2016 by Position Group Concern

I think the DL has the most question marks. Lost Bronson. Will Tuiloma be healthy? Will Handsome be ready to contribute?

It's been years since we had an o line that didn't underperform.

OL was once a no-brainer (and a gateway to the draft). Haven't seen that in too many years. Hope that Sitake, Detmer, and Empey will be able to change that, but I'm not sure it's a one year fix.

Concur on the concerns with the OL, but I had to go with ST, since I don't think I could even name who our kicker and punter are going to be. Maybe that is just my ignorance shining through, though.

Our OL coach has huge question marks, Our center may be out... Hopefully our OL becomes a strong point, but with so many questions I don't see how it could not be the group that I have the lease amount of confidence in.

Cougarfan87 wrote:
Concur on the concerns with the OL, but I had to go with ST, since I don't think I could even name who our kicker and punter are going to be. Maybe that is just my ignorance shining through, though.

http://img.deseretnews.com/images/article/midres2/1534512/1534512.jpg" alt="" loading="lazy" style="max-width:100%">

OL concerns me as well. For spring, this is what the depth chart looked like:

OL starters:

71 Austin Hoyt 6-8 270 Sophomore

78 Tuni Kanuch 6-3 330 Junior

54 Parker Dawe 6-3 295 Senior

73 Ului Lapuaho 6-7 330 Junior

75 Brad Wilcox 6-7 320 Senior



OL 2s:

56 Thomas Shoaf 6-7 255 Freshman

52 Darren Denucci 6-4 306 Senior

55 Quin Ficklin 6-3 250 Sophomore

70 Jacob Jimenez 6-5 286 Sophomore

65 JJ Nwigwe 6-5 265 Sophomore



OL Depth:

77 Jaterrius Gulley 6-2 340 Sophomore **nursing foot injury

72 Addison Pulsipher 6-5 264 Freshman

57 LeRoy Tanoa'i 6-5 290 Freshman



For the fall, these players will join the competition:

Tejan Koroma 6-0 290 Junior - Hopefully rejoining school

Andrew Eide 6-5 286 Senior - Grad transfer from SUU

Keyan Norman 6-3 290 Junior - Transfer from SUU

Austin Chambers 6-5 280 Freshman - Returned from mission

Chandon Herring 6-7 265 Freshman - Returned from mission

Caden Haws 6-2 275 Freshman - Class of 2016

Brevan Ward 6-5 260 Freshman - Class of 2016



If all return that should make 20 OLs on the roster. The big concern is if Tejan cannot get back into school then the C position depth would be like this rolling into the fall:

1) Parker Dawe - Senior walk-on

2) Keyan Norman - Junior transfer from SUU

3) Quin Ficklin - Sophomore walk-on

4) Caden Haws - True freshman



And a quick peek to 2017/18 shows the team would lose these players:

54 Parker Dawe 6-3 295 Senior

75 Brad Wilcox 6-7 320 Senior

52 Darren Denucci 6-4 306 Senior

Andrew Eide 6-5 286 Senior

Caden Haws 6-2 275 Freshman - Leaving on mission

Brevan Ward 6-5 260 Freshman - Leaving on mission

But gain these players:

Joe Brown 6-4 325 Sophomore - Eligible after transfer from Miami

Brady Christensen 6-6 240 Freshman - Return from mission

Keiffer Longson 6-7 295 Freshman - Return from mission

Is "all of the above" a legit answer? Players play the way they are coached.

The kicking game is also up for grabs with the graduation of Trevor Samson. The competition is between:

Corey Edwards, Sophomore

James Baird, Freshman (walk-on)

Austin Brasher, Senior (walk-on)

Andrew Mikkelsen, Sophomore (walk-on)



The P competition is among walk-ons:

Jonny Linehan, Senior (incumbent)

Rhett Almond, Sophomore

Taylor Parker, Freshman

Drew Wilson, Freshman

snoscythe wrote:

Concur on the concerns with the OL, but I had to go with ST, since I don't think I could even name who our kicker and punter are going to be. Maybe that is just my ignorance shining through, though.

http://img.deseretnews.com/images/article/midres2/1534512/1534512.jpg" alt="" loading="lazy" style="max-width:100%">

:blush: Why did I think he had graduated? :blush:

Cougarfan87 wrote:

Cougarfan87 wrote:
Concur on the concerns with the OL, but I had to go with ST, since I don't think I could even name who our kicker and punter are going to be. Maybe that is just my ignorance shining through, though.

http://img.deseretnews.com/images/article/midres2/1534512/1534512.jpg" alt="" loading="lazy" style="max-width:100%">

:blush: Why did I think he had graduated? :blush:

Wishful thinking? ;)

Fido wrote:
OL concerns me as well. For spring, this is what the depth chart looked like:

OL starters:

71 Austin Hoyt 6-8 270 Sophomore

78 Tuni Kanuch 6-3 330 Junior

54 Parker Dawe 6-3 295 Senior

73 Ului Lapuaho 6-7 330 Junior

75 Brad Wilcox 6-7 320 Senior

Hoyt has played in 9 games with 2 starts.

