Provo • Brayden Cosper understood the perception that followed him into his fifth training camp.
There was no running from it.
Not with numbers like these: four years in the program, four total catches and three season-ending injuries.
For a man that was once a headliner of BYU’s 2018 signing class, his football career had been derailed. It got to the point this summer where Cosper’s name wasn’t even mentioned in the race to fill the shoes of departing receivers Samson Nacua and Neil Pau’u.
“He has always been there, he just hasn’t stayed healthy,” head coach Kalani Sitake said. “It is kind of bad luck with the injury bug.”
So this camp has provided a different starting point for Cosper. In years past, he was the darling of the receiver room, the highly rated recruit who had all the potential in the world. Now, he is the veteran that nobody is waiting on, the guy who is having to prove himself all over again.
BYU brought in younger guys ahead of him — Keanu Hill, Kody Epps, Chase Roberts — who have received much of the focus this offseason.
That is why it was so surprising that one of BYU’s most consistent playmakers this fall has been Cosper.
“I feel like my performance has been solid,” Cosper said. “I understand how special it is now to come out here. Just missing so much time in my career. ... I might not have the film [of the guys I’m competing with]. But I still have been here a really long time and I know the offense as well as anybody. Obviously you can’t get all the experience if you aren’t playing in games, but knowing the offense can make up for it.”
It raises the inevitable question, can a man with four total catches steal a job from a younger, up-and-coming player in camp?
This training camp has set up Cosper nicely to do it. BYU has strategically sat starting receivers Gunner Romney and Puka Nacua throughout fall camp for injury prevention. It has opened opportunities for younger players to get reps that might normally have to sit out.
Cosper started camp mostly working with Jacob Conover and the second group. More recently, he has lined up with Jaren Hall and the first team. Steadily he has made plays — maybe not with the flash that Roberts has thus far, but Cosper has been a consistent presence in camp.
“Cosper is in our rotation [now] for sure,” offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick said. “You are going to see [him] play in games.”
This has been a long time coming for Cosper. He tore his ACL during his freshman season. Then he tore his meniscus and had a micro-fracture the year after.
In 2020 he played in 10 games sparingly and logged four catches. And then in 2021, he was out again with a broken wrist.
The injury riddled game log is not what was expected from a three-star recruit that came in with Dax Milne and Zach Wilson. Cosper was the headliner out of that group, but both have moved onto the NFL before Cosper has made a mark.
“If there was ever a time to be healthy, this is going to be the year [he has to],” Sitake said. “He fits the position group really well. Big body that can catch the ball. I’m really excited about him being on the field.”
So maybe this year will lead to the role Cosper was supposed to hold four years ago.
He didn’t think this would be his path to playing time, but this last chance might be his best.
