2023 Fall Camp: Practice 15—Jernaro Gilford and Cornerbacks Preview

BYU concluded its third week of fall camp on Saturday with a scrimmage at LaVell Edwards Stadium.

View the 2023 Fall Camp Photo Gallery by BYU Photo. 

Read comments from BYU head coach Kalani Sitake following Saturday's scrimmage.
Overall thoughts on today:
“That was some good light work, but there’s obviously some things that we will keep working on and improve. Overall, I’m really happy with the group, really excited about being able to play in front of the fans and some family members. It was a good showing, and now we’ve just got to get on the film and find ways to get better and make sure that we’re at our best in two weeks from now.” 

On moving forward after safety Micah Harper’s season-ending injury:
“We’ve got a bunch of guys that can play. I mean, that group was already deep from the beginning, but you’re gonna see a bunch of those guys out there and we’ll see if they can separate themselves. There’s not a lot of time left, but Jay Hill will probably tell you a little bit more about who he’s comfortable with. There’s a lot of talent there. I think there’s four or five guys that can definitely replace [Harper], but it’s a matter of who will earn the one and two spots.” 

On the status of the team depth chart:
“We’re close. Obviously, there was a few hiccups with Micah [Harper] and some other changes, but overall, I think we’re in a really good spot right now. We’re definitely a deep team, so it’s just a matter of now scouting Sam Houston and seeing what we can get done with our one and two's." 

On where the defense is at two weeks before the season opener:
“We still have some work to do. I know we’re trying to get a lot of the base stuff and we have some new guys there with a new scheme, but they’re trying their best to do the things that we’re asking for, like effort, intensity, and being physical. Now it’s just making sure to execute their assignments and use the proper technique. You can go a long way with guys that are willing to be physical and willing to run hard. This is a good start.” 

On any highlight that stood out today:
“Kicking was really good. Will [Ferrin] was 100%, so that’s a good sign for us.” 

On when preparation will turn specifically to Sam Houston:
“We’ll probably put an end to camp officially on Tuesday night [August 29] and then we’ll get our focus on Sam Houston. These guys have been watching Sam Houston stuff all summer, so I want to make sure that we put an end to camp and get that rolling.” 

Today, BYU previews the cornerbacks and Coach Jernaro Gilford. 

2023 BYU CORNERBACKS
#	Name	HT	WT	YEAR	HOMETOWN, PREVIOUS SCHOOL
35	Allen, Zion	6-1	160	R-Fr.	Stockton, CA / Manteca HS
19	Bamba, Mory	6-3	185	R-Jr.	Menomonee Falls, WI / Tyler JC
20	Boren, Jacob	5-9	175	Sr.	Salt Lake City, UT / Highland HS
4	Christensen, Caleb	5-10	183	Jr.	Smithfield, UT / Sky View HS
29	Dunlap, Jayden*	6-0	173	Jr.	Carson, CA / Cerritos College
21	Flowers, Dylan*	5-11	180	R-So.	Playa Del Ray, CA / Southern Utah
7	Garrett, Kamden*	5-11	185	Sr.	Las Vegas, NV / Weber State
5	Heckard, Eddie*	5-10	190	R-Sr.	Las Vegas, NV / Weber State
36	Johnson, Evan	6-0	175	R-Fr.	Monterey, CA / Stevenson HS
27	McKenzie, Marcus*	5-11	172	Fr.	St. George, UT / Pine View HS
30	Rice, Quenton	6-1	195	R-So.	Las Vegas, NV / Faith Lutheran HS
0	Robinson, Jakob	5-11	170	Jr.	Orem, UT / Orem HS / Utah State

*newcomer
Lost from 2022:
D’Angelo Mandell, Gabe Jeudy-Lally, George Udo, Chris Jackson, Kaleb Hayes, Korbyn Green, Nathaniel Gillis

Coach Jernaro Gilford Preview
Gilford returns in 2023 as the cornerbacks coach, entering his seventh season leading the cornerbacks room. 

