A Look at Seventeen BYU Football Seniors that Could Play Two More Years for BYU
The NCAA Division I Council decided today that fall sport student-athletes can compete in any sports without losing eligibility. What does this mean for BYU? It means there are 17 Seniors that could, in theory, suit up for BYU for two more seasons. Will all 17 return? No, Bushman and Tonga will likely enter the NFL draft this Spring. Other guys like Chris Wilcox and Zayne Anderson could leave if they're able to find an opportunity in the NFL. Here are the 17 Seniors that could play in Provo for a few more years:
- Zayne Anderson
- Matt Bushman
- Zac Dawe
- Bracken El-Bakri
- Kavika Fonua
- Kyle Griffitts
- Chandon Herring
- Tristen Hoge
- Jared Kapisi
- Isaiah Kaufusi
- Sam Lee
- Uriah Leiataua
- Kieffer Longson
- Khyiris Tonga
- Jeddy Tuiloma
- Troy Warner
- Chris Wilcox
The first thing that stands out is how many of these Seniors play on the defensive side of the ball. BYU would have needed to replace a lot of experience in the secondary and along the defensive line. This ruling, however, might ease the transition for those two position groups.
Seniors that return in 2021 won't count against scholarship limits. However, each school will need to fund the incremental scholarships.
It's worth noting that Kavika Fonua and Zayne Anderson could potentially be seventh-year Seniors should they decide to return to BYU next year.
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