After 11-2 campaign in 2024, 'there's still a lot of work to be done' at BYU football

PROVO — After BYU football wrapped up the second full week of spring training camp Saturday morning, defensive coordinator Jay Hill was asked if he felt like his defensive personnel were ready for the 2026 season "if it started today," a supreme hypothetical but also a litmus test for the spring practice period.

The third-year defensive coordinator from Lehi paused for a moment to consider it. Then he quickly interjected with a thoughtful answer, noting the Cougars' preparation level — but with a significant "but."

"Do I think we'd win? Yes. Do I love where we're at if (fall camp) started today? Not yet," Hill said.

He then added: "It's fine. We still have six spring practices, and then 25 in the fall. There's still a lot of work to be done."

The Cougars know they won't take anyone by surprise coming off a breakout 11-2 campaign, top-four finish in the Big 12, and No. 13 ranking in the final Associated Press poll. But they aren't acting like it, either.

For Hill, the biggest necessity has been adding size up front — a need BYU improved with the additions of 300-pound defensive linemen Keanu Tanuvasa from Utah and Anisi Purcell from Southern Utah.

One season after relying on a variety of stunts and slants from the likes of Tyler Batty, Isaiah Bagnah, John Nelson and company, Hill's 4-3 defense could be more straightforward with the added size — not to mention Texas transfer Tausili Akana off the edge.

The progression continues on offense, where rising redshirt-senior quarterback Jake Retzlaff enters spring and fall as the unquestioned starter for the first time in his BYU career.

That's new for the one-time junior college transfer from Corona, California after previously competing with Kedon Slovis and Gerry Bohanon Jr. for the spot the past two years.

But Retzlaff likens the progression to his education: at first, he was focused on his general education classes. Then came picking a major and earning his bachelor's degree. Now, he's ready for graduate school in Aaron Roderick's offense, hopefully earning his master's in throw game for the fall, with a focus on "details and dialing in on them."

"It's totally a new dynamic for me," Retzlaff said. "One thing I try to do is keep the same mentality: still got to get better and match the details of the game."

The Cougars also beefed up the offensive side of the line of scrimmage, including 6-foot-4, 310-pound Southern Utah transfer Kyle Sfarcioc at guard and 315-pound Michigan transfer Andrew Gentry at tackle, among others.

Roderick likes Sfarcioc for his "tough guy" mentality, a guard who embraces the interior of the line rather than wishing he played tackle. He's also one of the strongest guys in the weight room, the former BYU wide receiver added, and brings 25 games of experience from his time in Cedar City, including nine starts a year ago.

But making it to BYU like Sfarcioc, or to the top-four doesn't mean the Cougars have arrived, Roderick added. Heck, the program didn't even play for the Big 12 championship a year ago despite finished tied for first in the 16-team conference with unbalanced scheduling.

Plenty of close games didn't go BYU's way, like the 17-13 home loss to Kansas and a 28-23 loss at Arizona State that featured a bizzare premature field-storming by Arizona State students and fans in Tempe.

But the Cougars were just as close to the other direction with a 1-point win over Utah, a late rally to hold off Oklahoma State by 3, and single-possession road wins over SMU and Baylor. The difference between 11-2 and 7-6 was about as close as it comes.

That makes the spring practice period as important as any other, for a BYU program trying to take the next step — going from nice story fading in and out of contention to conference championship appearance and College Football Playoff contender.

The margins are slight. But the Cougars aren't there yet.

It's why they have have six more spring practices, and 25 in the fall, right?

"I don't think anybody thinks we've arrived," Roderick said. "I think all of our players are aware, we had a great season last year … but everybody knows that every week is going to be a fight in this conference. We're not going to sneak up on anyone this year."

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