2013 BYU Football Newcomers: Joey Owens

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Joey Owens

Pleasant Grove High School (Pleasant Grove, UT)

6-2, 215 lbs

Before BYU: Joey Owens was a very effective running back and linebacker for Pleasant Grove high school. Unfortunately, he suffered injuries that limited his play during his senior season so he wasn’t able to play. Owens went on a mission to Ft. Lauderdale, FL after high school and is just now returning to get his football career rolling again.

His film shows that he was an effective runner in high school, though; I don’t think he’ll get the chance to play on the offensive side of the ball at BYU. Owens does show athleticism and promise on defense, however. He is able to use his quickness to get to an edge and make a good pass rush, and is athletic enough that he can stop the run as well.  He doesn’t look like Kyle Van Noy or Spencer Hadley, but there is definitely some promise for his football career.

Expectations for 2013: 4^th Outside Linebacker

BYU is loaded at linebacker this year; especially outside linebacker. There isn’t much of a chance for Owens to get on the field, but I do think he has a perfect opportunity to learn from two of the best outside linebackers that have ever come to BYU and have a chance to play next season. Owens will be able to use this year to get back into football because he hasn’t played healthy since 2009.

Potential in BYU Career: Moderate-High

Much of what becomes of Owens’ BYU career depends on his ability to stay healthy. He showed a lot of promise at Pleasant Grove as a junior, but hasn’t been able to play at 100% since. The returned missionary is likely bigger and faster than he was as a 16 or 17 year old junior in high school, so his abilities might be different than what he remembers. If healthy, I could see Owens becoming the next Spencer Hadley for BYU, but if he can’t shake the injury bug, then I could see him fizzling out and not hearing much from Owens. It all depends on his health.