Kanuch has played in 24 games with 7 starts.

Dawe has played in 12 games with 2 starts.

Lapuaho has played in 21 games with 18 starts.

Wilcox has played in 39 games with 13 starts.



That's 105 games and 42 starts (21 games & 8.4 starts on average).



On the DL you have the following:

Tomasi Laulili, JR, 6-4, 288. 25 games played with 1 start.

Logan Taele, SR, 6-2, 299. Played in 35 games with 11 starts.

Kesni Tausinga, SR, 6-1, 301.Played in 11 games.



There is one more starter to be found amongst:

Roman Andrus, SO, 6-4, 282. 1 game played (Wagner)

Moses Kaumatule, SO 6-2, 262. 7 games played.

Tevita Mo'Unga, SO, 6-2, 322. 7 games played.

Merrill Taliauli, SO, 6-2, 293. 2 games played back in 2013.

Maurice Maxwell, SR, 6-4, 260. 0 games played for BYU.

Travis Tuiloma, SR, 6-2, 301. Is injured and who knows if he'll be ready for the 2016 season.

There is also Handsome Tanielu, JR 6-2, 285 but he's not even listed on the most recent BYU roster.



It just seems like there is more returning talent on the OL than DL.

That's the thing - it seems like we're always loaded at OL and worried about the DL, but the DL overperforms and the OL underperforms. Maybe that was a function of Bronco being great at getting more out of his guys and our OL coaches / conditioning coaches not being great at it (Hey, let's get all our O-line to drop tons of weight so they're faster, even though nobody else does that!), maybe we were bad at identifying good OL talent, maybe a mix, I don't know. But I haven't felt like we could dominate the line of scrimmage against anyone on offense since 2009. Well, unless that someone was Texas. ;)

Spring game DL starters:

48 Tomasi Laulile 6-4 280 Junior

91 Travis Tuiloma 6-2 300 Senior (foot)

62 Logan Taele 6-2 293 Senior (shoulder)

31 Sae Tautu 6-4 246 Senior **transition from LB?



DL 2's

49 Moses Kaumatule 6-2 245 Sophomore (knee)

50 Tevita Mo'unga 6-3 340 Sophomore (leaving on mission?)

94 Kesni Tausinga 6-1 302 Junior

16 Sione Takitaki 6-2 240 Junior



Depth

59 Roman Andrus 6-4 265 Sophomore

Corbin Kaufusi 6-10 260 Sophomore

98 Maurice Maxwell 6-4 230 Senior

95 Cody Savage 6-6 245 Freshman

54 Merrill Taliauli 6-2 312 Sophomore



Swing players (LB/DL)

44 Troy Hinds 6-5 233 Sophomore

47 Scott Huntsman 6-4 220 Sophomore

51 Lene Lesatele 6-2 231 Junior



Joining in Fall

Handsome Tanielu 6-2 295 Junior - Transfer from Snow College

Zac Dawe 6-4 265 Freshman - Returned Missionary

Teancum Fuga 6-2 320 Freshman - Returned Missionary

Uriah Leiataua 6-4 240 Freshman - Returned Missionary

Felesi Tofi 6-3 280 Freshman - Returned Missionary

Kainoa Fuiava 6-5 295 Freshman - Class of 2016

Keanu Saleapaga 6-6 265 Freshman - Class of 2016

snoscythe wrote:

snoscythe wrote:

Concur on the concerns with the OL, but I had to go with ST, since I don't think I could even name who our kicker and punter are going to be. Maybe that is just my ignorance shining through, though.

http://img.deseretnews.com/images/article/midres2/1534512/1534512.jpg" alt="" loading="lazy" style="max-width:100%">

:blush: Why did I think he had graduated? :blush:

Wishful thinking? ;)

Or because he's not on the rugby squad this year (to focus on punting)?

I think the OL will be the most-improved group, at least by perception.



The last O-lineman BYU had drafted was Scott Young....in 2005. BYU did not have a single offensive lineman drafted during the Anae/Doman/Anae years of spread, go-fast-go-hard, and nitro offenses. Why? Because the NFL doesn't want that type of offensive lineman. There are a few guys from BYU who have made it as UFAs (Matt and Dallas Reynolds, Ray Feinga), but they've done it in spite of BYU's offensive philosophy. BYU has landed solid OLine talent, but it's largely been wasted in an offense built to succeed regardless of Oline play, rather than one that demands solid Oline play.



Now BYU is returning to battle-in-the-trenches offenses, and you're actually going to see the Oline with hands in the dirt outside of the "and-goal" counts. They're going to have time to catch their breath between plays and communicate in the huddle and all the way up to the next snap. The standards of linemen benching 400# and squatting 700# may (and should) return. And most importantly, they all get to eat a lot more now that Anae/Wintrich aren't trying to turn them into track stars and they get more free food under the new NCAA regs.



It's a shiny new world for Olinemen at BYU. (and tight ends too, if we had any on the roster)

Biggest position group concerns for me...

Offense: Offensive Line

Defense: Yes

With Koroma back, I'm sticking with my DL pick.

Can I change mine now?