PROVO, Utah – BYU football held its final practice of spring football on Thursday afternoon.
The team had 15 practices throughout spring ball, focusing on getting prepared for the 2019 season. The Cougars open the year against Utah on August 29 at LaVell Edwards Stadium.
BYU's pro prospects will be participating in Pro Day on Friday morning. Linebacker Sione Takitaki, defensive lineman Corbin Kaufusi, quarterback Tanner Mangum and several others will be showcasing their talent for NFL scouts in various workouts throughout the morning. Pro Day will be broadcast on BYUtv with a special BYU Sports Nation from 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m.
The following quotes are from Thursday's post-practice media availability.
Head coach Kalani Sitake
On how he evaluates spring camp overall
I am really pleased with camp and the 15 practices that we had. We had a really physical camp but we didn’t go live as much as we did last year but being able to have the quarterback go live a little bit was good for us. Overall, I think we took a huge step forward in where we need to be for the fall. I was really pleased with this practice and really all 15 of them. The offense, defense and special teams are way further ahead of where we have been. I think we had a lot of opportunities for our young guys and our players to really teach. We had a lot of peer-to-peer learning, so that was really good for our group. I am just looking forward to see how this gets us ready for the fall. I think we are in a good spot getting ready for the player run practices. I think it is going to be a lot of fun for our players.
On creating depth during spring
We were able to create a lot of depth and had players stepping up. I don’t know if we were really that complicated on offense or defense and especially on special teams but I thought we were able to work on our fundaments and technique. We were able to see the guys really perform well and we know who we have going into the offseason and who we can really count on for the depth chart.
On the tasks they give the players to do during the summer
There is a limit that we can do but we are going to maximize. We are asking our players to do a lot and sacrifice a lot of time in order to get ready. Our guys have an idea of where we are going to be but I think it is important for us to detail it as we go along but I think the guys are set. I feel good about the knowledge that our players have on all phases to take that next step to run their own practices.
On adding running back Emmanuel Esukpa
He will have to catch up but we have a really good group of guys that are willing to help. We will get him as soon as he graduates and we are excited to get him in our group. He lives this lifestyle already so I think he is going to fit in on and off the field with our team and program.
Offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes
On the transition with new offensive line coach Eric Mateos
It has been easy. It’s almost the same as hiring Ryan (Pugh). They both just have a little bit different style but I have worked with him before. It has been really good. It has been refreshing to have a fresh voice and a fresh set of eyes in our staff room and on the field.
On adding running back Emmanuel Esukpa
Obviously, we think Emmanuel is a good player or we wouldn’t have recruited him. It is a position that everyone recognizes we need some help with. Adding someone there adds a valuable player but it also increases the competition there and everyone has to work a little bit harder to earn their reps. Competition makes everyone better.
On the spring routine vs. other years
I would say pretty similar to most. We did a little bit less scrimmaging this spring than what we did last spring. I don’t think it was any less physical because we still used all the padded days and on those days, we hit and went after it pretty good. I don’t think it was any less physical we just may not have tackled as much as some other times.
On position groups standing out with improvement
The receivers and the quarterbacks. I think the receivers have shown that even though they have some experience there they all have taken steps forward this spring in consistency, in route running, knowledge of the offense and the ability to make plays when we throw the ball up and catch the ball consistently. I would say the one thing they can continue to work on and get better at is blocking. They have been a group that has definitely been the highlight of the spring, as have been the quarterbacks. Even with Zach (Wilson) out, Jaren (Hall) and even Baylor (Romney) and Joe (Critchlow) have had a good spring. They’ve all grown a great deal. We’ve shown that we can run the offense with a number of those guys taking snaps.