BYU Football's QB Battle Less Than Impresses But Big 12 Demands Results | BYU Cougars Podcast

it's not great I admit that but it's the best by you can come up with we're just going to have to make do I'll explain you are locked on cougars your daily podcast on the BYU Cougars part of the locked on podcast Network your team every [Music] day what is up everybody I'm Jake hatch your host here on lockon cougars resident BYU Insider thank you for making lockon cougars your first listen of the day appreciate all of you for being everyday here with us right here on the lockon podcast Network this is your original daily podcast focused on all things BYU Sports and we are brought to you today by our friends over at Nissan are you the kind of driver likes to push things a little bit further ever wonder what the next adventure could be right around the corner Corner take the Nissan Rogue Nissan Pathfinder or Nissan Armada and go find your next big adventure check them out all today at nissanusa.com all right let's Dive Right In on today's show and I mentioned there was something I needed to explain on the podcast and BYU football uh begins their first full week of spring drills officially be the second week of BYU spring camp they'll have three practices slated for this week uh the first is today later this afternoon I will be out there at the BYU Saab the student athlete building uh later this afternoon we about 25ish minutes of media observation then we'll have interviews after that but be sure to pass along anything I learn in due time when it comes to that but the point I'm trying to make on today's show is that is anybody necessarily pleased with BYU's quarterback situation I frankly do not think anybody I mean anybody whether they're like myself who covers BYU on a day in and day out basis or anybody who might be out kind of on the periphery who's got that 30,000 foot view of BYU whether it's a national media member the the Frank uh the Frank situation for BYU is that you have two quarterbacks that just don't necessarily scream household names for the BYU Cougars and that's not ideal especially when the quarterback position is like the all important position in football at any level in these day this day and age it it just is the most important position you have to have a Difference Maker if you truly want to be a solid if not outstanding football program and it's nothing against Jake redoff it's nothing against Gary Bohanan but neither one of those guys I think has anybody and I mean anybody all that excited now if you are excited about one or the other good for you but I'm speaking more generally I think the BYU fans were expecting BYU to find somebody in the transfer portal who would come in and uh really have cougar fans jonesing for that guy to become the starter uh there was a lot of hype about Jake redoff last year and I was one of those that was relaying that cuz all the conversations I'd had with people talking about redoff raved about him and there is still time for Jake redoff to become a quote unquote household name for BYU but his his impression he left I think last season in the final four games of the year left a lot to be desired and I think that has kind of had a linger over effect here for the BYU football program the situation the by finds itself is it has to make the best of the situation it has right now and that is that they have said it's a two-man race for the starting quarterback position for the Cougars it's Jake retof or it's Gary bohannan are either one of them an ideal Prospect the guy that you're pointing at saying that's the next NFL quarterback to come out of Provo no I don't think e either one of them screams that at this current juncture could one of them arise above and become that guy for BYU in theory yes that is a possibility the situation though is that I'm not sure that either one of them is going to be able to make that type of impression in spring camp here and really kind of seize hold of the starting quarterback position for BYU and establish himself as the deao starter going into the summer I truly believe I I sincerely believe this based on early observations I have had as well as what I am hearing just chatter uh when it comes uh to BYU football with conversations I've had is that this is a quarterback battle that is absolutely a battle it is going to linger on into the summer it's going to linger into training camp in August and come August 3 first against Southern Illinois maybe a week ahead of that we'll finally find out who BYU is going to declare their starter that that frankly is how I think this is going to go it is going to be neck and neck barring something completely unforeseen an injury a guy just really starting to own the position no matter what it is it feels like this is going to be one that is unlike many uh position battles that you typically have a guy that you're like okay that's the incumbent he's kind of the guy who's the odds on favorite to win this job I truly believe that Gary bannan and Jake rof are dead even it is 5050 it is going to go back and forth one of gonna have a good day gonna have have a down day