The Offensive Captains selected by the team for Summer are – Connor Pay, Jake Retzlaff, Gerry Bohanon, Chase Roberts, Kody Epps and Mason Fakahua.

Guys are working hard (not flying around) and gathering weekly for PRPs (player run practices). If you saw the number of coaches involved in PRPs and the level of “coaching” going on, you’d wonder why they still call them PRPs. But nonetheless…

QB

That gives a little insight as to who is perceived as a “leader” on the offensive side of the ball – especially under center. You have Jake, with a year in our system under his belt, going to Cali to train with John Beck. There are certain WRs who typically accompany Jake when he goes to Cali. Jake is absolutely putting in the work. If he comes up short in 2024, it won’t be from lack of effort or preparation. Jake has some very confident leadership qualities. Offensive players are ready to back him should he win the position.

Lots of offensive players are playing the cautious “wait and see” game when it comes to embracing the QBs. It still could go either way and looks like both could see reps in certain packages. Read into that as you may.

Gerry is also a leader. His personality is very different from Jake’s. He is a quiet grinder. He’s not overly vocal. His quiet workhorse personality is admired by teammates. He has his guys. There are plenty of WRs and offensive skills guys who put in work with Gerry. Some of them are not guys who typically make the trips to Cali with Jake. Gerry is by far one of the best athletes on the team. One of the fastest guys in the program right now. He’s not going to take a lot of sacks and any team would have to account for his legs immediately. The biggest question with Gerry is the health of his shoulder. He’s made a lot of progress and has plenty of support on the team and in the WR room.

Bourget showed some flashes of competing potential late in the Spring. His development, along with the signing of Hillstead, likely lead to the retirement of Fennegan. Fennegan will remain with the team as a QB GA and will likely continue to be one of the offensive signal callers but his days competing to be QB3 ish are over.

Don’t be surprised if we see 3 QBs take snaps during the 2024 season. Hillstead would be a good bet if we see 3 guys taking game reps in 2024.

WR

No big surprises here. This rotation will likely go 4-5 deep depending on health and performance. Your WR1’s will most likely be Lassiter, Roberts, and Epps. There will be specialized plays for guys like Kingston. Marion and Phillips will clean up the rest of the reps.

If you are betting on another player to get reps early in his career at WR, bet on Cody Hagen. Cody has the benefit of having a brother in the QB room who watches film with him every day and has helped Cody crush the learning curve. Cody is still shaking off mission rust but mentally he is already ahead of other guys competing in the WR from WR7-WR12. There are developmental guys in that room who are still drinking from a firehouse when it comes to learning the position.

TE

Reports throughout the Spring and Summer surrounding Swanson are well documented. Enjoy his explosion onto the scene in 2024 but don’t get too attached because he will leave for the mission field in early 2025. The kid is an absolute stud, on and off the field. The only reason we have him for 2024 is because he’s only 17 and couldn’t head out on the mission yet. Keanu will be a fun one to watch compete at the TE position. His route running will stand him apart in the room. His blocking and other TE responsibilities are still TBD. He is physical. He can be chippy. Jackson Bowers is back out competing during PRPs. He missed most of the Spring with injury – as did Ethan Erickson.

RB

LJ is out of his sling and working like he wants to be RB1. Ropati is a full grown man who is absolutely capable and ready to take on the load of RB1. Don't be surprised if Ropati pushes LJ at RB1 through the Fall. Miles continues to develop at the position. He has changed his body sufficiently and could be a really nice homerun hitter in the backfield. Be patient but keep your eye on the two young RBs out of Timpview (I know that sounds like lazy recruiting). Pokai is the speed guy. Moa is the power guy. Those two could bring back an all poly backfield with both lightening and thunder. Both are developing nicely and should be ready to do heavy lifting in our backfield in 2025 and beyond.


Defensive Captains selected for the Summer are Tyler Batty, John Nelson, Talan Alfrey, and Tanner Wall.

Our expanding and developing defensive scheme will absolutely make us better in 2024. The focus on DL technique, approach, and scheme will help our DL depth perform better in 2024 than in the first year of Jay's defense. We still don't have a ton of depth on the D line but guys who were not developing under the last defensive system started to really show growth in the Spring. We will absolutely pressure QBs more from the edges in 2024 based on scheme and personnel.

Linebacker

A lot hinges on Bywater's recovery. Keep your prayers coming and fingers crossed because a healthy Bywater makes our defense better. Jack Kelly has a high motor and on paper seems poised to do heavy lifting at LB. If health is not limiting then LB1's will likely be Bywater, Kelly, Glasker, and Kaufusi. LB2's will be Taggart, Esera, and whoever wants it the most - maybe Bryant fills that opening. Aisa Moa is playing backer now so keep an eye on him. This position is loaded with athletic potential but not a whole lot of game experience.

Nickel and Safeties

A healthy Harper will likely get the start at Nickel. If things at corner were a bit more stable, I suspect we would see JRob playing Nickel and Harper would play Strong. Depth at Nickel will be Preston Rex and Koa Eldredge. Don't be surprised if Chika ends up getting some reps at Nickel. Chika is likely done at safety so he will either play corner or Nickel moving forward.

Strong Safety
Alfrey will enter Fall camp as SS1 but a recovering Wakely and a game savvy Slade will absolutely push Alfrey. Alfrey has the best size at the spot, unless Damuni gets his wish and moves to SS. Alfrey hasn't quite returned to his pre injury speed but what he lacks in speed he makes up in physicality and tackling technique. Wakely was nothing but solid throughout 2023 and proved that he can play the position competitively in the Big 12.

FS
A recovered Wall will likely enter Fall camp as FS1. Wall started 4 games in 2023 and prior to his injury, was the highest rated safety on our defense. He gave up no balls over the top and showed that he could come down hill and stop the run. He is the best tackler we have at FS. Damuni played some FS in 2023 but his skillset may be better suited to play closer to the LOS. He has a backer mentality and may really flourish at SS. Damuni just had surgery after Spring ball so he may miss some of Fall camp. A recovering Damuni will likely lead to a real opportunity for Prassas to step up and try to earn some reps. Our safety position is a very physically demanding position. Look at all of the injuries we have had at the position over the last 2 seasons. The depth at FS is a real concern. In a perfect world we would not even consider playing a 17 year old kid on the back end of our defense against the brutal and physical offenses we face in the Big 12. Chika is likely done at safety so expect him to compete at corner or Nickel. Keep your prayers rolling here that we can keep Wall healthy and that Damuni can bounce back from surgery, ready to contribute at safety. Satuala is now in camp and is running drills with the safeties currently. I don't expect to see Satuala at safety in 2025 and beyond.