Lawless Republic
Fansided

BYU football: Cougars kick off 2017 with spring practices

By Nathan Cunningham

Oct 14, 2016; Provo, UT, USA; Brigham Young Cougars head coach Kalani Sitake watches a replay in overtime against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Lavell Edwards Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Swinger-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 14, 2016; Provo, UT, USA; Brigham Young Cougars head coach Kalani Sitake watches a replay in overtime against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Lavell Edwards Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Swinger-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

BYU football’s 2017 season is starting. The Cougars began spring practices today, and here’s what you need to know.

BYU football is back.

It’s only been away for a few weeks, but it felt like an eternity. BYU football started spring ball today, officially ushering in the 2017 season.

Things were slow going, but some interesting tidbits were revealed.

To start, Kalani Sitake and Ty Detmer were impressed with Tanner Mangum‘s control of the offense. That’s big news, considering Mangum was reportedly a bit of a mess at this point last season.

“Good,” Ty Detmer said in a press release of Tanner Mangum’s performance. “He was under control, he saw things. This time last year he had no idea where guys were lining up, so there was much greater control of the offense, lining guys up and communicating really clearly.”

Sitake echoed Detmer’s sentiments, saying he was “really pleased” with how Mangum played.

Mangum is the lock for the starting job, but there are a number of quarterbacks fighting for the backup job. Beau Hoge and Kody Wilstead are the front runners, but there are a handful of others competing.

Outside of the quarterback spot, a number of position changes were mentioned.

Next: Underrated BYU football recruits

Moroni Laulu-Pututau is moving to tight end, and the coaches are pretty pleased with his performance in that hybrid role. Matt Hadley took some reps at running back. Johnny Tapusoa took reps at inside backer.

Also of note, Sitake confirmed that Sione Takitaki will be returning. Takitaki is one of the best pass rushers on the roster, racking up 6.5 sacks and 11 tackles for a loss in 17 career games. At 6-foot-2, 250-pounds, he’s the perfect size for an edge rusher and he’ll be a great presence for the Cougars in 2017.

Not much happened today, but that’s par for the course. After an hour or two of practice, there won’t be any earth-shattering announcement. In fact, most of the coaches talked about spring ball being a time to work on fundamentals and technique.

Still, BYU football is back. And that’s something to be excited for.

Home/BYU Football