Why BYU wil honor juniors Jaren Hall, Puka Nacua among 34 players on senior day

PROVO — As has become customary following the COVID-19 pandemic and its effect on college football rosters around the country, BYU's annual senior day sendoff will look a little bit different than normal.

The Cougars (5-5) will honor 13 players prior to Saturday afternoon's regular-season home finale against FCS foe Utah Tech (4-6) with the traditional bestowal of the senior blanket on each of its graduating departures.

That list is fairly straightforward, and reads as follows:

• RB Chris Brooks
• DB Matthew Criddle
• DL Lorenzo Fauatea
• DB Kaleb Hayes
• FB Houston Heimuli
• DB Chris Jackson
• RB Lopini Katoa
• TE Lane Lunt
• DB D'Angelo Mandell
• LB Pepe Tanuvasa
• DL Alden Tofa
• DL Earl Tuioti-Mariner
• OL Joe Tukuafu

Most of those names make sense; Brooks and Heimuli transferred to BYU from Cal and Stanford, respectively, with only one season of eligibility remaining, so 2022 was always going to be their final season; the same as Katoa, the American Fork product who considered moving on last season before opting to return for one final go during the Cougars' bowl week.

Interestingly enough, Brooks is unlikely to play Saturday as he continues to recover from an apparent hamstring injury; the grad transfer was not listed with Katoa, Miles Davis and breakout star Hinckley Ropati on the depth chart that was released following the game in Boise, when Brooks did not play.

But the even more interesting part is the list of 21 other players head coach Kalani Sitake will submit for senior day celebrations, all of whom have the option to return for 2023:

• OL Clark Barrington
• WR Brayden Cosper
• OL Blake Freeland
• QB Jaren Hall
• LS Britton Hogan
• LB Jackson Kaufusi
• OL Harris LaChance
• DB Hayden Livingston
• DL Atunaisa Mahe
• RB Jackson McChesney
• WR Puka Nacua
• K Jake Oldroyd
• LB Keenan Pili
• DL Alema Pilimai
• LB Morgan Pyper
• WR Gunner Romney
• DL Gabe Summers
• LB Max Tooley
• DB George Udo
• FB Masen Wake
• LB Payton Wilgar

All 34 players will be honored prior to kickoff, Sitake confirmed. But those 21 players may return for another year. Or they might not; some could transfer, others will declare for the NFL draft, a few will move on for medical reasons or into the workforce, and some may even come back for the 2023 season, which will be BYU's first in the Big 12.

That decision doesn't have to be made right now, Sitake said.

"They're still making the decision if they want to (come back) or not," Sitake said. "The safe bet for me is just to honor everybody, and then they don't have to make a decision this week. Some guys are probably going to have the benefit of two senior days, I guess. But that way, we don't have to have a decision this week. They can take their time."

Having two senior days isn't uncommon; since the 2020 season that was played during the pandemic, the NCAA has offered an extra year of eligibility to all athletes who played during the rugged, disjointed season of start-and-stop athletics.

Criddle and Tukuafu, for example, both went through senior day a year ago before both opted to return. They won't have the latter option this year, for obvious reasons, but other players might.

Of particular note are the cases of Hall, Nacua and Romney, arguably the Cougars' three most dynamic players on offense (when healthy).

Some juniors may have a straightforward case for leaving eligibility on the table. Freeland and Barrington have been regarded as NFL offensive linemen for over a year, and Tooley has NFL potential while also only taking one required class to earn his degree in December, he told KSL.com.

But Hall is the most likely to go to the NFL draft. The 6-foot-1, 205-pound signal caller from Spanish Fork has played in 29 games over four seasons, accumulating 5,625 passing yards, 45 touchdowns and 10 interceptions while rushing for another 716 yards and seven scores. He also became the first BYU quarterback to catch a touchdown pass since Steve Young in 1983 with Chase Roberts' 22-yard strike against Baylor.

The former Maple Mountain star is only a redshirt junior, but combine a redshirt season, another medical redshirt in 2020, and a two-year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and the nearly 25-year-old quarterback is likely to opt to take a shot at the pro ranks — even if he hasn't specifically decided if he will or won't to date.

Still, the first Black starting quarterback in BYU history already leaves behind a significant legacy that is similar to the 13-member senior class, many of which, like Katoa, Fauatea and Tuioti-Mariner, endured the disastrous 4-9 campaign of 2017 and the program's most recent four-game losing skid that offered glimpses of the past this year.

For that, Sitake will always be grateful. Also, for Hall.

"I can't say enough about their contribution to our program and their blood, sweat, tears and everything that they've put into their effort and to our program," he said of the seniors. "It's why we're able to have the success that we've had."

Nacua's dilemma is a bit different. The 6-foot-2, 205-pound junior who starred at Orem High before signing with Washington has spent just two years in Provo, but his aspirations for the pro game have never been doubted. The younger brother of former BYU safety Kai Nacua and BYU and Utah receiver Samson Nacua could follow his older brothers into the NFL, or he could return for his senior campaign.

Puka Nacua has already made the record book in his short time at BYU, tying for the third-most receptions in a single game in program history with his career-high 14 catches for 157 yards and two touchdowns in the Cougars' 31-28 win at Boise State a week ago. The former Gatorade Utah Player of the Year and first-team All-American by MaxPreps and USA Today also led all BYU receivers last year with 805 yards on 43 catches, including a team high-tying six touchdowns (with Neil Pau'u, who spent time with the Buffalo Bills most recently).

His decision will likely come later, as will that of Romney, whose attempt at one final dynamic senior season was cut short due to a lacerated kidney suffered during fall training camp. The senior who has played in just two games currently ranks No. 16 in program history with 1,959 receiving yards and 26th all-time in receptions with 122.

Could the Chandler, Arizona, product build on it by playing in just two more games the rest of the season and utilizing a redshirt? The coaching staff is preparing for both return-or-depart scenarios.

And if he comes back for a second senior blanket? That's a risk Sitake is willing to take.

"They've won a lot of games and have also been through some adversity," he added of his senior class, which could also include Hall, Nacua and Romney. "They're the ones that helped pull us out of adversity and have been involved in establishing the culture of the program. I'm really thankful to them and they'll always be a part of our program. We will always want our alumni back here."

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