BYU defensive coordinator Jay Hill, passing game coordinator and wide receiver coach Fesi Sitake and defensive end Tyler Batty addressed the media following practice on Thursday at the Zions Bank Practice Fields.
PROVO, Utah — After an off day from practices, BYU resumed action in fall camp on Thursday afternoon at the Zions Bank Practice Fields.
The Cougars are finishing up their second week of camp, preparing for the 2024 season starting just over three weeks away on August 31 against Southern Illinois.
Defensive coordinator Jay Hill, passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach Fesi Sitake and defensive end Tyler Batty addressed the media following practice.
Read select comments from those interviews and watch them in their entirety below.
On the progress with the defense so far “We’ve gotten a lot more work in. I think we’re hitting that point of saturation. This is the biggest part of the install that we’ve got. We have got to get better at knowing all the things that are going on with the defense. We need to make sure we are eliminating some mistakes that we are making right now, but overall I like the effort. I think we’re much further ahead than we were last year at this time.”
On solidifying position groups “Saturday will be a critical part of our progress. The scrimmage will be a big deal. I do see some guys stepping up to solidify some depth, but we’re not where we need to be yet on solidifying position groups.”
On the status of the safety room “The safety room is going to be extremely difficult because there’s a lot of depth and good players in there. There are a lot of position groups like that. The next week to 10 days are going to mean a lot as far as solidifying position groups.”
On the importance of the strength staff “I’ll call out Coach [Ryan] Phillis, our sports scientists and the rest of the strength staff. Those guys have done a phenomenal job. I think their work is playing out on the field. We are more athletic right now than we were before. I think we are faster, more fluid and, ‘knock on wood,’ we’ve been healthier. All of those things are playing out the way they should.”
On the linebacker’s stepping up with the absence of Ben Bywater “I think there’s been a lot of guys that have stepped up. Jack Kelly’s played very well. Isaiah Glasker has really stepped up. Harrison Taggart is way ahead of where he was last year at this time. Ace Kaufusi has done a lot of great things. Sione Moa has done some good stuff. Choé Bryant-Strother has done some good things. Sometimes I get talking this way and it’s unfair because you leave some guys out, but those are probably the ones that are standing out the most right now.”
On the younger receiving core “A lot of young talented guys in this group and this is a hard offense, it's just a matter of spending a little bit more time to get the young guys up to speed. All in all I love the energy, these guys are playing hard.”
On implementing more of the offense "The positive is we get to practice more of our stuff against this defense and get a jump on some teams. The con is it can be hard for these younger guys to understand, but with how much we’ve thrown at them they have done a great job.”
On QB competition “All these guys in our receiver room have played with multiple quarterbacks in college or have come from a high school where they have had a change at quarterback. I think a new quarterback is nothing really new so they're handling it well.”
On attitude from receiving group “Kody’s [Epps] such a good leader as well as Keelan [Marion] and Chase [Roberts]. I'm spoiled with a group of happy young, vibrant men who just enjoy being out here.”
On being back at fall camp “Super excited to be back playing football with all the boys. Fall camp is a grind, but it is enjoyable. We get to come out, we get to play football every day, it doesn't get much better than that.”
On the way the defense is looking “We have an experienced team, a team that’s seen some success and recently seen some underperforming. The guys know what it takes to be successful and we are just getting to work.”
On defensive line rotation “We have really good depth on the defensive line with five seniors and a bunch of underclass men who are rapidly improving.”
On facing the offense “It’s good for us to have those ups and downs and for some days the offense to come out and stick it to us so we can get used to fighting and persevering now and not just rolling over at the first sign of trouble.”
On being familiar with Jay Hill's defense “That's a huge part of where the defense is right now. The team is more familiar with what's going on. And when you're more familiar, you can get more into the nuances of things, and guys are able to execute at a higher level.”
“That second year familiarity has helped us and will keep helping throughout the year as the team really hones things in.”
