PROVO, Utah – BYU wrapped up its 15th and final practice of spring football on Thursday afternoon as the team turns its focus to summer conditioning and gearing up for the 2022 football season, the Cougars' last as an independent before joining the Big 12 Conference in 2023.
BYU was able to give valuable reps to youngsters and veterans alike throughout the spring, building up depth for the upcoming season and identifying new personnel that can contribute for the 2022 campaign.
The Cougars return several starters on both sides of the ball, including starting quarterback Jaren Hall and leading tackler, linebacker Ben Bywater. Hall passed for 2,583 yards and 20 touchdowns in 10 games last season, adding 307 yards and three scores on the ground. Bywater posted 102 total tackles, including 57 solo stops and had 8.5 tackles for loss.
As part of the program's annual Alumni Day, several former players and their families watched practice and enjoyed other activities earlier in the day.
This year, Cougar fans are invited to attend a BYU football meet-the-team autograph signing event and special Alumni Game at LaVell Edwards Stadium on Thursday evening as part of the Alumni Day.
After practice, BYU head coach Kalani Sitake, Hall and Bywater spoke to the media about the conclusion of spring practices and looking ahead to the next season. Read more from them about spring football below.
Head Coach Kalani Sitake
On the end of spring ball
“We are excited to close out spring ball. The guys have a lot of great enery right now. We are currently testing on all the pro-timing things you saw at pro day which will give us a good measurement of what we need from our guys come fall. We will have some time off in April, but we are looking forward to getting the team in the classroom. Having opportunities for them to run practices and meetings will help us to see how much we can improve from now until fall.”
On testing
“The team has been lifting every day and working out so the test now we be a starting point and then we will test again in July.”
“We have the guys run the 40 pretty often which gives us a good idea of how fast they are and gets them used to the testing process.”
On quarterbacks
“Jaren is in a good position to be starting quarterback, but our other guys are looking really good too. Everybody can improve and get better and we always want our weakest link on our team to be as strong as possible.”
“Cade was hampered with some injuries so we are working to get him healthy and see how he does in the summer.”
“Jacob has been doing some really great things. Decision making was very key for him, so I think just getting the experience of being out on the field and testing the limits will create the best result for the team.”
On the end of last season
“The team was not happy with how the season ended and we have seen that determination to be better in spring ball. The guys approached spring with a lot more attention to detail. We have a lot of veterans here and they have done a great job at getting our younger players ready.”
On transfers
“We are always going to look at the transfer portal to see if there are guys that fit what we are trying to get done as a team.”
On defense versus offense
“I would say the offense is a little bit ahead. They have more of the veteran players on their side, but the defense is definitely capable of catching up.”
On preparing for fall
“More than anything we just need to keep focusing on the fundamentals, technique and the simple things of the game. We just need to know our identity and make sure we stick to it.”
On the alumni visiting
“We want our alumni here is much as possible. We enjoy having them involved and they are always welcome to come back.”
On where the defense stands
“Offense looked great this spring; I am not taking anything away from them. Defense has a lot of things to work on, and there are some injuries right now, so getting new guys is something we need to work on as a unit. We need to work on the fundamentals. Getting off blocks is huge and schematically how we are going to match-up against other teams is important. The coaching staff has put us in a great position to be doing those things, so for me, it’s just working on how I can be better myself.”
“Guys were making plays. That’s a big goal of mine this fall is to make more plays and be a high scoring defense. Interceptions, forced fumbles, and sacks are things we are looking to do so we can turn the ball over and give our offense a chance to score.”
On what he learned about the team during spring ball
“This team is resilient, and these guys are tough. As a defensive unit going at it every day, I just love seeing the guys go at it and be competitive. I’m excited about this coming fall for sure.”
On schedule from now until fall camp
“The month of April is off, so we will work on being healthy and then from May until August we will be running, conditioning, and getting in shape for football.”
Jaren Hall
On where the offense stands
“We have a lot of work to do still. Never satisfied and never content with where we are at, so that is the mentality we will have going into summer. We have gotten a lot better in a lot of different areas in spring, and new guys have learned a lot, but we have a lot to do.”
On this team
“This team is very energy-driven and very resilient. There are days in the spring season that don’t feel very good and series that seem off, so just being able to rekindle energy and quickly come back on the next drive is something I am very proud of.”
On the new transfers for offense
“When you get players who have played as much football as they have, it brings a lot of comfort. Adding the new players has been great and we are looking forward to what they can get done this fall.”
On having returners
“I think having returners in any of the huge playmaking positions on offense is important. We have our entire offensive line coming back, and with that comes a better understanding and control of the offense. Everyone takes command of their job and holds each other accountable, and I think that alone has put us further ahead than last spring ball.”
On his personal goals
“I just want to work on being well-rounded. Looking at the entire scope of the summer, I just want to get more well-rounded on every aspect of the game mentally and physically. There is a lot I want to work on, so it’ll just depend on which days I do each of those.”
On having April off
“We will focus on school and make sure we wrap up the semester right, and then we’ll still find time to go out and throw. We might be off from working with the coaches, but we’ll still find ways to get together and get our work in.”