BYU football: Who is wide receiver Chayce Bolli?

The newest BYU football wide receiver didn’t get much interest while in high school, but his accomplishments are staggering.

One of the best parts about BYU football beginning fall camp is looking over the new – and official – roster. It’s fun to see if any new names popped up.

This year, things were no different. And sure enough, there are a number of new names on the roster. But today, let’s focus on wide receiver Chayce Bolli.

Chayce is the son of former BYU wide receiver Tyler Bolli. Tyler played for the Cougars from 1990, 1993-96. In his career, he caught three passes for 36 yards and a score.

Chayce’s mother, Brooke, was a track athlete at BYU. In 1992, she was the record-holder for the 400-meter dash (54.64).

Chayce is no slouch in his own right.

Playing for Boerne-Champion High School in Texas, Chayce was named Mr. Texas Football after his senior campaign. Not really a surprise when you look at his numbers.

He caught 73 passes for 1,314 yards and 10 touchdowns.

As a junior, his numbers were just as eye-popping. Bolli had 77 receptions, 1,264 yards and 16 touchdowns.

Pretty productive upperclassman if you ask me. 150 catches, 2,578 yards, 26 touchdowns.

BYU football’s offensive coordinator Ty Detmer had some pretty high praise for Bolli, too. Detmer spoke to the Daily Universe about Chayce (and teammate Tariq Buchananan):

"“They aren’t household names yet. But they will be. We’re excited about the athleticism they bring to the table.”"

Bolli joined BYU football as a walk on, which is interesting considering his numbers in high school. But, usually when something like this happens, it’s because universities see some sort of non-coachable weakness in a player (size, speed, etc.).

In Bolli’s case, it may be size. He’s listed at 6-foot on BYU’s roster, which means he’s probably closer to 5-foot-10. That sort of height shifting is very common.

Still, even if he’s on the short side, his highlight film is impressive. He doesn’t really look a burner, but at the same time he’s really impressive in the screen pass game. Bolli is incredibly shifty and looks like a smooth route runner. Plus, he’s got really great hands – it doesn’t seem to phase him if he’s got a safety bearing down on him or a linebacker coming at him – he hangs in and makes the catch.

There’s no telling yet if he’ll ever make a real impact for BYU football – but if Detmer is high on him, that’s all I need.