In the lead-up to the Big 12′s pro day last spring, Darius Lassiter was oscillating between two training regiments.
On the one hand, BYU’s receiver was going through speed work to prepare for an array of combine drills. If he declared for the draft, he’d need a strong showing in front of scouts.
And on the other, he was lifting like it was a normal college football offseason. If he was going to stay in Provo, he’d need to add weight before a second year in the Power Four.
The issue: He didn’t know exactly which way he was going to go. The NCAA was reviewing his waiver to play one more year in college. He wanted to be at BYU, but the decision was out of his hands.
“It was just a waiting game at that point. I was still going through the workouts, training just in case it didn’t go through,” he said. “Regardless of whether I had to declare for the draft, I was still going to be in shape to be ready to go at Pro Day and compete.”
Lassiter now has his answer: He is returning to Provo to play a final year in college. It is a welcome sign for BYU just as much as it is for Lassiter.
The Cougars are banking on stability being the key to fuel a postseason berth in 2024. The receiving corp — led by returners like Lassiter, Chase Roberts and Keelan Marion — will anchor the offense. Even without a starting quarterback in place, it will be the veterans around him that make the offense work.
“We know that either one of those guys [Jake Retzlaff or Gerry Bohanon] can go out there and be our quarterback,” Lassiter said. “We got to be available for both of them. Got to be able to make the same plays we make for one, make them for the other one.”
Lassiter had 365 receiving yards and four touchdowns last year, making him BYU’s third-leading receiver after Roberts and tight end Isaac Rex.
Lassiter could have introduced a third option to his offseason plans if he tested the transfer portal, but he decided against it.
“I wouldn’t say I was close to wanting to leave. I feel like it was a 50/50 chance whether I stayed or left. I was wanting to come back and have this opportunity one more time,” he said.
In Lassiters’ mind, just having two options was more than enough.
Quick Hits
• What the new EA college football video game got right about BYU, and what it got wrong
• Gordon Monson: Good news and bad for BYU’s Kalani Sitake in the weeks ahead
