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Fido5 key questions to watch going into spring practice:
1) Who will win the QB battle?
BYU has Zach Wilson, Jaren Hall and Baylor Romney all returning...Wilson has the most experience from the bunch, but he's also had bigger mistakes than the rest of the group. In the Hawaii Bowl alone, Wilson was picked off twice and gave up a fumble. One of the interceptions came late in the game as the Cougars were scrambling to put together a game-winning drive.
Sound familiar? A similar situation went down at Toledo earlier in the season.
Hall and Romney did a good job taking over for Wilson, but Hall suffered two concussions in as many games that kept him sidelined the remainder of the season. Romney sat out the final games of the season with a case of turf toe.
2) Who's in the RB mix?
...BYU still found a couple of diamonds in the rough through all of its injuries â and it was a pair of freshmen.
Sione Finau was the first running back last season to rush 100 yards in a single game. Then, Finau suffered his own ACL tear.
The next game, Jackson McChesney ran for 228 yards on 15 carries.
Depending on how Finauâs recovery is going, it could be between those two players for the starting job.
3) Speaking of running backs, who will replace AJ Steward?
...There hasn't been much insight into who will replace Steward, but there does seem to be a fan favorite among Cougar Nation: former BYU running back Harvey Unga.
4) How strong should the receivers be going forward?
...As a junior, [Matt] Bushman had 47 receptions for 688 yards and scored four touchdowns. That level of performance, along with returner Aleva Hifo, who caught for 483 yards on 42 receptions, will help keep some consistency in the group.
Also look to Gunner Romney, whoâs been solid over the past two years, to vie for a starting position this upcoming season.
5) What can we expect from the midyear additions?
During the early signing period in December, BYU announced nine athletes who would be coming to Provo as midyear additions. The group committed and signed to BYU years ago, but opted to go on their church mission before enrolling at BYU.
Monday will be the first time they partake in a practice with the entire team.
The midyear additions include players for all three phases of the game, but with the way the Cougarsâ defense struggled last year, there may be a stronger focus on 6-foot-5 defensive lineman Tyler Batty.
Batty signed with BYU back in 2017 as a three-star defensive lineman and was ranked No. 4 in Utah and No. 22 in the West by Scout.