BYU football kicks off their first game of the 2024 season in just under months. A few changes could still happen between now and then but for the most part, the roster is set. The Cougars enter their second season of Big 12 play looking for a redemption tour after failing to make a bowl game last season.
That being said, head coach Kalani Sitake has his work cut out for him this fall. The conference got deeper. Their roster had some notable players leave. What are the biggest concerns heading into the 2024 season?
Quarterbacks
BYU was spoiled with a nice run of quarterbacks between Zach Wilson and Jaren Hall. Last year was a harsh dose of reality. Kedon Slovis was good, but not great. Then he got hurt. Jake Retzlaff finished the season, starting the final four games. He barely completed 50 percent of his passes and was something of a turnover machine.
The former JUCO standout enters year two in the BYU program. As of now, he has a legitimate shot at starting the season as the starting quarterback. He is a great athlete with ideal mobility. The biggest question will be- how much better can he get between late last season and this coming fall?
If Retzlaff isn’t the starter, it will be because the coaching staff feels Gerry Bohanon is the better option. After six seasons at two different programs, Bohanon comes to BYU for one last ride. He’s had something of a fall from grace after being the starting QB for a Baylor team that won the Big 12 and a Sugar Bowl in 2021.
Since then, he transferred to South Florida where he struggled to stay on the field. Last year with the Bulls, he did not attempt a single pass. He comes to Provo looking for a strong finish to a long roller coaster of a career.
Neither option instills immediate confidence in the fan base at the moment. Both have their warts. It’s up to the coaching staff and the two signal callers to maximize their talents and surprise fans and experts with a solid year.
Offensive Line
If there was one position unit that got more scrutiny than the quarterbacks for BYU last year, it was the offensive line. Mostly, that is due to the lack of reliability compared to the immense talent they had on paper. Kingsley Suamataia is gone, now on the Kansas City Chiefs. Frankly, even he was somewhat disappointing last season.
Oklahoma State transfer Caleb Etienne brought lots of excitement as the right tackle before the season. In the end, he was a massive disappointment, with a 53.6 overall Pro Football Focus grade. He eventually lost his starting role to Brayden Keim.
Both Keim and Etienne return this season.
BYU ranked a paltry 120th in rushing yards per game last season, and 121st in total offense. Of the 68 Power 5 teams last year, BYU ranked 51st in run blocking.
Plus, they need to protect a quarterback who, themselves, need to vastly improve.
Needless to say, the Cougars need a much better showing from their big guys on the offensive line this season. Keim might slot into the left tackle position. Connor Pay returns at center. They need to pave the way for the offense for this team to survive a tough schedule.
Strength of Schedule
Speaking of schedule, the Big 12 did BYU no favors this season. Of the 11 Big 12 teams that are returning to the conference for 2024 from last season, BYU is slated to play three of the top four teams (Oklahoma State, Kansas State, Kansas).
Arizona also comes to Provo fresh off of a resurgent season, finishing 10-3 and No. 11 in the final AP poll. Not to mention the Cougars travel to hostile Rice-Eccles Stadium to play Utah on the road, who has eyes on a Big 12 title and College Football Playoff berth.
Between October 12 and November 16, BYU plays Arizona, Oklahoma State, then at UCF and at Utah after the bye.
BYU is slated to play five teams who finished last season in the final AP Top 25.
For comparison, Utah does not play Kansas or Kansas State. They get Arizona and Iowa State at home. Plus, they only have to leave the Mountain Time Zone once between September 28 and November 23. They only play two teams who finished last year in the top 25.
For a BYU team looking to bounce back from a disappointing 5-7 season, the schedule is not in their favor.