Provo • Korbyn Green couldn’t yet move into his BYU arranged housing when he showed up in June.
So the freshman from Oklahoma unloaded his things into an Airbnb in the middle of Provo, eager to get a head start learning the playbook.
For a week in temporary accommodations, he would get picked up by senior Kaleb Hayes and spend most of the day at the Cougars’ practice facility. They ran and lifted, but more than anything they studied the foundations of BYU’s defense.
It was a necessary endeavor for a player hoping to crack the rotation in his first year out of high school.
“The older guys have really helped me out with the transition,” Green said of his last six months. “It was kind of hard at first... But I have been getting into the playbook a little bit and getting into the rotation. I want my role to start on the travel squad and see what happens. Still trying to learn and get out there.”
Green has been on a whirlwind tour since February. For the longest time, Green figured he would end up at Baylor. The rest of the recruiting world did too.
The Bears’ master recruiter, and former Texas high school football coach, Joey McGuire latched onto Green early and made him a priority. Generally speaking in Big 12 circles, if McGuire is involved in the race, the recruitment is basically over. Nebraska threw its hat in the ring, so too did Kansas State. But that was checking a box, assuming Green would be a Bear.
Then just weeks before the signing period, McGuire unexpectedly bolted from Waco to take the head coaching job at Texas Tech. Baylor kept Green’s offer, but the dynamic of the conversations changed.
So Green went looking for something else.
“I have a lot of friends out in Oklahoma,” BYU cornerbacks coach Jernaro Gilford said. “I worked camps out there and my friends brought [Green] to me, brought me his film and as a staff we did our homework on him.”
Within a couple of days, Green visited BYU and talked to head coach Kalani Sitake. On the day of the February signing period, Green’s name appeared as the only BYU player from Oklahoma.
“The more I looked into BYU, I thought this was a really good program,” Green said.
While Green needed BYU, it was a reciprocal transaction. BYU needed young corners to infuse depth into the secondary this season, and guys who could contribute immediately.
After the medical retirement of Keenan Ellis and Isaiah Herron, BYU was down to two experienced players to headline the group. Hayes was one of them. D’Angelo Mandell was another.
Gabe Jeudy-Lally was brought in as a transfer from Vanderbilt. Jakob Robinson was a second-year transfer. But there was a reason BYU went scrambling that late in the recruiting process for a corner.
Green brings speed to the secondary, which could add a different dynamic to the defense. He was immediately placed in the two-deep depth chart handed out in June. And he was one of the few freshmen to make the travel roster to Tampa last week.
“The young corners are super fast. They have a ton of speed and it shows on the field,” Sitake said. “We just need to make sure they have the defense down and the technique right. Being fast is good, but when you are wrong, you are more wrong. They definitely have the tools.”
Right now, Green is trying to close the gap between his skills and his command of the playbook. Things like spending the day at the facility help. So too does hanging out at Robinson’s house breaking down film. Green has incorporated that into his weekly schedule, along with talks with Jeudy-Lally about playing the ball in the air.
The faster he catches up, the better for BYU. Against South Florida, the secondary showed some of its cracks, with a couple of blown coverages in the second half. Against Baylor, those cracks could lead to touchdowns.
Green, meanwhile, thinks he is close to being ready to contribute.
“I’m ready for it,” he said. “I’m excited for it, start making plays and get ready.”
Maybe this week, against the team he was supposed to sign with, will be his moment.
