When will undefeated BYU unleash tight end Ryner Swanson?
By D.A. Sweat
As the BYU Cougars enter their bye week the team is undefeated at 5-0, ranked No. 17, and is the projected Big 12 champion by more than one national outlet. This, frankly, is awesome. This season has been more successful than even the most optimistic BYU fans could have hoped.
During bye weeks smart coaches make tweaks and adjustments to game plans, schemes, and priorities, even when their teams are undefeated. With BYU enjoying a bye week, here’s perhaps the most impactful tweak offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick can make to keep the Cougars winning streak rolling:
It’s time to unleash Ryner Swanson.
Ryner Swanson’s immense talent
BYU fans who have even the slightest interest in high school recruiting know Ryner Swanson’s backstory. The heralded four-star recruit had more than 25 scholarship offers and could have gone virtually anywhere in the country, including football powerhouses like Oregon, Washington, Texas, and a host of SEC teams. He was one of the most prized offensive recruits in recent years for Kalani Sitake’s program.
Back in March, early reports coming out of Provo were that Swanson was impressing both coaches and teammates alike with his size, skill, and ability. A Deseret News article from the time highlighted quotes from Coach Sitake, Aaron Roderick, and tight ends coach Kevin Gilbride all praising Swanson’s play and touting his potential.
There seemed to be a clear path for Swanson to not only see the field as a true freshman, but to make an impact. Incumbent starter Isaac Rex had graduated. Keanu Hill was converting from wide receiver to tight end, a position switch that is rarely seamless. Returning players Ethan Erickson and Mata’ava Ta’ase combined for three receptions in 2023. Jackson Bowers, a 2023 four-star recruit, didn’t record any stats as a freshman last year and wasn’t rising up the depth chart heading into 2024.
From the outside looking in it seemed like Ryner Swanson was primed for a breakout freshman campaign. But through five games, here is his stat line:
5 games, 4 receptions, 35 yards, 0 touchdowns
Outside of a nice conversion on third-and-9 early in the game against SMU, Swanson’s impact has been muted.
Now that BYU’s talented freshman has cut his teeth at the Power 4 level, it’s time get him more involved in the offense.
Better incorporating Swanson and all of the tight ends
Over the course of its 5-0 start, BYU’s offense has been good. Not great. Not bad. Just good.
The Cougars offense is averaging 33.0 points per game which is tied for 46th among FBS teams. Again, that’s a good result. But when delving into the team’s offensive statistics, there's clearly a need to better incorporate tight ends into the passing game. Here are BYU’s receiving statistics by position thus far:
Wide receivers - 63 reception, 919 yards, 7 touchdowns
Running backs - 16 reception, 149 yards, 2 touchdowns
Tight ends - 14 receptions, 167 yards, 3 touchdowns
Through five games 14 of BYU’s 93 receptions - or roughly 15% - have come from tight ends. In BYU’s recent victory over Baylor, a game in which the Cougars offense bogged down and simply couldn’t move the ball in the second half, the lone reception from a tight end came from Keanu Hill on a six-yard gain.
Coming out of the bye week it would be smart for Aaron Roderick to incorporate more usage of the tight end position in the passing game. Tight ends can be a quarterback’s best friend, his security blanket when things get rough. Targeting tight ends also puts pressure on the defense by requiring linebacker and safeties alike to check the tight end, which can open up both the running and the passing games.
And should the Cougars look to get tight ends more involved in the passing game, the ball should be going to Ryner Swanson. Every route, every reception, every play he makes helps the team now and will prepare him for more success to come. Yes, Ryner will serve a mission after this season, but he has the talent to become one of the best tight ends BYU has produced in years.
Getting the tight ends more involved will help the offense as a whole.
Getting Ryner Swanson more involved will boost the offense this year and prepare the talented freshman for what could be a massively successful career.
It’s time to unleash Ryner Swanson.
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