Cougs Daily

10 Takeaways from 2025 BYU Football Spring Camp

Casey Lundquist|
BYU wide receiver Keelan Marion at BYU Spring Camp
BYU wide receiver Keelan Marion at BYU Spring Camp | BYU Photo

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BYU Cougars

2025 BYU football Spring camp is in the rearview mirror. The players will take a few weeks off for finals and vacations before returning for Summer condition and eventually Fall camp. Today, we'll go over our 10 takeaways from Spring camp.

1. Keelan Marion: A Breakout Candidate

Chase Roberts was limited in Spring camp as he recovered from an injury. While Roberts was sidelined, it was Keelan Marion that took on the role as the top wide receiver on offense. Marion is 10 pounds heavier and entering his third year in the system.

If there is a candidate to fill the void left by Darius Lassiter, it is Keelan Marion. Marion has obvious talent with the ball in his hands - look no further than his kickoff returns for touchdowns in 2024. But he has developed more as a true wide receiver in Aaron Roderick's offense. Marion is one of the leaders of the wide receiver room in 2025, and he is a leader to be a breakout player in 2025.

Marion finished the 2024 season with 24 receptions and 346 yards. His role increased as the seaseon progressed. The last three games of the regular season, Marion tallied 10 receptions for 130 yards.

2. Jake Retzlaff Showed Signs of Taking the Next Steps

BYU QB Jake Retzlaff at BYU Spring Camp
BYU QB Jake Retzlaff at BYU Spring Camp | BYU Photo

Jake Retzlaff had moments of brilliance in his first year as BYU's starting quarterback in 2024. There were also times, primarily in November, where the turnover issues that plagued him in 2023 surfaced again. Going into Spring camp, the progression of Jake Retzlaff was one of the top storylines.

In the limited segments where the media was able to watch, Retzlaff did not commit a turnover. He also did a really good job managing the offense. Besides one practice near the end of camp, the first team offense consistently moved the chains in a variety of ways.

Retzlaff was more poised and under more control than he was back in Fall camp. There are signs that Retzlaff is prepared to elevate his game to another level in 2025.

Aaron Roderick has not shied away from setting high expectations for Retzlaff in 2025. Roderick believes Retzlaff can be one of the best quarterbacks in the sport.

3. The Linebackers Could Be the Best Group on the Roster

BYU has a rich tradition of linebackers and the 2025 group will carry on that tradition. The linebackers could be the best position group on the roster. The Cougars return 2024 starters Jack Kelly, Isaiah Glasker, and Harrison Taggart.

BYU also returns Siale Esera who was not fully healthy in 2024. Jay Hill said Esera and Taggart were 1A and 1B at mike linebacker. Esera will play a lot in 2025 now that he's fully cleared.

Behind those four, there is a lot of talent. UCLA transfer Choe Bryant-Strother is back healthy after injury limited his availability in 2024. Miles Hall and Ace Kaufusi have played important snaps in their early years at BYU.

Then there is freshmen Naki Tuakoi, Tyler Payne, Pierson Watson, and Carson Suesue. Additionally, BYU will welcome four-star recruit Nusi Taumoepeau for Fall camp. This group has experienced veterans with NFL potential, solid depth pieces, and potential future starters waiting in the wings. This is going to be a very good group in 2025.

4. Deepest BYU Team in Sitake Era

Speaking of the depth at linebacker, this is going to be the deepest roster of the Kalani Sitake era. BYU's recruiting has been getting better and better every year since joining the Big 12 and it is starting to show on the roster. BYU will have backups, at practically ever position, that were recruited by Power Four schools coming out of high school.

The depth of this program is starting to mirror its Power Four peers. The future is bright not just because BYU returns a lot of experience in 2025, but because some of the most talented players will be underclassmen.

5. A Trio at Running Back

BYU running back Sione Moa at Spring practice
BYU running back Sione Moa at Spring practice | BYU Photo

The BYU offense will feature a trio at running back: LJ Martin, Sione Moa, and Pokaiaua Haunga. Each back brings a different skillset and all three will play for BYU in 2025.

LJ Martin will be heavily featured in the offense. As long as Martin is healthy, he will get a lot of touches. The Alamo Bowl was a sneak peek of Martin's usage in 2025. In that game against Colorado, Martin had 121 yards from scrimmage and he was used as a weapon in the passing game.

