BYU Football: What to Watch For Now That the Regular Season is Over
BYU wrapped up the 2022 regular season with a win over 35-26 win over Stanford on Saturday night. With the win, BYU finished with a 7-5 record and ended the regular season on a three-game winning streak. Now that the regular season is over, here are four things to watch for.
1. Defensive Coaching Changes?
'Tis the season of the coaching carousel.
Let's recap what happened to the defensive staff during the 2022 season. Following the loss to Arkansas in October, head coach Kalani Sitake took over as BYU's defensive coordinator. Tuiaki even offered to resign following that loss according to the Deseret News. Instead, Kalani assigned Tuiaki to the defensive line. He also sent Preston Hadley back to work with the safeties, where Ed Lamb had been since 2021. At the time Sitake made those in-season changes, he told the media that he was not considering any in-season staff dismissals. He described the need for "all hands on deck" on the defensive staff.
To say BYU's defense underperformed this season would be an understatement. Before Sitake took over as the defensive coordinator in October, BYU's defense was trending towards becoming one of the worst defenses in the country. After the loss to Liberty, BYU was allowing more yards per game in October than any FBS team.
Perhaps the most perplexing data point of the defensive struggles this season was the returning experience on that side of the football. BYU's defense returned more production than any unit in the country. Everyone assumed that an added year of experience would translate to better performance compared to 2021. It did not and BYU regressed in most areas.
Once Sitake took over, the results improved. But the changes and improvements took a few weeks to manifest themselves. BYU's defense showed signs of life against ECU. The Cougars played much better against Boise State a few weeks ago, and they played well enough to beat Stanford last night.
But let's put on our head coaching hat and look at this from the perspective of Kalani Sitake. If you were Kalani Sitake, what would you do? It's not sustainable to remain the defensive coordinator. You either have to revert back to the previous staff responsibilities or find a new defensive coordinator. It seems highly unlikely that Sitake will return back to the group that wasn't producing results this season.
Changes, whether wholesale or minimal, feel very likely at this point. Whether it's this week, next week, or after the bowl game, it really feels like something will change.
2. The Transfer Portal
The transfer portal will be chaotic this season, and it will be unlike we've ever seen it before. The NCAA has instituted transfer portal windows, meaning players can only enter the transfer portal during certain times of the year. The next transfer portal window opens on December 5, 2022 and will end 45 days later on January 18, 2023.
Literally thousands of players are expected to enter the transfer portal during that window. BYU will be no exception - expect various BYU players to transfer during that 45-day window.
You should also expect BYU to be aggressive recruiting the transfer portal. BYU's top transfer targets will emerge in the coming weeks as players flood the portal.
3. Recruiting Season
Recruiting happens 365 days a year, but there are certain times of the year where recruiting heats up. We are entering the busiest recruiting season of the year. As of this article, we are just under one month away from the early signing period on December 21. A lot of recruiting action will take place between now and signing day.
Beginning this week, BYU's coaching staff will hit the road to put the finishing touches on the 2023 recruiting class. The next contact period begins on Monday. During contact periods, "each student-athlete can have six in-person, off-campus contacts with college coaches. Athletes cannot meet with a specific college coach more than once a week."
During this period, there are typically a few names that emerge and receive offers. That will be something to watch in the coming weeks.
Along with the contact period, BYU commits and top targets will travel to Provo to officially visit BYU's campus.
Last but not least, BYU might stand to benefit from coaching changes at other schools. Last year, BYU brought in former Virginia commits Dominique McKenzie, Marcus McKenzie, and Joe Brown when Bronco Mendenhall stepped down at Virginia. This year, for example, Stanford coach David Shaw stepped down after last night's loss to BYU. Two of BYU's top targets, Hunter Clegg and Walker Lyons, are currently committed to Stanford. Keep an eye on Stanford commits and other the commits of other schools whose coaches are changing.
BYU's success in the Big 12 will hinge on the recruiting trail. BYU has built a very solid foundation with this class, but finding a few more difference makers between now and signing day will be paramount.
4. Bowl Game
Now that the regular season is over, BYU will find out where it is going bowling this season. Most bowl invitations are extended one week from now, after the conference champions have been determined.
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