Two True Freshmen Wide Receivers are Showing Flashes in Fall Camp

Kalani Sitake and the BYU football program are cruising through Fall camp. On the seventh practice of Fall camp, which included a lot of live work, two true freshmen wide receivers showed flashes of their potential at BYU: Cody Hagen and Tei Nacua.

Cody Hagen

Cody Hagen is only a few months removed from his mission. Hagen, a former four-star recruit, got back from his mission in May before joining the program in time for Fall camp. On Thursday, Hagen found a soft spot in the defense for a big gain to setup a score. Bohanon hit Hagen in stride on the crossing route.

One of the top plays of the day on the best drive of the day: Gerry Bohanon finds Cody Hagen for a big gain. pic.twitter.com/U7LXA5Vs8l
— Casey Lundquist (@casey_lundquist) August 9, 2024

It's incredibly challenging for returned missionaries to come home and crack the rotation right away. If anyone could do it, however, it might be Cody Hagen. Hagen appears to be in great shape and he is already showing why he was a coveted recruit in high school. Hagen excels at creating separation and he has strong, reliable hands.

Tei Nacua

True freshman Tei Nacua has made a few nice catches during Fall camp. On Thursday, Tei caught a pass from Gerry Bohanon in traffic for a 20+ yard gain.

Tei Nacua sighting! The true freshman has made a handful of nice plays during media availability, including this one from Gerry Bohanon.

Tei is the younger brother of Puka, Kai, and Samson.

Tei is wearing no. 45 like Samson did at BYU. pic.twitter.com/7DkqbDS5m3
— Casey Lundquist (@casey_lundquist) August 9, 2024

Tei is the younger brother of Kai Nacua, Samson Nacua, and Puka Nacua. Tei, however, was a little more raw coming out of high school than his older brothers were. If Tei can continue to develop, fill out his frame, and get comfortable with the playbook, he could be a very good player for BYU.

The best news for all parties involved is that neither Hagen nor Nacua will be rushed into action before they are ready.

On whether the depth at wide receiver can allow Sitake to be patient with those young guys, Sitake said, "Yeah absolutely. I think most of them understand the messaging that we have some good, quality depth. That doesn't mean that they are redshirting. They understand that dynamic now of four games. You can play in any four games [and preserve your redshirt]. That's probably more towards the end of the year where they know the playbook more."

BYU brings back every wide receiver that had more than one catch in 2023. Coach Sitake noted that there's a big gap between the newcomers and returning players in terms of their knowledge of the playbook.

"There's a big gap between the guys that are experienced here and the guys that are new, which obviously happens," Sitake said.

Stay tuned for more Fall camp coverage in the coming weeks.