Behind Martin, Sione Moa and Pokaiaua Haunga will get a lot of run as well. Moa will be more of the traditional running back that replaces Martin when he needs a breather. Once Moa gets going downhill, he is really hard to tackle.

Pokaiaua Haunga will be used in very creative ways. Haunga is dangerous in space, so he will be used as a running back and a receiving threat out of the backfield. Haunga was a star wide receiver in high school, so his receiving background will come into play in 2025.

6. Concerns Still to Be Cleared Along the Offensive Line

The offensive line was one of the biggest areas of concern for BYU after losing multi-year starters like Connor Pay and Caleb Etienne. The offensive line wasn't fully healthy in Spring camp, so there are still a few potential concerns with this group that will need to be cleared up during Fall camp.

With potential starters like Andrew Gentry and Weylin Lapuaho sidelined, it was impossible to know how good the BYU offensive line could be. That will be a storyline once Fall camp kicks off.

The good news for BYU is that a few young tackles got first-team reps during Spring camp. True freshman Andrew Williams got some reps with the ones and left tackle and Jake Griffin got some first-team reps at right tackle. BYU really needs a few of the young tackles it has recruited to turn into future starters. Williams is a name to remember in the future - at this rate he is a player that could turn into a multi-year starter.

7. The Carsen Ryan Role

Utah transfer tight end Carsen Ryan will start for BYU at tight end and he will be a prominent feature in the offense. Tight end usage has been down at BYU over the last few years, but Carsen Ryan has the potential to bring it back.

BYU offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick said getting the ball to Carsen Ryan was an emphasis during camp and it showed during the media availabilities. There were a few occassions where Retzlaff used Ryan as a safety net when he was under pressure, and Ryan was targeted on third downs as well.

What separates Ryan from BYU tight ends of the last few years, at least in my opinion, is his ability to block and be an effective receiver. BYU has had good blocking tight ends and good receiving tight ends, but they've lacked a starter that excels at both. Ryan's dual capability will keep him on the field.

8. The Talent is there along the Defensive Line

It's pretty remarkable to go down the list of names at defensive end for BYU. Just a few years ago under the prior defensive staff, the defensive end recruiting was so deficient that the future of the position was very bleak.

Fast forward to today and the current defensive staff has completely flipped the roster in just two years. These are some of the names competing for starting jobs:

  • Tausili Akana - former four-star recruit, offers from all over
  • Hunter Clegg - former four-star recruit, offers from all over
  • Bodie Schoonover - picked BYU over Utah, UCLA
  • Ephraim Asiata - picked BYU over Utah, Tennessee, and USC among others
  • Kini Fonohema - picked BYU over Utah, Washington State, Oregon State, Utah State
  • Vili Po'uha - former Utah signee flipped to BYU after his mission
  • Orion Maile-Kaufusi - signed with Oregon State and flipped to BYU after his mission
  • Vincent Tautua - picked BYU over Utah, Arizona, Hawaii, Oregon State
  • Saimone Davis - signed with BYU over Kansas, Indiana, Kansas State, Virginia, and Utah State among others

The third and fourth-string defensive ends will be players that could have gone to other Power Four schools. The talent is there, now the defensive staff can let the cream rise to the top. Gone are the days where BYU will depend on one former coveted recruit to live up to their potential. Now, BYU is in a much better place.

9. Questions Remain at CB

Getting Mory Bamba back was a big addition to the 2025 roster. Evan Johnson is another experienced player that was the highest-graded defender in 2024 per PFF. Behind those two, BYU is really inexperienced. It remains to be seen whether those young cornerbacks will be ready for Big 12 play or not.

If there is one position that might stand to gain by adding a transfer, it would be at cornerback.

10. Faletau Satuala Watch

Returning veteran Tanner Wall is the leading candidate to start at free safety. True sophomore Faletau Satuala is going to push him to keep his starting job. Since arriving on campus as the top in-state recruit, Satuala has had the talent to be a special player in Jay Hill's defense. Towards the end of Spring camp, Satuala started to flash the talent that made him a coveted recruit.

On one live rep, Satuala beat a block and tackled Tei Nacua for a loss on a screen pass. Satuala is gifted in coverage with his athleticism. If he can further develop the other areas of his game, he has star potential. Expect Satuala to play a bigger role for BYU in 2025.

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Casey Lundquist
CASEY LUNDQUIST

Casey Lundquist is the publisher and lead editor of Cougs Daily. He has covered BYU athletics for the last four years. During that time, he has published over 2,000 stories that have reached more than three million people.

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