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PROVO — With a week remaining before BYU's season opener, Jay Hill's defense is coming together in his second season as defensive coordinator.
That defense brings back several standout players, including defensive end and team captain Tyler Batty, linebacker Harrison Taggart and cornerback Jakob Robinson, to name a few key returners.
But don't count out the newcomers, either. These freshmen can play, he said.
"We're only a short while into that freshman class, but I think we hit a home run with all of those guys," Hill said during training camp. "That freshman class is going to be something special; I can't wait. We're going to have to fight like crazy to keep them all here, because there's some good talent in that group."
Of course, there is some unfortunate news from the newcomers, though. Joe Brown, the 6-foot-4, 305-pound freshman from Lone Peak who recently returned from a two-year church mission, had surgery to repair an injury sustained during spring practices and will miss the 2024 campaign.
But several players have already seen time in the two-deep across training camp. Four-star tight end Ryner Swanson, for example, should have little trouble seeing playing time — even in a position that added Keanu Hill to a room that already included Mata'ava Ta'ase, Ethan Erickson and Mason Fakahua following Isaac Rex's departure to the NFL.
Ditto for Faletau Satuala, the four-star athlete whom Hill called "one of the best players the state has seen in a long time" when 5A all-state first-team selection and Region 5 co-MVP committed during the All-American Bowl in San Antonio, Texas.
Satuala, though, has found a spot — and likely playing time — in an inarguably deep safety group, one that includes returning starters Ethan Slade, Crew Wakley, Raider Damuni and Tanner Wall and Micah Harper, the former Basha High standout from Chandler, Arizona, who has recovered from last year's knee injury. The former Bountiful High star's presence only makes it deeper.
"I think we're much better in that room than last year," said Hill, who also coaches the safeties, "and we're deeper. That's good."
Not every freshmen is a four-star, instant-impact player. Here are four under-the-radar freshmen who should find their way onto the field as early as next Saturday's season opener against Southern Illinois (6 p.m. MDT, ESPN+).
Ephraim Asiata, DE
A three-star recruit out of Herriman High, Asiata's mere presence is astounding — yet alone his Division I football acclimation.
The 6-foot-3, 210-pound pass rusher spent two seasons at Hunter High, where he was involved in a shooting that killed two of his classmates and put Asiata in the hospital with what doctors described as a 1% chance of living.
But Asiata returned to football and posted 53 tackles, 21 tackles for loss and nine sacks as a senior at Herriman. The son of former Utah and Minnesota Vikings running back then committed to BYU over interest from USC, Utah and San Diego State, among others, and graduated early to participate in spring practices.
Now Asiata is in a position to contribute right away.
"You see his whole physicality show up; he's a football player," Hill said. "He's just nifty and understands the game, knows where the ball's at, and knows how to make plays."
Therrian "Tre" Alexander III, CB
Another breakout freshman from spring ball, the 6-foot-2, 165-pound cornerback from Southwest Dekalb High near Atlanta has put himself in position for playing time in the defensive backfield.
Robinson and Harper moonlighting in Hill's nickel package as well as their preferred positions will certainly help players like Alexander in their bid to be instant-impact freshmen. He's certainly caught the attention of his peers.
"Having Tre come in, as well as Jonathan (Kabeya), they're technically sound and physical," Robinson said. " It's making us older guys want to be the same and push harder than we've been pushed."
Pokaiaua Haunga, RB
With LJ Martin's shoulder injury a highlight (or low-light) from spring practices and redshirt senior Folau Ropati's return from a knee injury that cost him the 2023 season, BYU's running back outlook has looked to its depth.
That includes Las Vegas speedster Miles Davis, who has seen plenty of reps with the ones and twos in camp. But don't count out Haunga, either.
The 5-foot-11, 200-pound athlete from Timpview signed as an athlete in 2023 after helping the Thunderbirds to the 5A state championship game as a senior. Haunga played running back, wide receiver, defensive back and returner in high school, but seems to have found his role in the offensive backfield.
"I know people don't like comparisons, but he's a lot like Reno Mahe," BYU head coach Kalani Sitake told BYUtv of Haunga's potential. "He can return, he played a lot of receiver, he's got so much quickness and burst."
Tommy Prassas, S
An underrated signing out of the 2024 recruiting class, Prassas was a three-star recruit out of Basha High in Chandler, Arizona — the same alma mater as Harper — before enrolling at BYU in the spring.
The 6-foot-2, 190-pound safety totaled 197 tackles, 13 pass breakups and six interceptions in high school, and has been regularly rotating with the No. 2 defense at free safety during media observation periods.
"He's a ball hawk, he's a hitter, and he's going to make big differences in our secondary," Hill said of Prassas.
Here are a few other freshmen who have stood out during spring practices and training camp, including redshirt freshmen and recently returned missionaries and recent high school graduates who could see immediate playing time in BYU's second season in the Big 12:
- Jojo Phillips, WR, Sierra Canyon High (Lancaster, Calif.) (RS)
- Dallin Johnson, DT, Springville High (Springville, Utah)
- Cody Hagen, WR, Corner Canyon High (Draper, Utah)
- Jackson Bowers, TE, Mountain View High (Mesa, Ariz.) (RS)
- Jonathan Kabeya, CB, Byron Nelson High (Euless, Texas)
- Trevor Pay, OL, Lone Peak High (Highland, Utah)
- Kinilau Fonohema, DE, Springville High (Springville, Utah)
- Kevin Doe, CB, East High (Salt Lake City)
