BYU Football 2014 Spring Wrap Up

Strengths & question marks coming out of spring

Strengths:

The backfield for the Cougars will be one of the main strengths for this BYU team and it looks to improve in 2014. With returning RB Jamaal Williams and QB Taysom Hill back, the Cougars top two rushers have another year under their belt.

Behind a questionable offensive line, the run game was the strength of last year’s offense and looks to improve with a less daunting schedule and more experience up front. Both players could improve on their numbers this year and don’t be surprised if the run is relied on more than the pass.

On the defense the secondary could be a strength that the coaching staff can count on. With more depth and a talented cast that could be the best in years, BYU will rely on them to provide leadership and accountability on a less experienced defense. Senior Jordan Johnson and junior Trent Trammell are both returning from injuries last year and are hungry to reward the faith the defensive coaches have put in them to lead the team.

Question Marks:

Both the offensive and defensive lines have questions to answer as the season gets closer. The coaches are excited about the potential that they both possess, but until they show that they can play as a team, they will continue to have their doubters. The talent is there but they have not realized their potential as of yet.

The wide receivers are a group that could be extremely good but since it will be hard to judge them until they start playing together, the questions will remain. The depth of this group is good, but some of their expected stars haven’t yet stepped on campus.

Nick Kurtz and Michael Davis participated in spring ball, and did quite well, but Ross Apo and Mitch Mathews sat out as they recovered from injuries. Jordan Leslie and Devon Blackmon are two more receivers that are expected to contribute right away, but weren’t on campus for the spring as they are transfers.

Name a few breakout players to keep an eye on in 2014

Nick Kurtz – Look for Kurtz to contribute right away and provide Hill a good target as he makes his reads. Kurtz and Hill looked to have good chemistry through the spring and that can only help come the fall. For more information on Kurtz take a look at our profile on him.

Jordan Leslie -Leslie is a transfer from UTEP where he led the team in receptions, reception yards, and touchdowns. As a senior that is in his last year of play, you can expect that he didn’t transfer to BYU to sit on the bench, but to contribute right away and make an impression on a team that lost key receivers.

Bronson Kaufusi – Kaufusi is a known name for the Cougars but with his change in position, the hope is that his name will be known nationally. With his move from the defensive line to Outside Linebacker, the Cougars are looking to use him in a much larger role. His size will help as he is covering the short routes but he will be asked to pressure the quarterback and stuff the run as a big, extremely talented body helping anchor the Cougar defense.

Grade each position group

QB: (B+) Taysom Hill will be improved in both passing and decision making and showed good touch during the spring. The concern will be if he comes out of the game. No standout back up and a lack of depth brings the grade down.

RB: (A) Jamaal Williams is a monster and should have another successful and statistically better year. The excitement for the talent and depth at the position is widespread and if they can find consistency it will pay deep dividends. Other players that can carry the burden are Paul Lasike, who had a 100 yard game against Notre Dame last year, and Algernon Brown.

Receivers: (A) The depth and talent may be the best BYU has had but it is all based on potential. Kurtz was the only stand out that played during the spring as Apo and Mathews were recovering from injury and Leslie and Blackmon won’t come in until fall.

OL: (C+) The offensive line will need to play better than a C+ in order for the Cougars to have success. The potential is there but until they can show they can protect Hill and open holes for Williams, they can’t be given anything higher

DL: (C) The defensive line has the least depth of the groups and there wasn’t enough improvement seen in spring, due to injuries and experience, this could be the Achilles heel of the defense.

LB: (B-) With Bronson Kaufusi moving to OLB and Zac Stout returning as an ILB the linebacking group has the chance to become a great unit and strength of the team. That is only if they can live up to their hype and deliver to expectations. Until we have seen them play, it would be hard to give them anything higher.

Secondary: (A-) In perhaps the deepest secondary that Mendenhall has had at BYU, the Cougars secondary is loaded with talent and potential. Jordan Johnson and Trent Trammell are both back after injuries and safeties with experience in Robertson Daniel and Craig Bills will push the backups Sam Lee, Chris Badger and Skye PoVey to step up.

Special Teams: (B-) the lack of a solid place kicker brings the grade down as there are still question marks that have yet to be answered. Scott Arellano is returning as the punter and now has a year under his belt. Adam Hine was a stud in the return game last year and looks to solidify himself at the top again this year. The punt returns may fall to Jordan Johnson or Michael Davis but neither has shown that they can do it in live action.

What can we expect from BYU in 2014? 

Based on the gained experience from last year, and the improved depth in most positions, the outlook would be to see improvement. Add to the mix a weaker schedule and the stats should be significantly better.

Based on the Regular season you could easily make an argument that a 10-2 season would be likely, but the more likely scenario would be a 9-3 regular season.

The Cougars have the talent to win all 12, but with Texas, Central Florida, and Boise State being on the road, they could easily lose two of those games and then drop a game at home against Utah State or Houston.

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Kevin Kennedy from Vanquish The Foe provided the information for our BYU football 2014 spring wrap up.  For more BYU football information, commentary and analysis, you can follow Kevin on Twitter @Kevin4byu.

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