Get ready, BYU is set to have one of — if not THE — largest group of players representing the football program this fall in the NFL in school history. With nearly two dozen players currently working out or playing for their respective NFL team, there’s a good chance you could catch at least one Cougar in action on Thursday, Sunday and Monday.
Add in a BYU game on Saturday and maybe a high school game that features a BYU recruit on Fridays, and you’ve got nearly a full week of BYU-related football action.
We all know guys like Zach Wilson, Taysom Hill and Fred Warner will definitely see action, but some of the other guys — mostly rookies — have really impressed their coaches, particularly in the first preseason game last weekend, and could break into their respective depth chart.
Former BYU linebacker Isaiah Kaufusi, whose cousins Bronson and Corbin Kaufusi are also in the NFL, had a huge play on Sunday for the Indianapolis Colts — a fourth-down stop, forcing the Carolina Panthers to turnover on downs.
Kaufusi ended up playing against two former teammates, Brady Christensen and Micah Simon.
Dax Milne, who has been impressing the Washington coaching staff, went up against BYU alums Harvey Langi and Kyle Van Noy and the rest of the New England Patriots.
“He has progressed very well. He really has,” Washington coach Ron Rivera said of Milne this week. “You see his natural route running ability showing in certain situations, circumstances.”
Rivera added: “He is a good route runner with good size. To me, that is a pleasant surprise. For a guy that plays slot, you usually have a smaller guy. This guy had a little more size and he looked good out there on the football field.”
And those are just some of the highlights. Time will tell how many former Cougars break into the depth chart once the season starts, but BYU will be well represented in the NFL this fall.
Quick hits
• My co-worker and Trib sports columnist Gordon Monson is of the same mindset as me: The BYU coaching staff knows who its starting quarterback is, but they just aren’t saying. While I expect coaches to stay mum on the case longer, I spoke to an elite quarterback trainer about who he thinks will lead the Cougars this fall. Stay tuned for Sunday’s story.
• Speaking of the quarterback battle, Jaren Hall took a play out of Zach Wilson’s book and spent his offseason with John Beck at 3DQB in Southern California. Question is, will it pay off the same way it did for Zach?
• One young player who has been turning coaches’ heads this fall has been Miles Davis. The freshman has impressed the coaching staff so much that Kalani Sitake has said he’s been a surprise and Aaron Roderick said Davis will definitely play this fall.
Other voices
• Zach Wilson has always been a fan of Aaron Rodgers, but now he got the chance to fanboy around the veteran NFL quarterback during a joint practice with the New York Jets and Green Bay Packers.
• Last month, Washington State coach Nick Rolovich attended the Pac-12 Media Day virtually due to his decision to not get the COVID-19 vaccine. Now, he may be forced to get the vaccine or lose his job.
• Uriah “Lopa” Leiataua answers 20 questions about the team for The Daily Herald.
