After BYU’s 2024 football season ended with a 36-14 thumping of Coach Prime’s Colorado Buffaloes in the Alamo Bowl, head coach Kalani Sitake and offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick almost immediately began talking about the biggest impediments they would face in attempting to replicate the standout year in 2025.
That would be pride, complacency and arrogance.
“By no means can we start thinking we’ve arrived,” Sitake said.
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That theme continued through offseason workouts in January and February and into spring camp, even as the Cougars added more pieces to the 2025 roster, including a couple of Utah’s players — Keanu Tanuvasa and Carsen Ryan — and one who got away a few years ago, Michigan offensive lineman Andrew Gentry.
Coming out of spring camp, more optimism ensued, as Oklahoma State’s Justin Kirkland, Stanford’s Tiger and Bear Bachmeier and San Diego State’s Tayvion Beasley jumped aboard from the transfer portal.
Then disaster struck, as starting quarterback Jake Retzlaff’s situation unfolded, eventually leading to the first Jewish QB in BYU history leaving the program and walking on at Tulane.
No doubt about it, Retzlaff will be missed in Provo, although his stats were rather mediocre. His intangibles, including his ability to make something out of nothing with his legs and penchant for pulling off come-from-behind wins (SMU, Utah and Oklahoma State come to mind) will be hard to duplicate.
His leadership will also be missed, as he emerged as the face of a program that went 7-2 in its second season in the Big 12 and finished in a four-way tie for the best record in the Big 12.
At the Big 12 football media days, Sitake and several players mentioned that…
Source link : https://www.deseret.com/sports/2025/07/29/byu-football-storylines-five-compelling-predictions-fall-training-camp/
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Publish date : 2025-07-30 03:00:00
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