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PROVO — Camp is in the rear-view window, and Week 0 has come and gone in college football.
The season opener is only a few days away for most programs, including BYU, which will begin its first season as members of the Big 12 with a bit of familiarity — that well-known 8:15 p.m. MDT Saturday kickoff, but this one against FBS newcomers Sam Houston State.
The Cougars still have a full week to prepare for the Bearkats, who were the spring 2021 FCS national champions and are led by eighth-year head coach K.C. Keeler.
But with the roar of an offseason punctuated by conference realignment around the country and within a now-14 team Big 12 that will soon lose two teams but expand to 16 by July 2024, BYU head coach Kalani Sitake couldn't think of any better place to launch a new era of his alma mater's football program than the safe confines of LaVell Edwards Stadium.
"I'm glad whenever we get to play at home," Sitake said. "With all the excitement going into this season, I'm glad we are at home. I'm excited to see our fans out there. … I think everyone has been waiting for this moment. You've seen how the fans feel about it, and you can only imagine how the players feel."
Still, there's a full week of game prep between now and Saturday. That includes plenty of logistics before the Big 12 logo greets 65,000 fans at LES on Saturday night.
BYU released its first depth chart of the season, and while a few surprises emitted from the ranks, the biggest takeaway was — in the words of legendary Who frontmen Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend in 1965 — "the kids are all right."
With Jake Retzlaff and Cade Fennegan backing up starting quarterback Kedon Slovis, LJ Martin also made the two-deep as the No. 3 running back, while fellow freshman Jojo Phillips is listed as one wide receiver alongside Kody Epps and Parker Kingston, and Jackson Bowers is one of three tight ends listed on the depth chart to highlight a new group that has "tons of talent," Sitake said.
Martin, Phillips and Bowers are among the 17 true or redshirt freshmen scattered across multiple positions on the depth chart on offense, defense and special teams.
The freshmen trio were among the new standouts during fall camp, but so were redshirt freshman Harrison Taggart, the former Corner Canyon star who transferred home to BYU after limited playing time at Oregon, and safety Raider Damuni, who recently returned from a two-year mission in California to earn one of three nods at strong safety.
"Jojo is going to be really, really good, and he gets better every day," Sitake said. "The sky's the limit for him and his abilities. He's tall, he's smooth, he's athletic and he's got tons of speed with great ball skills. … The best get on the depth chart, and the best we'll get on the field. A lot of these freshmen are stepping up."
For Martin, the one-time Stanford commit who rushed for more than 6,000 yards and 56 touchdowns on more than 600 carries with just one fumble for El Paso's Canutillo High has been long said to have a role with the team in his freshman year.
"LJ's a fantastic football player and a great person," said Aidan Robbins, the former 1,000-yard rusher at UNLV who played two seasons at Louisville. "I kind of feel like he's a little bit beyond his years, being a true freshman. He has a very high ceiling. I'm not going to say he reminds me of anyone; he's his own person with his own running style that works for him. He's definitely going to be a really good player, and he's going to contribute a lot for us this season."
Damuni's inclusion highlights a safety corps that has been the most stunned during the offseason. Fifth-year senior Malik Moore is projected to lead the group at free safety, but the position was rocked by the season-ending knee injury to Micah Harper during fall camp.
Presumed replacement Talan Alfrey is also hurt, though his injury is not expected to keep him out for the entirety of the 2023 season, Sitake confirmed Monday. That leaves redshirt sophomore Ethan Slade as the most experienced player back at the position, with Utah State transfer Crew Wakley and Damuni to back him up.
𝙂𝘼𝙈𝙀 𝙊𝙉𝙀 𝙏𝙃𝙍𝙀𝘼𝘿𝙎 🥶 pic.twitter.com/aS8SoxvOWv
— BYU FOOTBALL (@BYUfootball) August 28, 2023
"He's a playmaker," Sitake said of the former Orem High standout. "Ethan is a great student of the day. He hasn't been a surprise for me, but a surprise for Jay Hill; he's really taken to Jay Hill's coaching and the mentoring he's given him. I feel really good about the safety group — it hurts not having Micah and Talan — but the guys will pick up where they left off. From what I've seen from Week 1 of fall camp going into now, I feel really confident going into the season with Ethan and the others there on the depth chart."
After looking for a kicker throughout the offseason, BYU special teams coordinator Kelly Poppinga will head into Week 1 with both Boise State transfer (and former Davis High standout) Will Ferrin and former Wasatch High kicker Matthias Dunn listed atop the placekicker spot.
"We feel really comfortable with both Will Ferrin and Matthias Dunn at placekicker," Sitake said. "I think Kelly Poppinga has a high comfort level with both of those guys, but when the time comes, he'll be the one to make that decision as far as starters go."
