Observations From Indoor Practice At BYU Football Camp
Aug 12, 2024, 8:36 PM | Updated: 10:57 pm
BYU Football freshman wide receiver Cody Hagen makes a catch during fall camp practice. (Jaren Wilkey, BYU Photo)
(Jaren Wilkey, BYU Photo)
PROVO, Utah – BYU football entered week three of fall camp practice.
It was another rainy Monday at BYU camp. Unlike last week, lightning strikes in the area caused the practice to move inside to the Indoor Practice Facility.
Rain caused #BYU to kick off week three of fall camp inside the IPF.#BYUFootball pic.twitter.com/G03Lz1jD1Z
— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) August 13, 2024
The media was able to observe 20 minutes of practice. Here are some of the observations.
BYU’s quarterbacks, particularly Jake Retzlaff, performed well on Monday.
Jake Retzlaff had strong throws during Monday’s practice
Retzlaff was the first quarterback the media saw take snaps during the observation window.
Then, during the two-minute segment of practice, he was on the first-team offense while Bohanon followed with the second-team unit.
Retzlaff connected on a 30-yard pass to Kody Epps, putting the offense inside the red zone.
Retzlaff tossed a laser to Jojo Phillips for a first down earlier in the practice.
Gerry Bohanon’s highlight play was also in the two-minute period. Bohanon connected over the middle to Keelan Marion for a first down.
The former Baylor/USF quarterback did have some miscues. A short pass intended for a wide-open Parker Kingston was a bit off target, causing Kingston to bobble the catch and eventually drop the attempt altogether.
BYU head coach Kalani Sitake has consistently said that the quarterbacks have improved since fall camp began.
The performances from the QBs in Monday’s practice backed up Sitake’s commentary.
Chika Ebunoha grabs an interception
Redshirt sophomore Chika Ebunoha had an interception on McCae Hillstead.
Hillstead attempted a deep pass for Ty West in the endzone. Ebunoha picked it off.
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When he hit the turf, West tried to wrangle the ball away from him, but officials called it an interception.
It was a highlight play for Ebunoha, who’s a good athlete in BYU’s secondary. But what was also noteworthy was that he was lining up at cornerback.
Since he arrived at BYU in 2022, he has competed at safety.
It was the first time in fall camp during a media observation period that Ebunoha took snaps at the cornerback position.
Kickers put to work
For the first time in fall camp, the media got a strong sample size of the kicking game.
Will Ferrin returns as the starting kicker and he booted four of his five attempts.
The lone miss was a 42-yard attempt. Sitake said to the media that it was Ferrin’s first miss of camp.
Ferrin followed the miss, burying a 50-yard attempt, then a 46-yarder and a 34-yard attempt.
The former Boise State transfer also booted a 31-yard field goal through the uprights to cap off Jake Retzlaff’s two-minute drill drive.
Like Ferrin, Dunn also hit four of his five attempts. The lone miss was a 44-yard attempt from the left hash. He hit a 43-yard attempt.
Dunn also made a 34-yard field goal to give Gerry Bohanon’s second-team offense points in the two-minute segment.
Cody Hagen is showing glimpses of his talent
BYU freshman receiver Cody Hagen, months removed from serving a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in San Bernardino, California, had a nice day at practice on Monday.
There was a moment in the observation period when he was giving guidance to fellow freshman Tei Nacua on where to line up.
On that same play, Hagen caught a pass in the flat from Bohanon.
Offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick said on Monday it has been “unbelievable how fast he’s picked up” BYU’s offense.
Faces in the crowd
Former BYU, NFL cornerback Robertson Daniel was at practice lending his advice to Marque Collins during practice.
Daniel also got some additional work in with the cornerbacks inside the Indoor Practice Field after practice concluded.
Former BYU kicker/punter Matt Payne was in attendance at practice on Monday.
Payne’s son, Tyler, is a star linebacker for Weber High School and a current BYU commit in the class of 2025.
Tyler Payne and Weber High take on Westlake High this Friday.
Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for KSLsports.com and hosts the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (12–3 p.m.) on KSL Newsradio. Follow Mitch’s coverage of BYU in the Big 12 Conference on X: @Mitch_Harper.
