Projecting BYU's Rotation at Wide Receiver in 2023
On Wednesday, BYU added wide receiver transfer Keelan Marion to the 2023 wide receiver room. Marion is the second wide receiver transfer to commit to BYU over the last month - Eastern Michigan transfer Darius Lassiter transferred to BYU over competing offers from Colorado, Washington State, Pitt, Boston College and ECU among others. Marion and Lassiter will join fellow experienced wide receivers Kody Epps, Chase Roberts, and Keanu Hill at BYU. The Cougars also have young talent at wide receiver like Parker Kingston, Koa Eldredge, Dom Henry, and coveted recruit Jojo Phillips that will join the program this Summer.
With so many new faces in the room, the wide receiver rotation will look a lot different in 2023 than it did in 2022. Today, we'll take a stab at what the wide receiver rotation could look like in 2023.
First things first, how many players will be included in the core wide receiver rotation? History suggests the rotation could include anywhere from five to seven wideouts. In 2022, the top five wide receivers played 96% of the snaps at wide receiver. In 2021, five wide receivers played 98% of the wide receiver snaps. In 2020, the top five wide receivers played 86% of the snaps and the top seven wide receivers played 98% of the snaps.
Returning starters Chase Roberts, Kody Epps, and Keanu Hill will be fixtures in the rotation. That's a given as all three have shown flashes of greatness during their young careers at BYU. They have been expected to play major roles in BYU's offense since the end of last season.
Transfers Darius Lassiter and Keelan Marion were brought in to fill a major need and make an impact right away. Those two have combined to play over 1,200 snaps at the FBS level. That's meaning, as no other wide receiver on BYU's roster has played more than 100 FBS snaps. Whether they will be listed as starters or not remains to be seen, but expect those two to be in the rotation right away.
Transfer Darius Lassiter on his BYU official visit
In case you haven't been counting, that gives BYU five wide receivers in the projected rotation: Kody Epps, Chase Roberts, Keanu Hill, Darius Lassiter, and Keelan Marion. If the data we mentioned before is any indication, that might be enough. Those five give BYU and quarterback Kedon Slovis a lot of options. BYU could have four pass catchers on the field in Hill, Roberts, Lassiter, and Rex that are 6'3 or taller. And let's not forget that BYU's projected running back Aidan Robbins stands 6'3. That would create matchup problems for opposing defenses. BYU could also have skilled route runners Kody Epps and Keelan Marion on the field at the same time. That would create a different set of matchup problems.
Beyond those five, there will be opportunities for one or two of the young guys to emerge and crack the rotation. In 2020, for example, freshmen Kody Epps and Keanu Hill played over 100 snaps each and showed they could be part of the future at wide receiver. Most importantly, BYU has mitigated the the need to play an inexperienced player before they are ready. Before the transfer additions, BYU would have needed at least one or two of the young players to play this season. With the two transfers on board, it would be a luxury they played and not a necessity.
Who are some of the young wide receivers that could emerge? Parker Kingston has impressed at practices and is one of the fastest players on the roster. He was limited during the Spring with an injury. It's rare for true freshman to make an immediate impact, but Jojo Phillips has as much potential as any wide receiver on the roster. Phillips is long and athletic, and he was a coveted recruit in high school. Phillips received competing offers from Michigan State, LSU, Oregon, and Pitt among others during his recruitment. Koa Eldredge and Dom Henry showed potential during Spring camp, and Devin Downing was extremely productive at American Fork High School. Ideally, one or two of these players listed could find a role in 2023 like Kody Epps and Keanu Hill did in 2020 before they became starters.
BYU wide receiver Koa Eldredge #80
Credit: BYU Photo
The wide receiver room is in a much better position today than it was two weeks ago when Kody Epps was in the transfer portal and Darius Lassiter was mulling over his transfer options. With Epps, Lassiter, and now Marion in the fold, Kedon Slovis will have options at his disposal this Fall.
Stay tuned for more transfer portal and recruiting updates in the coming weeks.
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