NFL News NFL News, Reports and Updates
BYU Cougars quarterback Jake Retzlaff (12) gives the play to the offense as BYU and Oklahoma play at LaVell Edwards stadium in Provo on Saturday, Nov. 18, 2023. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
If BYU’s recently completed 2023 football season, the Cougars’ first in the Big 12, unveiled anything, it was that the program that spent 12 seasons as a college football independent did not have the talent level and depth needed to compete week in and week out in a Power Five conference.
The Cougars went 5-7 in Kalani Sitake’s eighth season at the helm and will miss a bowl game for just the second time in 19 seasons.
It wasn’t that the Cougars lost seven games that was the most discouraging aspect of the season. A losing season was expected by most.
It was how the Cougars lost four of those games, barely looking competitive against TCU, Texas, West Virginia and Iowa State.
“We bring in a lot of people to look at a lot of people to narrow it down to the ones we take. You hope like crazy that you make good evaluations and that they are going to fit into the culture of the team, and that they are going to fit into the scheme, or the system you have, whatever the sport might be.” — BYU athletic director Tom Holmoe on the transfer portal
How can BYU close the talent gap?
The obvious answer is the transfer portal, which opened last week and will remain open until Jan. 2.
There has already been a lot of action in the college football free agency market, including at BYU.
Last week, BYU landed a commitment from punter Sam Vander Haar, who played for Pitt in 2022 and sat out the 2023 season.
And as of midday Monday, no fewer than eight players who have been a part of the BYU football team the past year have entered the portal, most notably defensive ends Michael and John Henry Daley, receiver Dom Henry and running back Miles…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/assessing-byu-needs-transfer-portal-233000761.html
Author : Deseret News
Publish date : 2023-12-11 23:30:00
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.
