PROVO—BYU wrapped up spring football with a veteran roster, new staff roles and a sense that this team is further ahead than it’s been in years.
Head coach Kalani Sitake says they set the tone early.
“I thought spring ball went really well, and you guys have heard from me every week,” Sitake said. “Anytime we can talk about football, I love the way the team worked.”
Sitake says leadership and player retention have become defining strengths of the program.
“In order for you to have great leaders, you have to have people that are willing to follow,” Sitake said. “We have a really good dynamic in the team.”
On offense, coordinator Aaron Roderick says this is one of the deepest groups he’s coached. And a full spring with quarterback Bear Bachmeier has made a noticeable difference.
“We’re developing depth at every position,” Roderick said. “We have a lot of veteran players that played a lot of football too. I think we’re going to have depth at every position, and we have a good football team.”
One of the biggest spring revelations is the tight-end duo of Walker Lyons and Roger Saleapaga.
“Those two tight ends have really proven that they’re two of our best players,” Roderick said. “They’ve had a great spring and you’re going to see those guys a lot.”
Quarterback Bear Bachmeier says this spring was about building chemistry with those new weapons, which is something he didn’t have time for last year.
“Getting adjusted to how they like to play and them getting adjusted to how I like to play is just making that chemistry stronger,” Bachmeier said.
On defense, new coordinator Kelly Poppinga installed more of his system than expected, thanks to a roster loaded with returning starters.
“We got mostly everything we wanted to get in,” Poppinga said. “I feel really comfortable with our install. We’re experienced and the flow of that went really well.”
Poppinga says depth is strong across the board, with cornerback being the only position still developing. But overall, he believes this group is built to contend.
“I think we have a really good football team and we have a chance,” Poppinga said. “But we’ve got to go put the work in and get ourselves ready to have a great season.”
Across the program, the message is consistent: BYU is deeper, more experienced and more connected than it was a year ago. And Sitake says the next few months will determine how far this team can go.
“Hope’s not a good strategy,” Sitake said. “You’ve got to go get the work done.”
Now the Cougars turn toward summer — and toward a fall camp that could set the tone for a breakthrough season in the Big 12.