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LAS VEGAS — Consistency and continuity can be hard to find in modern college football, where the transfer portal and NIL salaries offer mercenary-like services to the highest bidder.
So when year-to-year consistency is reached, it is often celebrated.
Just not as often with this BYU wide receiver group.
The Cougars return six of their top seven pass-catching targets from a year ago, with the only absence from an otherwise strong receiving corps in tight end Isaac Rex. Chase Roberts led all receivers with 573 yards, and Darius Lassiter and Kody Epps also finished among the top four.
But little has been written, spoken or televised about the depth and structure of the wide receiver room as the calendar flipped to formal preseason mode following Wednesday's Big 12 football media days' closing.
Are the Cougar wide outs being slept on?
"I don't feel like we get the credit that we do deserve," Lassiter told KSL.com. "It's whatever; things happen. We can't always depend on people to put our names out there and our reputation, but we know what it is for us, what we can prove, and what we can do — we showed a glimpse of what we can do last year.
"But with Keanu going to tight end, that's going to open the game for us and open the game for him. You can't just scheme 1-2 people. You've got to scheme four people at once."
An offense in the depths of a lengthy quarterback competition between Jake Retzlaff and Gerry Bohanon also returns three starting receivers, a starting wide out moved to tight end in Keanu Hill, starting running back LJ Martin and four of five starting offensive linemen led by center Connor Pay.
Of course, the quarterback competition overshadows plenty, but whoever winds up throwing the ball will have plenty of weapons.
"I think that our receiver room is going to be awesome this year," Roberts said. "It can be hard doing what we did last year, getting guys together really quick and being cohesive. I think this year, knowing that we played together all last year, we're going to be so much more confident on the field.
"We can move up to the next level … to be an elite receiver corps. We're taking it to the next level this year."
The depth goes beyond the front line, too.
Former Roy High speedster Parker Kingston is back after playing in 12 games last year, Keelon Marion returns for his second season in Provo after transferring from UConn, and JoJo Phillips played in few enough games to redshirt last year and join a freshman class that could add former Corner Canyon standout Cody Hagen and Timpview star Tei Nacua.
"I think JoJo is going to be a stud," Roberts said. "He had some great plays during spring ball, and he'll definitely be a guy who steps up and shows out, for sure."
Added Lassiter: "I feel like Keelon doesn't get enough credit that he deserves. He might've been seen as a gadget guy last year, but he's so much more than that. I feel like once we get to see him in full effect and he starts making plays, he's going to be rolling. The sky's the limit for him."
Offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick calls his receivers "a good group," along with wide receivers coach Fesi Sitake, noting that it could be even better with Hill's move to tight end.
The 6-foot-4, 215-pound sixth-year senior from Bedford, Texas, has always struggled with his weight. At tight end, he doesn't have to — and he gets a chance to mentor rising four-star freshmen Ryner Swanson and Jackson Bowers, who redshirted in 2023.
"I think our receiver play has been pretty darn good the whole time Fesi has been coaching those guys," Roderick said. "We've had some good receiver play. Last year, kind of like on the O-line, I thought the guys were good players — it just took us a while to truly execute the offense because we had a lot of new faces to our offense and the conference. But every single one of those guys has improved, and I think they are going to play even better this year. I'm excited about that group."
The hope is to put as many dangerous targets on the field at once, even three, four or five at a time.
"The guys that we have at tight end, like Keanu and Ryner, they move so fast," Roberts said. "It's going to be a mismatch, wherever they are — and that will help with who is defending us on the outside. It's going to be a nightmare for defenses."
