PROVO, Utah – BYU football began its preparations for the 2020 football season with its first spring practice on Monday afternoon.
The Cougars practiced inside the Indoor Practice Facility for about a two-hour session to kick off the first of 15 practices throughout the month of March.
BYU is expected to practice again Tuesday of this week before an off day and will resume action Thursday and Friday to complete week one.
Later in the month, the Cougars will play their spring game at LaVell Edwards Stadium on March 28. Additional details will be provided at a later date.
The following quotes are selected from Monday's post-practice media availability.
BYU head coach Kalani Sitake
You can tell we have a lot of veterans and guys who have a lot of experience, so I think they’re leading the way and it showed a little bit today. We didn’t have a lot of missed assignments, but we obviously have a lot of work to do. I’m really pleased with how far along our guys are, and the fact that there are a lot of upperclassmen coming back. Those guys have had valuable playing experience which will be a huge benefit for us as a team.”
On goals for spring ball
Obviously we want to get as many guys ready to play, and there’s competition at a lot of different spots so we need to see guys compete and win spots outright, and if not, that will carry over into the fall. That’s probably the main goal I have as head coach.
[Our quarterbacks] are healthy and strong, and the guys are doing good, they have a lot of experience. I expect a lot from those guys, and I know they expect a lot for themselves so we’ll see how that carries over. We have a solid defense to contend through for them and it can make things difficult but I have a lot of confidence in all the quarterbacks on our roster.
On Chaz Ah You
I love Chaz, he’s part of the team and he’s here but he’s not going to be participating in Spring. He’s got to go through a process and that’s probably the most I can say at this point. We love him and will support him as much as we can.”
We have a certain standard that we follow here, and ours is a little bit different than most teams. When it comes to something like that, it’s pretty much universal. For us it’s a matter of helping the young men, and football is not the most important thing right now. It’s about helping them find their goals and get them back on track where their family wants them to be. We’ve talked about our standards and expectations when it comes to recruiting and we’re upfront with a lot of our recruits, but with that being said I think consequence is a part of the deal but I believe when guys are doing well you need to praise them with a lot of things.
On Neil Pau’u
I am really proud of [Neil] and he’s done some really good things. Obviously there’s still some work to do, and athletically he wants to accomplish a lot of different things, and I’m just really proud of the things he’s done this past year, and I’m really excited that he can get back on the field and play, and contribute to this team a lot like what he’s been doing in the community this last year. I’m really proud of the steps that he’s made and the things he’s been doing to help out, and also sharing his experience with others.
On being back on the field with the team
Obviously the season didn’t end the way we wanted it to, and our goals were not accomplished and so we have an opportunity now to make things better, and there’s a huge sense of urgency for our whole team. Not just the coaching staff, but the leaders on the team and guys who wanted to do things and perform a lot better this fall. I’ve been really proud of the way the guys got themselves ready. The intrinsic motivation is there, so we have a lot of leaders and guys taking over, and it’s a really good position for us to be in right now.
Quarterback Zach Wilson
On starting spring ball
It was exciting and it’s good to be back. We aren’t starting from square one and we have a lot of experienced guys, so we are trying to get right back to where we left off.
On having a lot of experienced players
You don’t really take a step back. With spring ball, we jump right back into the offense of where we were. The downside is the new guys have to catch up. I was lucky that we when I first got here, we started square one with new offensive guys and now we’re levels ahead of where we were.
On advantages of Neil Pau'u being back
He is a super hard-working dude and I’m excited for him to be back. He has two years left and he’s a threat. We can use him in any angle. He’s gotten a lot quicker and is a really smooth receiver. He adjusts really well and it’s going to be huge to have him back on the field. We’ve thrown a lot this off-season and I can tell he’s excited to get back into it. He took his break really seriously and he’s learned a lot. I know he’s going to come back and a have a great year.
On areas of improvement
There are a lot of things I could improve on from last year. I think a lot of it starts in my feet and pocket presence. I think overall the ability for all of us to finish a game and score in the red zone is huge. I think a lot of that will just come with the connection of the guys and being able to throw and lift together during spring ball.
Quarterback Jaren Hall
On his mindset heading into spring practice
I’m just getting experience. I’m able to process a little quicker now and get comfortable back there (in the pocket). Just having the confidence from knowing that I’ve been in that situation before and that I’ve played in games. I’m just trying to understand the offense better and understand defenses better.
On the quarterback group
I think we’re all great quarterbacks. I think we all have our strengths and our weaknesses and spring ball is a great time to work on those weaknesses and become the best quarterbacks we can be.
On what he’s looking forward to most this season
Just getting better as a team. I’m looking forward to the schedule we have. So, I think our focus going into spring ball is to just get better and compete every day.
Linebacker Isaiah Kaufusi
On the best part of being back out on the field today
Just being out there and playing football. I don't know when football is going to end for me. It's just good to be out there with my brothers. That's the highlight of what I'm doing.
On losing the Hawai'i Bowl
It wasn't great to lose the last game of the season. It fueled a lot of guys fires and pumped us up for this season. It lit this fire in the offseason that we just had to get better. That game showed us a lot of weaknesses. It exposed a lot of different guys. A lot of guys are excited to get back at it and get better.