PROVO — Losing two of your top-three pass catchers is never ideal, but BYU feels it can make-do at wide receiver despite some high-profile departures — and possibly even build on last year's 11-2 campaign.
The Cougars lost Darius Lassiter to graduation despite a late appeal to gain another season of eligibility, and Keelan Marion's entry to the transfer portal was a surprise for wide receivers coach Fesi Sitake.
After all, top receiver Chase Roberts — who was earned All-Big 12 preseason honors by Athlon Sports with place kicker Will Ferrin and linebacker Isaiah Glasker after leading the Cougars with 854 yards and four touchdowns last year — is back, as is Associated Press All-Bowl punt returner Parker Kingston and rising talents JoJo Phillips, Cody Hagen, Tei Nacua and four-star freshman Lamason Waller III.
Then there's former Snow College standout Reggie Frischknecht and Stanford graduate transfer Tiger Bachmeier, the former four-star recruit who joined the team alongside younger brother Bear Bachmeier after catching 46 passes for 476 yards and two touchdowns in 24 games that included 13 starts at wide receiver and a computer science degree in 2.5 years.
"Tiger's a genius, man," Sitake said of the older Bachmeier. "You don't graduate from Stanford in two-and-a-half years in computer science. But he's also what you expect in the football-sense; he's just as smart in football, and he gets it.
"He's super competitive, he's got a great feel for the ball," he added, "and he reminds me a lot of Dax (Milne) in the way he plays, his competitiveness, his twichiness and physicality. I'm excited at what he can bring to us."
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