.8 yards per play in 2020.
Most of them are in the secondary.
"We are the veterans," said Ellis, who had 13 tackles and three pass breakups a year ago. "I think as far as the cornerbacks go, we have some of the most in-season experience. I think the other freshmen and sophomores probably see us as veterans, too. I think we need to keep pushing along the freshmen, sophomores and younger guys to get that experience they need."
It's not just Ellis, either.
D'Angelo Mandell returns 30 tackles from nine starts a year ago. Micah Harper saw 25 tackles in five starts as a freshman. Former Weber State signee Shamon Willis — yes, his father Jamal carved out a decent career as a BYU running back — had six tackles and a tackle for loss in 10 games last year.
Caleb Christensen. Isaiah Herron. George Udo.
For the first time in a long while, BYU's cornerback room is deep. That's hardly anything expected a year after Chris Wilcox was selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the seventh round of the draft.
And that's not even counting Jakob Robinson, the former Orem High standout who had eight tackles and a sack in four games as a true freshman at Utah State before transferring to Provo.
"I have about five guys who have over 100 snaps," BYU cornerbacks coach Jernaro Gilford said. "I have experience. … That's five guys who have very good experience. They're going to add competition to the room, which is always good for me. Now it's just a knock on wood that we stay healthy."
Gilford stops just short of calling his cornerback unit the strength of the team. But the defensive backfield should be strong in 2021, with Chaz Ah You back at strong safety after missing much of 2020 with injuries and Malik Moore patrolling free safety a year after playing in all 13 games.
"I'm a low-key guy; I like to stay under the radar," Gilford said. "So we're just going to stay low-key and do what we can do. If that happens, then we'll just be happy."
Regardless, there aren't too many questions that need to be asked about the defensive backfield as BYU opens another training camp Thursday morning in Provo.
Instead, the focus will shift to these five concerns to address before the Sept. 4 opener against Arizona in Las Vegas.
