BYU football: Making sense of the Cougar backfield

Riley Burt, Trey Dye, KJ Hall and Matt Hadley

Here is where we get to the surprise candidates. All of these players will likely get some work at one time or another, but I don’t think any of them will make a huge impact as a No. 2 running back.

Burt redshirted last season, but played a limited role in 2015. He’s got great speed and averaged 6.1 YPC that season. He is the guy in this group that provides the biggest upside to BYU football.

Dye also redshirted the 2016 season. The 5-foot-9 junior hasn’t made much of an impact for the Cougars, with -3 career rushing yards. However, he is a gifted pass catcher out of the backfield. He’s got seven catches for 75 yards in his career, after experimenting as a slot receiver.

Hall came out of nowhere last season, amassing 127 total yards against Southern Utah while still listed as a defensive back. He averaged 5.3 yards per carry on 35 carries last season, but did most of that damage against SUU and UMass.

Hadley has been working with the running backs during spring camp. The Cougar senior was a decorated runner in high school, rushing for 2,516 yards and 47 touchdowns as a junior at Connell High (WA). Hadley worked with the running backs last season when Williams was hurt, but was never used. The BYU football coaches are unsure if the position switch will be a permanent one.