and that is going to Le lend itself to I think some interesting outputs some uh performances whatever you want to term it that will ultimately tip the scales one way or the other I don't envy Aaron rodri's position because he is going into a season that frankly I think a lot of people believe that he's got It's like a or die season for Aaron rodrik I don't think it's quite that drastic in my mind that's my personal opinion on the matter it's not anything I have inside Intel of I'll be freely admitting that but I believe that uh 2024 is a year that Aaron rodick is gonna either uh show his absolute genius as an offensive coordinator or it's going to be another year where BYU is going to struggle and a lot of heat I mean a more heat than already was heaped upon the BYU offensive coaching staff last year will be heaped upon them because of the failures most particularly it feels like of that quarterback position I actually think BYU's depth at other other positions the running back group the wide receivers tight ends even the offensive line I think they've got all got adequate bodies a star Talent uh and I think that they have got the capability of holding up but once again that quarterback position is the all important position are you going to have a Difference Maker there and if you don't man the proposition for by there's a lot of over unders out there with around four or four and a half wins for BYU there are odds makers out there who have BYU at the bottom of the 16 team Big 12 this summer and honestly I think it all boils down to they're looking at the quarterback position for BYU and saying wow I don't think BYU has a quarterback uh nor do they have anybody on the roster that feels like they can emerge and become that guy and I think that is something BYU's got to be able to prove one of these guys whether it's Jake redoff whether it's Gary bohannan I don't care what team you're on if you're team redoff if you're team banan the bigger point is BYU needs one of them to step up and really become a star for the Cougars if not could be a little bit of dicey proposition going into this fall all right coming up here in just a minute we'll talk about a former BYU quarterback who I thought had a fairly solid performance at the NFL combine two other former cougars also out there in Indianapolis over the weekend will react to how things went for kingy Su mat Ryan Rico as well as Ken slov as you roll on right here on locked on cougars Today's Show is brought to you by our friends over at Nissan the kind of driver likes to push things just a little bit further my friends ever wonder what an adventure could be around the corner for you guys our friends at Nissan have a line of SUVs with the capabilities to take your adventure to the next level check out the 2024 Nissan Rogue it's an incredible uh perfect fit for City drives and also Great Escapes if you want to get off the grid 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way to access this show have a connection with you out there in cougar Nation once again also supports us financially as well so 14-day free trial sign up in the Show links whether it's uh whether you're watching this on YouTube is in the notes below or if you're listening to this wherever you get your podcast it's also in the show notes uh wherever you get that as well so join us today and get up Toth minute updates once again as I'm out there BYU later this afternoon all right BYU football had three former cougars in Indianapolis for the NFL combine over the weekend I think I think overall a fairly solid impression was made by all three former cougars I think the big winner of the weekend honestly is kadon slovis now uh many of you saw this on social media if you weren't watching it on the NFL Network he ran his first 40 time in 4.6 seconds and I was like Wow Keen SLO is running a 46 okay props to him and then he one up that by running a 4.56 40 yard dash very impressive numbers for Keaton slows the Frank situation of the matter for him is uh okay when did keaten slovis at any point I'm not talking just at BYU when did keaten slovis at any point during his college career span three different schools over five years he had over 10,000 passing yards was 11,000 and change whatever it was when did he ever show that type of foot speed uh I don't I don't recall seeing it and maybe it was just wasn't utilized maybe he got a a boost in his uh pre-draft training but the other thing about it is is Keon slova showed I think athletically he's a better athlete than I think everybody and yours truly included going into the NFL combine it's not a sure bet but I believe that due to his athleticism I think some of his throwing had a really really nice deep ball during the throwing drills when some other quarterbacks were sitting out I think that Keon has solidified himself as a day three candidate and that's obviously rounds four through seven I think he's very much a guy who's going to be at the best in my mind to tell into the sixth round and probably a seventh round draft pick but very well could also end up as an undrafted free agent but I think he made a solid impression