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On being named the Preseason Big 12 Offensive Athlete of the Year and the expectations that come with that
“It doesn’t mean much to me, as at this time last year, I wasn’t on any preseason teams. I’m just trying to stay focused and win as many games as possible. I’ll let the results be the results. That’s how I went into it last year, and I had a pretty good season, so I want to have that same mentality.”
On developing his craft
“I’ve been focusing on reacceleration, so when I’m out in open field, I can break away from defenders.”
On his relationship with Bear Bachmeier
“It’s definitely evolved. I went from teaching him everything to now, he knows everything. I’m just able to be friends with him now.”
On the dynamic with Bear carries
“He’s gonna keep doing his thing. He’s gonna throw the ball really well and we’re both gonna run the ball really well, so it should be pretty complementary.”
On Bear’s improvement over the offseason
“He’s a lot better at knowing what he’s looking for and making decisions.”
On BYU retaining players
“It’s the culture. Having your best friends be on your team makes it a good team to play for.
On the culture of BYU football right now
“Love and learn. We all love each other and are learning from each other, all while trying to be the best we can be.”
On how the Big 12 Championship loss has fueled them
“We are trying to be the best team we can be. If anything, it taught us that there’s another level we need to take if we want to be the best team in this conference and if we want to compete for a National Championship, we gotta take a step up. We need to go even harder this year.”
On what he attributes the offensive line’s development to
“Coach Woods. He’s a savant in the run game and as a technician for the offensive line. I credit a lot to him. And we just have a good group of selfless guys who want what’s best for the team. A lot of guys who want to get better at their craft and want to become better offensive lineman. You put all that together, you're going to become better.”
On offensive line coach TJ Woods
“I can’t say enough good about him. He’s changed my career as a football player and as an individual I love him. He’s made me a better person and a better offensive lineman. And he’s good for the room. He understands the offensive line and what it takes to be great. He walks into the room and you’re like ‘yep that’s your offensive line coach’.”
On taking on a leadership role as a returning starter
“When you’ve got as many returners as we do, leadership is your strength. You can bring along the young guys who are developing but you just understand the offense and understand what it takes to dominate the line of scrimmage. The offseason work as well as what you need to do in season - I think when you combine all of that, we have multiple leaders on the offensive line who are making this unit better.”
On learning to be selfless under the direction of Kalani Sitake
“It’s really easy because he sets the example. I’ve never heard him take credit for anything. Hopefully we can do the same as players. It’s the greatest team sport ever. It takes 11 guys to do it and you can never take credit personally.”
On blocking for LJ Martin
“If you’ve seen how hard LJ works, you’d want to block your tail off for him too. That is a guy who wants it and wants to be great. You can see it in his offseason work and in-season work. As an offensive lineman that motivates you. This guy needs you so let's go help him achieve his goals.”
On working with a now veteran Bear Bachmeier
“It doesn’t change anything for us up front but it might change things for him. The biggest thing that stood out to me in spring ball is he is seeing things pre-snap. He’s seeing defenses, he’s seeing coverages, he’s seeing blitzes. He’s gotten better and he’s another guy who’s working his tail off. You can see he wants to do great things.”
On what makes Bear Bachmeier special
“He is tough as nails. I’ve seen him take some hits last year where you wonder if he’s going to get up and he pops up every time. He’s a really smart kid too. He was able to learn the offense quickly. And he’s a poised kid. There were a couple times where I was a little rattled out there and he was the poised one. There was kind of an “easing Bear into it” period last year. Not this year. We’re going to let it rip from week one.”
On his expectations for himself
“Coming into BYU last year I had a lot of expectations that were difficult to adjust to, considering I had to learn the defense, my teammates, and the culture and style. Well I feel like I’ve made it my own. It feels like my third season at Utah that I was blessed to perform so well. I’m so excited to go into this season because I’ve made it my own again.”
On Kalani Sitake’s mentality going into the game
“Kalani is a very well-spoken man. He’s calm and collected which is great because the team needs that presence. But when the time is necessary to get excited and amped, I think he is definitely able to ignite that fire right before we step out.”
On the defensive line becoming more relevant
“For us on the defensive line, I think we’ve recognized that we need to step it up a little bit. With Kelly Poppinga taking over, it’s now about letting the pass rush be between the big boys up front and adding a linebacker here and there…we’re looking forward to implementing more of that this year… we just need to mentally see it and go do it.
