If there were a checklist made for what BYU wanted in its next quarterback, it would probably look something like this:
• Accuracy
• Power Five experience
• Leadership
Offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick basically said as much during signing day last week. But he made clear, above all else, he wanted a quarterback who could “get the ball out of his hands and put it where he wants to put it.”
And if it’s that simple, then Kedon Slovis is pretty much the exact prototype, ready-made, for what BYU needs at present.
The former USC and Pitt quarterback signed with the Cougars last week after BYU starter Jaren Hall declared for the NFL draft.
There will be more moves to come, but this is at least a foundational piece BYU can start to build around in 2023. Here is what Slovis brings to the program, as presently constructed.
Strengths
Slovis is a four-year starter who has completed nearly 66% of his throws at the Power Five level. He’s played in 38 games across multiple systems — giving him more starting experience than Hall even. And when he is at his best, Slovis has put together a body of work showing he has the arm talent to make every throw and be one of the more accurate quarterbacks in the sport.
Just look at his 2019 USC season: Slovis completed 83% of his throws from 10 yards and in, 64% from within 20 yards and 57% from 20-plus yards. It really doesn’t get much better than that.
In fact, all of those numbers best what Hall did this year.
That 2019 season, Slovis was quietly in the same conversation as Heisman Trophy winner Joe Burrow as one of the more efficient deep-ball throwers in the country. He was making smart decisions too, with 10 touchdowns to just two interceptions when pushing the ball downfield.
Top five passers on attempts of 20-plus yards in 2019. (Courtesy of Pro Football Focus)
If every season looked like that, Slovis wouldn’t still be in college, but the quarterback has lacked that consistency.
Still, there is plenty there for BYU to work with.
Slovis will stand in under pressure and has the athleticism to run when he needs to. He is not the running threat Hall or even Zach Wilson was, but he is mobile enough.
Above all, though, BYU added a quarterback who has been there and looks the part. That’s what BYU really needed. Slovis was a captain at USC and Pitt. He will be a guy with plenty of experience on a team that won’t have much next year.
His tools and talents theoretically mesh well with Roderick’s offense. And he has plenty of tools and talents, even if they don’t always show. That is what you probably should expect from a now two-time transfer playing on a one-year rental for BYU.
Weaknesses
For as tantalizing as that freshman season was for Slovis, it hasn’t looked the same any year after it.
Some of it is due to circumstance. In 2020, the COVID season, Slovis was coming off an injury and admitted his confidence wasn’t all the way there. In 2021, his last at USC, his receiving corps wasn’t as strong and he again dealt with some injuries.
During his season at Pitt, the program introduced a new offensive coordinator who instituted a run-first system relying heavily on play action. His top receiver, Jordan Addison, left for USC and Slovis never looked fully comfortable in his 11 months there.
There have been some concerning trends over the past three years, and Slovis is not a surefire addition.
His accuracy — the one thing BYU’s passing attack absolutely requires — has regressed each season. Statistically, he is coming off his worst season: He completed just 58% of his throws in 2022. In particular, his deep-ball accuracy plummeted to 35.8% — good for 82nd in the country. Hall ranked 14th nationally in that category a year ago and churned out 13 touchdowns throwing deep.
USC and Pitt quarterback Kedon Slovis' passing depth chart, courtesy of Pro Football Focus.
When it comes to taking care of the ball — something Hall did better than any quarterback in BYU history — Slovis has been a concern. He had nine interceptions to only 10 touchdowns in 2022. The year before that it was eight interceptions to 11 touchdowns.
He has never been a low-interception player. Even during his best season, Slovis threw nine interceptions. But at least that year he was still young and averaging more attempts. In 2019, he averaged an interception every 43.5 throws. In 2022, that number is now one for every 35 attempts. For reference, Hall averaged one every 65 attempts in his career.
Another concern: Slovis has been injured often. He’s dealt with concussions, elbow issues, and a leg problem.
And the most damaging argument to make is that maybe Slovis was the beneficiary of the extremely talented wide receiver room in 2019. Michael Pittman Jr., Amon-Ra St. Brown, Drake London and Tyler Vaughns were the leading receivers that year.
Once Slovis was without the benefit of that level of talent, his production dipped.
That said, even if you take that freshman year out of the equation, he is a 63% career passer. It isn’t Hall’s level, but it is accurate. And in 2019, he still had to make the throws and he did.
Fit
No transfer quarterback is going to be flawless, and Slovis certainly has his fair share of concerns. At the top of mind have to be accuracy and health. They are necessities for BYU next year.
The Cougars can work with the rest, including his lack of being a true runner. Roderick essentially called games for Hall without him running the ball, trying to keep him healthy. So that part, even if it is new, can work.
Slovis is coming into a program that is losing veterans at receiver, which is problematic. His main crew will consist of Chase Roberts, Keanu Hill and Kody Epps.
But Slovis is still a clear upgrade from the current options on the roster and has the talent that once made him one of the better quarterbacks in the country. BYU doesn’t necessarily need Slovis to regain everything he was in 2019 either, but he does need to be better than he was in 2022.
BYU’s offense is much closer to what USC ran than what Pitt ran last year. This might be the scheme, and the change of scenery, Slovis needs to get back into form.
