2023 Fall Camp: Practice 6—OL Coach Darrell Funk and Offensive Line Preview

The BYU football team opened up its second week of fall camp on Monday. Today, BYU previews coach Darrell Funk and the offensive line unit.

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PROVO, Utah – The BYU football team opened up its second week of fall camp on Monday.

Today’s feature highlights veteran offensive line coach Darrell Funk and the Cougar offensive line, including Preseason All-Big 12 selection and Outland Trophy Candidate Kingsley Suamataia, along with Rimington Trophy Watch List honoree Connor Pay.

2023 BYU Offensive Line
# Name HT WT YEAR HOMETOWN, PREVIOUS SCHOOL
79 Chidester, Kaden 6-8 300 Fr. Richfield, UT / Richfield HS
75 Dawe, Sam 6-3 305 R-Fr. Spanish Fork, UT /Spanish Fork HS
56 Eichorn, Jake 6-5 295 R-So. Beaver, UT / Weber State
76 Etienne, Caleb 6-8 330 R-Jr. New Orleans, LA / Oklahoma State
68 Falaniko, Peter 6-3 315 R-Fr. St. George, UT / Pine View HS
65 Fitzgerald, Ian 6-6 305 R-Sr. Hawthorn Woods, IL / Missouri State
77 Griffin, Jake 6-5 285 Fr. Mesa, AZ / Red Mountain HS
73 Jones, Weston 6-5 285 Fr. Romeo, MI / Romeo HS
64 Keim, Brayden 6-9 310 R-Jr. Sandy, UT / Alta HS
61 Lapuaho, Weylin 6-4 305 So.  South Jordan, UT / Utah State
60 Little, Tyler 6-6 295 R-So. Gridley, CA / Gridley HS / Butte College
54 Maile, Paul 6-2 300 R-Sr. Salt Lake City, UT / Utah
51 Makasini, Sonny 6-3 320 R-Fr. Provo, UT /Timpview HS
69 Moala, Simi 6-7 310 R-Sr. Inglewood, CA / Utah
74 Ostler, Trevin 6-4 310 R-Fr. Bountiful, UT / Bountiful HS
55 Paulo, Joseph 6-8 330 Jr. College of San Mateo
70 Pay, Connor 6-5 305 Jr. Highland, UT / Lone Peak HS
78 Suamataia, Kingsley 6-6 325 R-So. Orem, UT/Orem HS

*newcomer
Lost from 2022:Campbell Barrington, Clark Barrington, Blake Freeland, Harris LaChance, Donovan Hanna, Vae Soifua, Lisala Tai, Talin Togiai, Joe Tukuafu, Sione Veikoso

Coach Preview – Darrell Funk
In his third year as the BYU offensive line coach in 2023, Darrell Funk is a 35-year veteran of the coaching ranks, including 10 seasons as a coordinator.

A native of Fort Collins, Colorado, Funk joined head coach Kalani Sitake's staff in February 2021 to work alongside BYU offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick, passing game coordinator and receivers coach Fesi Sitake, tight ends coach Steve Clark and running backs coach Harvey Unga.

Funk has coached offensive line for 27 seasons, including overseeing the offensive fronts at schools like Michigan, Purdue, San Diego State, Colorado State and Ball State in addition to BYU.

In 2022, the Cougars averaged 31.3 points per game while totaling 426.3 yards per game, including 249.7 yards through the air and 176.6 yards on the ground. The BYU offensive line not only powered the run game but also ranked No 1 (PFF, 92.0) in pass protection grades overall and ranked No. 10 in the NCAA statistics for the least sacks allowed at one per game on average. Funk mentored 2022 All-American left tackle Blake Freeland and the offensive front was named College Football News All-Independent Offensive Line of the Year.

