Observations From Day 12 of BYU Football Spring Camp

PROVO, UT - While the BYU basketball program is making a deep run in the NCAA Tournament, the BYU football program is in the final week of Spring camp. The media was permitted to watch the last few sessions of practice on Monday. Here were our observations from day 12.

Play of the Day

The play of the day came on the defensive side of the ball. Projected BYU starting cornerback Mory Bamba was in coverage defending Keelan Marion. Bamba used his speed to stay with Marion and his length to breakup the pass. Bamba is going to be a key player for a BYU defense that is looking to replace Jakob Robinson and Marque Collins.

Mory Bamba with the pass breakup. Bamba received an extra year of eligibility and will be an important addition to the BYU secondary in 2025. pic.twitter.com/lvESp9mSgY
— Casey Lundquist (@casey_lundquist) March 25, 2025

Defense Wins the Day

During the media portion of practice, the team ran a simple drill. The offense was given a 2nd & medium or 2nd & long situation. Like a real game, the offense had two downs to pick up the first down.

The defense was very stingy, giving up hardly any first downs. Whether it was the aforementioned pass breakup by Mory Bamba or Faletau Satuala tackling Tei Nacua in space on a screen attempt, the defense had the upper hand.

On one of the first plays the media was able to watch, sophomore cornerback Jonathan Kabeya broke up a back-shoulder pass intended for Keelan Marion. Kabeya was in perfect position and gave Marion no chance to come down with the football.

The depth on the defensive side is better than it's ever been in Kalani Sitake's tenure. There have been times this month where the offense has dominated team segments, but not on Monday. The defense certainly won the day.

The Retzlaff to Ryan Connection

One of the few first downs of the day came from Jake Retzlaff to transfer tight end Carsen Ryan. On third down, Retzlaff found Ryan over the middle for an easy pitch and catch. The Retzlaff to Ryan connection has become a theme of Spring camp. Ryan is getting more targets this camp than any BYU tight end in Fall camp last season. Ryan is poised to play a major role for the BYU offense in 2025.

Jake Retzlaff connects with Carsen Ryan for a third down conversion. The Retzlaff to Ryan connection has been a theme throughout the Spring. pic.twitter.com/1el5krkNLb
— Casey Lundquist (@casey_lundquist) March 25, 2025

A True Freshman Climbing the Offensive Line Depth Chart

True freshman Andrew Williams should be in high school right now. Instead, he graduated high school early and enrolled at BYU to participate in Spring practices. Williams has impressed enough over the last few weeks to climb the depth chart at offensive tackle.

While a few of the more experienced tackles rested on the sidelines, Williams got the nod with the first-team offense. It's pretty rare for true freshmen to get first team reps at tackle, but that's exactly what happened on Monday. Unless injuries force him into action, BYU won't need Williams in 2025. However, they need future starting-caliber tackles in a major way. It's very early, but Williams is looking like a player that could become a multi-year starter down the road.

Other Depth Chart Risers

A few other names that have quietly climbed the depth chart over the last few weeks include Texas transfer Tausili Akana and Joshua Singh. Both Akana and Singh got first-team reps on Monday.

Siale Esera, who met with the media after practice, is another player that is climbing the depth chart. Esera is finally healthy. He suffered a foot injury in 2023 that limited his health in 2024. When healthy, Esera is one of the best athletes on the roster. His sideline-to-sideline speed at his size is really impressive.

Staying at linebacker, Ace Kaufusi is another name to expect on the two-deep at that position.

Opposite of Andrew Williams at left tackle, redshirt sophomore Jake Griffin was getting first-team reps at right tackle.

Name Worth Monitoring at Wide Receiver

In the opinion of this author, the top six wide receivers in 2025 will be Chase Roberts, Keelan Marion, Jojo Phillips, Parker Kingston, Tei Nacua, and Cody Hagen.

There are some really talented players in that room that could disrupt the top six. Dom McKenzie, for example, has all the speed to crack the top six and you can see him getting better and better. LaMason Waller was a four-star recruit and is talented enough to push the others in the room even as a true freshman. However, for today, that's how we think the top six will look come the season opener.

If we had to pick a leader in the clubhouse, in terms of who could disrupt the wide receiver depth chart, it might be Cal transfer Marquis Taluilu. Taluilu was a coveted recruit coming out of Snow College when he signed with Cal. He is all of 6'4 and 230 pounds and there are times when his talent and frame really pop. He is consistently running with the second-team offense and, at minimum, he is a luxury to have as a depth piece at wide receiver.

Big-Name Recruits in Attendance

There were some big-name recruits in attendance at BYU's practice on Monday. Five-star quarterback Ryder Lyons was in attendance. Per his post on "X", Lyons spent time with tight end prospect Brock Harris and Timpview athletes Jaron Pula and Kennan Pula. The Pula twins are currently committed to UCLA, although they remain two of BYU's top targets in the 2026 class.

Go cougs ! Out here with the guys 🤙🤙@BYUfootball pic.twitter.com/dRKcy9Pl8B
— Ryder Lyons (@ryderly0ns) March 25, 2025

A few other big names were in attendance that did not post about their visits on social media.