Where will BYU turn after losing 2 of top 3 receivers?

PROVO — Like he did last year when he returned two punts for a touchdown during BYU's inspiring 11-2 campaign, Parker Kingston didn't miss a beat.

The avid golfer probably felt at home at Cedar Hills Golf Club, and in his fourth season in the Cougars' football program, he may have been just as comfortable fielding questions from the handful of media milling about after playing 18 holes.

So when one asked which of the Cougars' wide receivers was ready for a bigger role after for a group that lost two of its top-three pass catchers, he (metaphorically) raised his own hand.

"I feel very comfortable," Kingston said of a potentially expanded role in BYU's offense in the fall. "I know the ins and outs of the offense, and instead of worrying about the plays, I can worry about the defense. Now I know how to run different plays off that defense."

But when it comes to new leaders to replace a pair of top wide outs, Kingston was just as definitive.

"I definitely say me and JoJo (Phillips) are stepping into that role, helping out the young guys and guys coming in," Kingston said. "It's my fourth year, and that's one thing Fesi told me in the offseason; I've got to be more of a leader coming up. That's what I'm going to be doing."

The Cougars lost plenty of veteran experience and leadership from 2024, most notably Darius Lassiter to the NFL after a late push to bring back the graduated receiver for a fifth season under the NCAA's "Pavia ruling" legal stay.

The other key departure was a bit more sudden, when Keelan Marion entered the transfer portal and headed to Miami. Wide receivers coach Fesi Sitake was prepared for Lassiter's departure. Marion, not so much.

"It was a surprise. It was unfortunate to lose Keelan," Sitake told KSL.com of the Cougars' All-American kick returner and third-leading pass catcher a year ago with 346 yards and a touchdown. "I became very close with him, and still am. I wish him the best, and he had to make a decision that was best for him.

"But we have to adapt," he added. "It blindsided me a bit, but I was able to take a breathe and with the offensive staff to look at who we can look to fill in that role."

Kingston, too, said said he was personally affected by Marion's transfer. But he didn't admit to as much surprise as his position coach.

"I kind of saw it coming," he said. "I was really close with Keelan, so he told me a lot of stuff. But I'm going to miss him; I love Kee, and he was one of my closest friends. It's hard to see — but he's going to do great things at Miami."

With the transfer, the return of Chase Roberts — who caught a team-high 52 passes for 854 yards and four touchdowns a year ago — became even more crucial for a BYU program that will likely look to a new starting quarterback following Jake Retzlaff's decision to transfer after a civil lawsuit for sexual assault was dismissed.

Sitake said he'll lean heavily on rising young receivers including JoJo Phillips, Cody Hagen, Tei Nacua and four-star freshman Lamason Waller III to fill gaps in the passing game. There will also be increased opportunities for Stanford transfer Tiger Bachmeier and former Snow College standout Reggie Frischknecht, he added.

But perhaps the biggest changes will go to Kingston, the former Roy High do-it-all quarterback who has 32 catches for 403 yards and two touchdowns in three seasons at wide receiver. The 5-foot-11 rising junior who also boasts a 5-handicap on the golf links has emerged as a leader in a wide receiver room that could rely heavily on underclassmen.

"Parker, more than anything, has felt the right kind of pressure for a breakout year," Sitake said. "All the patience he's had, this is the year — and that's parlayed into a work ethic an dhow he carries himself."

Nearly three months of Marion's departure, BYU's eighth-year receivers coach is feeling more confident about the state of his room than the emotion-filled moments that followed the transfer.

"I can confidently say I feel it's been a net gain with the room," Sitake said. "Reggie and Tiger have picked up the offense as fast as anyone I've coached. That's a huge testament to them and their ability — and in the little we've seen of them this summer, they look really good."

Led by Roberts and the Cougars' 5-handicapper, there's evidence for it.

"The guy is dynamic with the ball in his hands," Sitake said of Kingston. "He's going to have more reps every game, which means more opportunities to have those explosive plays that he's already had. That's why I think this year is a great opportunity; if he stays healthy, this fall should be a good pay day for him."

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