over the weekend at the NFL combine now Kingsley sumaia I thought made a good uh impression as well now this was a guy remember that uh Bruce Feldman from the athletic does his freaks list every year and there was some hype for him uh from BYU's a training staff in that freaks list last year saying that he ran the 40 in a 4.8 second and change uh time and had he done that by the way had Kingsley run a 48 whatever 40 he absolutely would have been a a bigger rock star than he already is in the NFL draft alas he ran a a 506 and a 504 which is a great great time he had a very solid 10-second split that is the more important number uh for an NFL offensive lineman is the ability to get off the ball and that first 10 yards of that 40 yard dash as to be able to get down the field and motor and the other thing about it is when you watch Kingsley do his drills yesterday I had a chance after I got done with my church meetings to sit down and watch the Sunday drills and I thought he showed very very well with his athletic a athleticism the one thing that Kingsley always has had and that's one thing that I've always been impressed by is his lateral ability this is a kid who had six foot4 in change and 320 some odd pounds moves incredibly well side to side for a man of that size it should not be as easy as Kingsley makes it look now uh a lot of people out there believe that uh he was a second round pick going into the NFL combine I based on the projections I'm seeing there's some people who are hyping him potentially to slide into the tail end of the first round and that's awesome uh Kingsley as a first round draft pick would be an awesome I mean awesome result for BYU that would mean they've had back-to-back NFL offensive tackles drafted actually no be three straight NFL offensive tackles drafted who started at left tackle for by you go all the way back to Brady Christensen and then you go to obviously Blake Freeland and now most recently Kingsley Su Matia BYU frankly could have themselves a three for three with starting quarterbacks being drafted and three for three for offensive left tackles being drafted that'd be a very very nice feather in the cap of BYU when it comes to the development of their players Ryan Rico's an interesting case as a punter because very rarely do Specialists gets drafted you have to be a a very very special talent in many respects to be drafted as a specialist but Rico uh from all uh from all reports made a good impression with teams out there at the NFL combine Specialists don't typically run the 40 they don't do the 225 pound bench press they don't do the three cone drill they're there essentially to kick and show what they're capable of doing uh the biggest uh uh note of concern it felt like for Ryan Rico is that uh some teams are worried about he has a penchant apparently for a line driving kicks and any of you who watched him at times remember some of the kicks he had returned for touchdowns last year those kicks the whole adage you out kicked your coverage well Ryan Rico's got a Howitzer for a right leg and he absolutely out kicked his coverage and when it doesn't have this the right hang time on it doesn't allow the secondary uh the not the secondary your uh your what I'm trying to say your Gunners to get down the field to get the tackles uh that's going to absolutely hurt you in the NFL they're the best returners in the world the best special teams in the world and if you're going to out kick your coverage or have a line drive kick that is going to allow a returner uh to really uh take that ball and do something with it that's asking for trouble so uh it really feels like the hang time is the biggest question for Ryan Rico but once again he may able to sacrifice a little bit of the prodigious length he has as a punter but you know angle a little bit higher and kick it a little higher with that higher hang time that's what the NFL teams want so overall though it felt like all three uh gentlemen who were out there Indianapolis like I said made a solid impression on NFL Scouts uh it'd be awesome to see uh kadon slovis slide into the back end of the draft and at least give BYU two drafted players from this year's draft class uh could somebody uh via prod day which is the Big 12 Pro days coming up at the end of the month it's going to be down there at the star uh down in Irving Irving excuse me uh in it's now at Frisco Texas it's the training facility the I don't know what you want to call it it's just like this big facility that the Dallas Cowboys own in Frisco it's got a big uh training facility and that's where the the big 12 is going to hold a centralized uh uh prod day and be why will be part of that I'd like to see guys like Isaac Rex as well as uh Paul Miley uh Max Tuli uh other guys on that list that did not get the NFL combine invite I'd like to see them show out a pro day because you want to see guys when they get their opportunity to shine under the lights and I felt like overall for the weekend the three gentlemen who were at the NFL combine made uh the most of their uh opportunities there can they make a a doubly uh important uh good impression