Whenever the BYU football coaches settle on the guy they want throwing the ball this fall, the Cougars expect to have plenty of weapons for him at receiver.
While there may only be two starting wide receiver positions available on BYU’s depth chart, coaches say there’s a well of talent on tap — even if they’re still battling for position in fall camp. BYU passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach Fesi Sitake said he’s not ready to share his depth chart, but it’s taking shape.
“I can say that Neil [Pau’u] and Gunner [Romney], it’s not a surprise, are two guys that we’re going to be investing in — they’re proven guys,” Sitake said. “But after that, there’s a plethora of receivers who, with a little bit more time and reps, I can start to discuss that more.”
So far through camp, the highly-touted transfer brothers Samson and Puka Nacua have played on a limited basis, but should still be in a position to contribute production in the fall. Samson came to BYU from Utah, and has one season of eligibility left. Puka came to Provo after two seasons at Washington and still has three years of eligibility left.
Even though they haven’t been a huge part of BYU’s rotation so far, Sitake said the brothers bring a lot of personality and energy to the team.
“But when they go, they’ve shown and proven that they got the playbook down and can make plays when the ball comes their way,” Sitake said.
Having those four players — Pau’u, Romney and the Nacuas — could be enough for most teams to build the position, but BYU has continued developing its younger players as well. Sitake said Keanu Hill and Brayden Cosper have had a great fall camp and Chris Jackson has taken a big step in his development. But then there’s also Hobbs Nyberg, Sitake said, who’s taken advantage of his opportunities.
“I can go down the list. Everyone’s done something well, but those are some of the guys that have really stepped up this camp,” Sitake said.
Another player in the group, Cody Epps, saw limited action through six games last season. But the returner was then struggling with injury throughout spring camp — something he dealt with throughout the 2020 season. Sitake explained that Epps has been dealing with a foot issue, which is something that shouldn’t be pushed, but the freshman is ready mentally.
“He’s so competitive, but he’s someone who I’m just slow playing and not forcing it,” Sitake said. “That’s why we haven’t seen a ton of him this fall.”
Now that the Cougars are in their third week of fall camp, Sitake said he’s happy to see — not just his group of players, but the whole team — practice and play with intensity, passion and energy, especially as the team is in the toughest part of camp.
“I think that right there is just a product of the culture and the leadership we have on this team,” Sitake said. “I’ve been really, really pleased with the energy and the excitement that these guys are just playing in the toughest part of fall camp.”
