College football is back, folks. Week one kicked off Thursday night and BYU football is just one day away. August is the time that hope springs eternal for every program (unless you are a top 10 team that lost in week 0) and BYU is no different. Without further ado, here are my five bold predictions as we prepare for the 100th season of BYU football.
BYU’s offenses under Aaron Roderick were top 20 in yards per play in each of his first 3 seasons as offensive coordinator, which made the drop to 115th nationally in 2023 all the more jarring. This author does not believe that Roderick forgot how to call an offense last season. Rather, the lack of continuity on offense coupled with the jump in opponent quality proved too much to overcome. Still, BYU’s offense did improve from 4.5 yards per play to 5.1 yards per play once Jake Retzlaff took over for the last 4 games of the season.
Continuity is not an issue this season, as BYU returns every receiver, multiple tight ends, three of their starting offensive linemen, their leading rusher and starting quarterback. A similar jump to the one they saw at the end of last season would put BYU at 5.7 yards per play, which would put BYU just inside the top 50 nationally last season. With the talent they have returning, BYU has the weapons to make that jump.
1. Tyler Batty and Jack Kelly will combine for more sacks than BYU had all last season
The bad news is BYU ranked bottom 10 in the country last year with 13 sacks. The good news is BYU hasn’t had a pair of pass rushers like Batty and Kelly since Kyle Van Noy and Ziggy Ansah tormented opposing pass rushers over a decade ago. Batty was the only player voted to the preseason All-Big 12 team and the hype surrounding him is warranted. Batty finished last season tied for sixth in the Big-2 with 5.5 sacks and first with 9 quarterback hits. He returns faster and stronger in 2024. What BYU fans may not know is that Batty’s job will be made significantly easier with Jack Kelly’s addition.
Kelly ranked 8th in the FCS with 10.5 sacks last season while adding four quarterback hits and 20 total pressures for Weber State. Adding a second elite passer rusher opposite Batty should turn a few of Batty’s quarterback hits into sacks this season, while Kelly will have plenty of chances coming off the edge in an aggressive Jay Hill defense. Ultimately, BYU should be a lot better at getting opponents behind the sticks than they were a year ago with these two alone.
The last time BYU returned a kickoff or punt return for a touchdown, the #1 song in the world was Megan Trainor’s "All About That Bass." It’s been that long. But BYU has a return tandem in Parker Kingston and Keelan Marion that are good enough to end the drought. Marion took a kickoff back for a touchdown last season before it was called back by a holding call on the opposite side of the field. Kingston is one of the fastest players BYU has ever had and, as anyone with a game console and CFB25 can attest, is a house call waiting to happen. One of them is bound to find the endzone sooner rather than later.
4. BYU’s starting quarterback will account for 30 total touchdowns
We don’t know who BYU’s starting quarterback will be in week one, but both are capable of scoring with both their arms and legs. Gerry Bohanon accounted for 27 total touchdowns in 2021 while sharing a backfield with a future NFL running back. 2023 Jake Retzlaff was on pace for nearly 20 total touchdowns over a 13-game season, and based on his showing during media observation in fall camp, Retzlaff is poised to take a big step forward. 30 touchdowns might be a stretch. Only Jaren Hall and Zach Wilson did it in the independence era, but both players can put up a 20/10 type season this year if the pieces fit together like we think they will.
This likely would not be considered a bold take in any other year but this one. Sandwiched between winnable games against Southern Illinois and Houston, BYU welcomes 4 preseason ranked teams to Provo including Kansas State, Arizona, Oklahoma State and Kansas. Winning just one of these games would surprise just about anyone outside of Provo, but most are underestimating how difficult it is to win in Lavell Edwards Stadium. BYU has finished their home slate with a .500 record or better in 19 of the last 20 seasons and is 5-2 in their last 7 home games vs. ranked opponents dating back to 2019. We recently discussed the argument for BYU winning each of their 12 games, but suffice it to say, BYU pulling off a home upset or two should not be surprising to the Cougar faithful.