I I guess I'll say when it comes to the Big 12 pro day that'll be key because the reason why they're having this big 12 pro day is to get all 32 NFL teams in the same uh facility with more odd on the players from the Big 12 Conference and give them a better opportunity to go out and show what they're capable of now it is invitation only so the the the only concern I have is there may be one or two guys for BYU who have Pro aspirations that the Big 12 does not invite uh to this event that would be a bad deal if that's G to be how it goes I would hope at least this year for example essentially extend an open invite to anybody from the schools who's looking to be a part of this now that's probably a little pie in the skyish of me to suggest such a thing but you got to give these guys an opportunity to live their dream and show what they're capable of to NFL personnel there are Diamonds in the Rough found every single day when it comes to the NFL and prod days are places that that can come to fruition I'd like to see more guys get that opportunity but uh I thought the NFL combine reading up watching and uh consuming what I did of it it sounds like BYU had a good representation in Indianapolis and the next kind of Benchmark along the path is going to be down there in Frisco at the star uh when the Big 12 Pro days uh take place it'll be the final week of uh March if I recall correctly it's something like the 25th to the 30th something like that it's a week long at least uh that's what the schedule says and we'll be looking forward to that I think it's a big opportunity it's kind of the next step on the way to the NFL draft and then hey next month it's April and guess what that's when the draft is happening and then the dreams really come true for all of these guys we'll see where things land out pan out and frankly some of the guys will have to go to the UFL route they have to go to the new spring leagues and prove what they're capable of doing there they want to continue their playing career or as theca is a fond of saying uh not all of our athletes are going to go pro in sports but uh for these y uh young men you want to see them live that dream and it's awesome to see more representation from BYU in the Pro ranks and it it continues to grow by the way annually uh there's a lot of people out there who like to put B they to develop NFL Talent well guess what uh they're Chief rival I think Utah I think I saw it was 28 active NFL players oh BYU that lowly little program and Provo oh they have 24 active NFL players so cougars they're doing things in the Pro ranks and that's awesome I mean it's really really cool to see and the hope is that uh they'll continue to show out on the biggest stages out there and continue to do what they're doing and the next crop is coming and it looks like at least one Kingsley is a lock to be drafted at this point that's obviously a positive uh can one or two more guys join him in this draft class then who else might be able to make an impression as an undrafted free agent uh it's all going to be something we're going to have to kind of watch play out over the next month and change leading up uh to that weekend uh it's now in Detroit this year for the NFL draft so we'll we'll be uh keeping you updated on everything going on with that as we draw a little bit closer to that all right coming up here in just a minute we'll finish out this edition of the podcast with some updates on other BYU Sports from the weekend that was by baseball making a very positive impression in their first home weekend uh first Home Series I should say against the Gonzaga Bulldogs also BYU women's basketball knows exactly where they're seated in the Big 12 women's basketball tournament when they will be playing we'll talk about all that next right here unlocked on cougars Today's Show is brought to you by our friends over at uh FanDuel now FanDuel wants to help you guys get buckets with your first bet on our on FanDuel America's number one sports book right now new customers you get a $150 in bonus bet with any winning $5 bet the best part is whether you're in the college hoops NBA Hoops or literally anything else out there going on in the sports world right now whether you're a hockey fan they've got it all for you guys with our friends at FanDuel an incredibly easy you app to use you can uh tap what you're looking for place the BET and you're on your way it's really that simple and the best part is you can bet on all your favorite NBA players and teams right now or Beyond with quick bets live same game parlays exclusive 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example uh my show talking about the Monumental win BYU had last week against Kansas was on uh this 247 lockdown sports today Channel I was I think Wednesday morning if I recall correctly it's cool to see my face out there but uh it's a really cool thing so check it out today it's find a locked on sports today available on the freefire TV channels app and also uh wherever you get your podcast particularly on YouTube all right a couple of notes before we go on today's show uh by baseball swept Gonzaga over the