On the defensive lines energy headed into this season
“It’s very exciting. As a defensive lineman you want to create havoc and that’s what we want to do as a collective unit. We want to beat the guy in front of us…let’s do it getting into the backfield. Let’s do it dominating towards the quarterback and running back so we can make plays.”
On being a BYU veteran now
“I think I’m a person who builds from the foundation up. I think when I tried to shift my foundation from Utah to BYU, it didn’t hold too well. I played well, it was good and I’m proud of what I did but I know that there’s more in me. That’s what was eating me alive after games last year. People would compliment me and people would love us because we would win these games and I just didn’t feel like me. Now with my feet in the ground, I’ve stepped into the water and the sea has parted. I can see the goal, I’m moving towards it and I’m excited to play this year.”
On if he’s thinking about his potential NFL future
“A little bit. I try not to get consumed in it. I think I did that my third year at Utah and there was a little too much focus on getting to the next level. The best players know how to live in the moment and the best players know how to perform today. If I can handle one game at a time and get a sack against Utah tech and get a tackle-for-loss and blow up my gap, well then let's move on to Arizona and so forth.”
On facing Arizona in Week 2
“We’re looking forward to starting fast. That’s a huge motto going into this year. We had six comeback victories last year, that’s way too many. We’ve got to start fast. From Utah Tech and then going to Arizona and stack. As the workouts we’ve stacked from start to finish, we’re stacking games and we’re excited to play Arizona.”
On playing with Cade Uluave
“Cade is a downhill player. That man plays fast and I love it. That’s one reason I feel more comfortable shooting gaps is because I know he has his. I know he’s going to make a play. I love his downhill speed, I love the way that he plays and he wants to hit. I’m excited to see how it goes.”
On Kelly Poppinga taking over the defense
“He’s a hard working man. He’s intelligent and he has the energy. I love Coach Poppinga and I think he’s a BYU man through-and-through. Obviously there’s development to be made everywhere, but I don’t think that there’s a man more dedicated to becoming the best defensive coordinator he can. He’s not as veteran because it’s his first year, but he’s dedicated and he's committed. And that’s who we are, we are men who are committed to our craft but we aren’t professionals yet and we’re getting there. As a collective unit I’m excited."
On where he got his unique perspective
“From my upbringing, I’m just grateful for my mom and dad. They’ve blessed me with vision that supercedes the moment we’re living in. You live in the moment and you don’t worry about the future, but you have to pay attention to it and you have to prepare yourself for success. I think that came from the gospel and what’s to come and from great parents. And it comes from the baby coming soon.”
On the secondary becoming a strength at BYU
“It’s been something really cool to see…now we’re known for developing. We develop and build defensive backs and that’s super cool. I also have a testimony of the players. We all care, we all want to be great and you see that in the secondary now. It’s shown in our success.”
On if he was ever tempted to enter the transfer portal
“That’s not my deal. I always knew this is where I want to be. My family bleeds blue now. My brother is on the staff, my parents try to go to every BYU event there is. My family loves BYU, I love BYU, and I knew this was the place I wanted to play at.”
On his game-winning interception in the Pop-Tarts Bowl
“It doesn’t even feel real. Those are things that you watch in High School Musical and they hit a buzzer beater and you really dream of doing. And I really did dream of those moments. Being able to go out there and make plays, it just feels so surreal. When I think back on that moment I don’t remember it because it seems like such a blur. It’s super cool to see it happen. I think it’s a testimony of my hard work and how much dedication I've put into my craft.”
On the team’s goals this year
“Obviously we want to win a Big 12 Championship. We kind of got our feet wet, so now it’s ‘what do we have to do to get to the next level.’ I think what we have to do is just those small and simple things. Those small and simple things are going to be what makes us really great and Big 12 Champions… Those small, simple details are what separates you from a Big 12 Championship and going home from that field.”
ESPN's Louis Riddick
“Kalani Sitake has a team that is very veteran laden. He has some great players especially on the offensive side with Bear Bachmeier. At the running back position, they have an absolute stud.”
ESPN's Dusty Dvoracek
“Texas Tech and BYU headline the Big 12. 23 wins over the past years for Kalani Sitake. They are loaded coming back. I can’t wait to see what that looks like.”