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Provo • Five practices through his first spring camp, it has become apparent that new BYU football coach Kalani Sitake likes to changes things up a little bit.
Hardly a practice has gone by without a player being asked to play a different position than he did last year, and that trend continued Thursday as safeties Grant Jones and Morgan Unga worked out at linebacker.
Tuesday, junior Micah Hannemann, who started 13 games at cornerback last year, played safety. On and on it goes.
Get used to it, Sitake said after Thursday's practice, noting that there is no deadline for the position switches to stop and saying at Utah when he was defensive coordinator he even made some changes in the middle of the season.
"We are trying to find the best position suitable for their skill sets," Sitake said. "So we will try some of that out. Obviously, some of the guys that aren't in there at [defensive] tackle, with Logan [Taele] and Travis [Tuiloma] being out. So it is a great opportunity for these young guys to step in and get some needed reps and we will see how it goes. But we will keep shifting things around, and find places where they can settle. Overall they are handling it perfectly. It is not too much for these guys."
Moves from offense to defense, or vice versa, have slowed down since running back Francis Bernard was moved to linebacker and defensive back Micah Simon was moved to receiver the first week, but they are still happening.
For instance, freshman Troy Warner of Mission Hills, Calif., the four-star safety who graduated from high school in December and enrolled at BYU in January, is being given the chance to show what he can do offensively this week.
"We would like to see what Troy Warner can do on the offensive side, as well," Sitake said. "That is something that we have always done, if you know me and coaching in the past. I am always trying to see where the best guys can be, and we are always trying to get the best 11 on the field, so I don't think it is ever a process where you say there is a deadline. … I try to get the best guys out there who give us the best chance to win."
Weeks wants to gain weight
Josh Weeks signed with BYU out of Show Low High School in Arizona as a highly touted 3-star receiver with excellent size and hands. But after a mission to Kennewick, Wash., and a freshman season that saw him catch just one pass, against Wagner, Weeks has been asked to bulk up and move to tight end.
"Since high school, I have put on 30 pounds, so we just thought it was better for me to move inside," said Weeks, who now weighs around 232 pounds. "They wanted someone that had that experience route running and catching and they kinda had a void there [at tight end]. I thought I could fill it. … I am playing a new position, but it is really similar to receiver — I just kinda moved in 10 yards."
Weeks said offensive coordinator Ty Detmer talks to him every day about gaining weight. The goal is to get him to 240 pounds before fall camp. It's been a struggle, because former receivers coach Guy Holliday wanted him at 210 or 215 last year, so he has had to go from dieting to five meals a day.
"It has been a little different, but once spring ball ends, I will be able to lift a lot more and take some supplements, do what I need to do, take Creatine, put on the pounds," said Weeks, who is working with BYU athletics nutritionist Dan Wilcox to gain the weight.
Not a snap
BYU's offensive line is having some growing pains while trying to adjust for the absence of center Tejan Koroma, who is not enrolled in school this semester. Sitake said on Thursday a couple of snaps from under center went awry.
Senior Parker Dawe is the Koroma's primary backup; Sophomore walk-on Quin Ficklin is also in the mix, and Sitake said sophomore Jacob Jiminez is also getting some reps at center.
"I think you can never have too many centers, and you have to have a plan, especially under center," Sitake said. "A lot of these guys have worked a lot in the [shotgun], so being able to get under center is a little bit different for them. It showed in a couple bad snaps today."
High school coaches clinic is Friday
BYU will conduct a coaches clinic for high school and intermediate school coaches on Friday. The clinic begins at 8:30 a.m. and concludes at 6:30 p.m. Coaches will be allowed to view Friday morning's practice and the clinic will also feature breakout speakers from nine different high schools throughout the West and Florida.
East High's Brandon Matich is the only Utah high school coach who will present a breakout session this year.
Registration fee is $40 per coach and includes lunch and dinner. Preregister by emailing Lia Barlow at lia.barlow@byu.edu. Payments can be made at check-in at the Smith Fieldhouse's West Annex.
Twitter: @drewjay —
BYU football spring camp developments
• Receiver Josh Weeks has been moved to tight end and asked to gain 10 pounds.
• Running back Algernon Brown has been moved to fullback as Jamaal Williams and Squally Canada return.
• Cornerback Micah Hannemann is getting reps at safety, while safeties Grant Jones and Morgan Unga are getting reps at linebacker.