During his tenure, Gilford has coached corners Chris Wilcox, drafted No. 251 overall by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 2021 NFL Draft, Dayan Ghanwholoku at corner as a freshman to 48 tackles, three interceptions and four pass breakups and Michael Davis as a senior before he went on to the NFL with the Los Angeles Chargers. Davis has played in 90 games for the Chargers with 196 career tackles and seven interceptions. 

In 2020, Gilford helped the BYU backend of the defense secure a No. 4 ranking in scoring defense (15.3 ppg) and No. 10 in total defense (317.4 ypg). 

Prior to BYU, Gilford coached the secondary at Southern Utah University. Gilford’s Thunderbird secondary was one of the best among FCS programs in 2015. SUU’s defense racked up 20 interceptions, good for No. 3 in the FCS. Southern Utah’s pass defense limited opposing teams to just a 102.5 pass efficiency rating, ranking No. 9, an improvement over being ranked 111th the previous year. The T-birds gave up just 190.3 yards per game through the air and just 20.8 points per game, ranking 30th and 24th in the FCS, respectively.

Before working at Southern Utah, Gilford coached at Whittier College in Whittier, California, as a graduate assistant for two years, working with cornerbacks and assisting with special teams. He helped cornerbacks Tyquion Ballad and Josh Pride earn all-conference honors.

Gilford played in 37 games at corner for BYU with 28 starts, totaling 10 interceptions in his career. He had his best year in 2001 when he earned first-team All-MWC honors and started all 14 games including the Liberty Bowl against No. 22 Louisville. Gilford totaled 56 tackles and led the team with six picks, returning them 131 yards, including a 50-yard interception return against Utah to seal BYU’s 24-21 victory. His six interceptions ranked tied for No. 6 in the nation in 2001.

BYU Cornerbacks Preview
The Cougars have experience in the cornerbacks room from those returning and via the transfer portal in 2023. 

Returning from last season, junior Jakob Robinson enters the 2023 season after playing in 13 games in 2022, starting in five. Robinson recorded 51 tackles (34 solo), 1.5 tackles-for-loss, five pass breakups, a quarterback hurry and an interception last year. During the 2021 season, Robinson tied for the team lead in interceptions with three.  

BYU added one of the most experienced cornerbacks in college football from the portal with Eddie Heckard, reuniting with defensive coordinator Jay Hill and coming most recently from Weber State after a five-year run with the Wildcats. 

Heckard played in 49 games for Weber State and won three Big Sky Championships, while advancing to the FCS Playoffs four times in his career. Heckard was named an All-American in 2022 and recorded 30 pass breakups, seven interceptions, six forced fumbles and 218 tackles in his time with the Wildcats. Phil Steele named Heckard a fourth-team All-Big 12 selection for the upcoming 2023 season. 

BYU also picked up another transfer from Weber State in Kamden Garrett, also reuniting with Jay Hill. Garrett played in 37 games over four seasons with the Wildcats and earned All-Big Sky honors in 2022. Garrett’s career at Weber State included 75 tackles, five tackles for loss and one sack. 

Another addition the Cougars made was Jayden Dunlap out of Cerritos College. Dunlap comes to BYU with two years of eligibility, posting 65 total tackles, 20 pass breakups, two interceptions and two forced fumbles in his junior college career. Prior to Cerritos College, Dunlap also recorded 20 tackles, seven pass breakups, two interceptions and two forced fumbles for Los Angeles Harbor College in 2021.  

BYU also welcomed Dylan Flowers, a transfer from SUU who was with the Thunderbirds for two seasons. Flowers appeared in two games during 2022, recording two tackles.

A new freshman, Marcus McKenzie, out of Pine View High School, recorded 14 receptions for 253 yards and five touchdowns as a wide receiver and 16 tackles and an interception as an defensive back in 2021. In 2020, McKenzie, totaled 62 tackles as a junior and was rated a three-star recruit by 247Sports. 

The newcomers join a room that features other returners such as Caleb Christensen, Mory Bamba, Jacob Boren, Quenton Rice, Zion Allen and Evan Johnson. All six have seen action in previous years and will be looking to get on the field with more opportunities in 2023.