weekend a home weekend uh that was a really really good impression for BYU played a double header on Friday uh due to the in impending weather that was coming in on Saturday and any of you who are here along the was front know what the weather was like on Saturday crazy crazy times but BYU uh got a nice uh win 11-2 before winning the night cap 6 to4 combined with a 3-2 win on Friday BYU ends the weekend 3 and0 and is now back to 500 on the season at 5 and5 overall stunningly enough Gonzaga one of the heavyweights one of the power programs in the West Coast Conference that BYU uh struggled with for many many years as members of the WCC they're now one and nine on the season obviously it's early on but that's not a good start for the Bulldogs but a solid uh home weekend for BYU baseball the nice part is that Trent Pratt said I thought our guys played great today we needed to put together a couple of wins and it was a good weekend for us played Air free baseball today which was big for this team and obviously uh playing error free is going to be big for BYU as they start a big 12 play now they will head uh to UNLV tomorrow for a one game matchup and then I'm assuming they're gonna fly out of McCarron or now Harry Reid International and travel to West Virginia the first ever Big 12 series will be on the road for BYU baseball this weekend as they take on the West Virginia Mountaineers from March 7th to 9th and mananga Lea mananga Gala man I'm going to mangle this name manalia County ballpark out there in West Virginia three- game series is uh going to be scheduled Thursday and Friday games at 3 o'clock Eastern time that's 1 o'clock mountain time then the Saturday game scheduled for 1 o'clock Eastern that'll be 11:00 a.m. Mountain Time all three games will be aired live on Big 12 now on ESPN plus that's actually by the way a big benefit of uh by being in the Big 12 is now baseball is going to have more games streaming and available so uh check it out my friends it's a great way to support uh BYU Athletics and we'll see how uh things go this weekend also want to say congratulations to Brad Prolo he broke his own 200 fly School record and delivered BYU's second Big 12 men's individual conference title as the League's 24 24 swim and dive championships moved into its uh moved over the weekend and wrapped up so congratulations to Brad Prolo on that it's really really cool to see guys winning individual titles year one here in the Big 12 it's kind of validating in many respects the BYU swimming and dive program may not be as far off as many might believed it was going to be uh going in to the Big 12 Conference and then one other note for you guys is that uh men's yeah I was gonna I'll mention this men's swim and dive take third place at the Big 12 Championship so a solid I mean a solid uh debut in the Big 12 Conference for the men's team and then also uh BYU women's basketball they have learned their FA in the Big 12 tournament they're going to be the 10 seed taking on the number seven seed Kansas that'll be coming up Friday out there in Kansas City it'll be a 4:30 Mountain Time tip uh there in Kansas City the T-Mobile Center uh BYU women uh finished the season with a a tough loss 71 to 46 loss to number three ranked Texas on Saturday in their regular season finale but uh now is a 10 seed they'll take on the Kansas Jayhawks on Friday and look to make a run in the Big 12 tournament like I said that starts Friday after afternoon we'll see how they do now two other notes for excuse me three other notes for you guys in terms of teams in action today the men's golf program is at lamin Invitational down in San Diego the women's golf team is at the Julie iner medal Club in her Collegiate out in Fairfax California and then women's gymnastics is on the road tonight in Cedar City uh taking on the Thunderbirds in dual meet uh that'll be at 7 o'clock mountain time at the America first event center in Ceder City on the campus of Southern Utah University so there you go everything I got for you guys on this Monday edition of the show as mentioned I'll be B at BYU football practice later this afternoon a full recap of what I observed coming up on tomorrow's edition of the podcast schedule to be joined later in the week also by Connor pay to talk about his impressions of the first week of uh spring drills and also we're gonna be talking some BYU basketball huge game for the men's team as they head to number eight uh uh as of recording on this podcast of number eight uh Iowa State on Wednesday night we'll see where BYU is ranked on tomorrow's podcast as well I'm assuming they're going to jump back in after that two and0 week last week we have plenty of coverage and lead up to that game and obviously uh finishing out the regular season for BYU this weekend with the games against the Cyclones and also against the Oklahoma State Cowboys so a big week ahead so be with us every single day being every day with us here on the podcast and obviously a big thank you to all of you for making it your first listen as always so until tomorrow my friends thank you for joining us this has been the locked on cougars podcast