In 2021, left guard Clark Barrington earned All-America honors as BYU's offensive line was named to the Joe Moore Award midseason watch list for top offensive lines in the country. BYU finished the year with a top-25 ranking in 32 different offensive statistical categories. Among them, the Cougars ranked No. 3 in red zone touchdown percentage (74.55), No. 6 in most passing plays over 40 yards (18), No. 7 in longest plays overall of 40 or more yards (23), No. 8 in yards per play (6.77), No. 8 in fewest sacks allowed (15), No. 11 in red zone touchdowns (41), No. 12 in passing efficiency (158.66), No. 13 in fewest turnovers (12), No. 14 in passing yards per attempt (8.8), No. 17 in total offense (542.2 ypg), No. 20 in rushing touchdowns (30), No. 21 in total touchdowns (57) and No. 24 in rushing yards per attempt (5.11).

“Darrell is an exceptional football coach with extensive experience teaching tough, physical offensive line play," Sitake said when hiring Funk on February 5, 2021. "I’m excited to have him join Coach Roderick and our offensive staff and start working with the great young men we have in our program. He knows BYU from his days at Colorado State as a player and then as a coach under Sonny Lubick, and also at San Diego State working with Brady Hoke. We are happy to now welcome Darrell to Provo to be part of Cougar football.”

Kalani SitakeBYU Head Football Coach

 

BYU Offensive Line
The Cougar offensive line unit enters 2023 as one of the most experienced and strong units on the team.

Despite losing several starters, BYU returns elite-level talent and experience in redshirt sophomore and Outland Trophy Candidate Kingsley Suamataia, moving over to left tackle from starting 12 games at right tackle in 2022.

The 6-foot-6, 325-pounder from Orem, Utah, earned Freshman All-America honors last season and was named to multiple All Big-12 preseason teams looking ahead to 2023. Pro Football Focus ranked Suamataia No. 6 among offensive tackles in college football this year.

In addition to Suamataia, BYU also returns the experience of Connor Pay, a 2023 Rimington Trophy (Best Center) with 21 starts on the offensive line.

At 6-foot-5 and 305 pounds, Pay has started at both guard and center and can play at either spot in 2023 in order to find BYU’s best combo up front with several options.

The Cougars added several big pieces via the transfer portal, including Oklahoma State transfer Caleb Etienne, Utah State transfer Weylin Lapuaho and former Utah starting center Paul Maile and tackle Simi Moala. The Cougars also picked up Ian Fitzgerald from Missouri State, Jake Eichorn out of Weber State and Joseph Paulo from the College of San Mateo.

Kingsley Suamataia Mic'd Up at Fall Camp

“There is a lot of guys that have played a lot of football. Some here and some other places. The big thing we’ve got to do is take that talent and figure out who is inside, who is outside and who is the best together. It is going to be another work in progress and take another couple of weeks to figure all that out.”

Darrell Funk

A Day In The Life With Connor Pay

Etienne, a 6-foot-8, 330-pound tackle from New Orleans, Louisiana, started all 13 games at Oklahoma State at left tackle and could move over to the right side.

Lapuaho (6-4, 305) also started every game for Utah State as a true freshman while Maile (6-2, 300) played in 29 games, starting 17 for Utah in his career.

Moala (6-7, 310) played in 21 games at Utah, starting 18 for the Utes from 2018-21. Fitzgerald (6-6, 305) comes to BYU after starting 30 consecutive games for Missouri State and 34 overall while Eichorn (6-5, 295) and Paulo (6-8, 330) continue to add experienced players to the depth.

BYU already returned several big pieces before the transfer additions, including Brayden Keim at 6-foot-9, 310 pounds with 16 games of experience and two starts, Tyler Little (6-6, 295), Peter Falaniko (6-3, 315), Trevin Ostler (6-4, 310), Sam Dawe (6-3, 305), Sonny Makasini (6-3, 320) and Ben Ward (6-4, 290) all returning for 2023.

Newcomers joining the unit feature Kaden Chidester, a 6-foot-8, 300-pound freshman from Richfield, Utah, along with Jake Griffin (6-5, 285) and Weston Jones (6-5, 285).

Despite only having two returning starters from last year’s group, BYU reloaded with talent from across the country with FBS experience and the size, strength and athleticism to compete in the Big 12 in 2023.

“I am really proud of their effort so far. They should be excited. Starting fall camp and getting back on the grass and all that. They are very attentive to details and I am happy with the start. Schematically we aren’t too deep into it, so we don’t have everything we are going to do but we do have a bunch and they are handling that very well."

Darrell Funk