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Provo • Apparently, BYU football coaches get together in the spring and make what they call "sleeper picks." Each coach chooses a relatively unknown player he believes will have a bigger impact in the fall than fans and other coaches suspect they will.

Coach Bronco Mendenhall's choice last March was a 6-foot, 185-pound redshirt freshman by the name of Jordan Preator, a member of the scout team in 2013 after flying under the recruiting radar out of northern Utah's Fremont High.

Turns out, the coach was right on the money.

Preator has emerged as the Cougars' starting boundary corner, and had his best game in a BYU uniform in the 27-7 win over Middle Tennessee State on Nov. 1 with an interception, a forced fumble and two tackles. He will start again on Saturday, when 5-4 BYU plays host to 2-8 UNLV at LaVell Edwards Stadium (5 p.m. MST, ESPNU).

"We've got some young guys on defense that are starting to make plays and get their confidence going; guys like Jordan," said defensive coordinator Nick Howell. "He played good last week. … I think it is just experience [coming through]. The day-to-day grind of learning what to do and how to execute every game is helping him a lot."

Preator actually started in BYU's opener against UConn, due to the one-game suspensions of projected starting corners Robertson Daniel and Jordan Johnson. Preator earned the start against Middle Tennessee after Johnson fractured an arm in the game against Central Florida and sophomore Michael Davis struggled against Boise State.

"With JJ's injury, it obviously changed things, but I always felt like I could play [well] if I got the chance," Preator said.

That confidence started to take root back in January during winter workouts, when Preator learned he was just as fast and just as strong as the other defensive backs in the program.

"I felt like I played pretty well in spring ball, and in fall camp I just told myself I was going to kill it and get playing time this year," he said. "I worked really hard in fall camp and started seeing more time on the field, and just started making plays, and coaches got more and more confidence in me."

Through nine games, Preator has made 16 tackles, including two for losses. He had a sack against Texas, and has broken up four passes.

Preator had a sensational junior season at Fremont, playing quarterback and defensive back and helping his team make it to the 5A state championship game. But he pulled a hamstring the following summer and reinjured it again the first game of his senior season, missing the next six games.

College recruiters mostly stayed away, except for BYU, which had offered him a scholarship over the summer.

He committed to BYU in November 2012 after getting an offer from Hawaii and drawing interest, but no offers from Utah or Utah State. At first, some family members weren't happy with his decision.

"Yeah, all my family was Utah fans, my stepdad, dad, mom, everybody was always Utah fans until they came down here and saw what it was really about down here and got to know the place, and so they fell in love [with BYU]," Preator said.

That doesn't mean there's been a total shift in the household.

"They are still a little red," Preator said, laughing. "I go up to the house sometimes and see Utah blankets laying around. … There are BYU ones laying around, too. It is almost sacrilegious having both of them laying around. But yeah, slowly we will get the red ones out and have all blue."

drew@sltrib.com Twitter: @drewjay -

Jordan Preator file

O Redshirt freshman cornerback made his first career interception against Middle Tennessee, also forced a fumble

• Made his first career start in opener at UConn, and had five tackles and a sack in BYU's 41-7 win at Texas

• Played quarterback and defensive back at Fremont High, and also played on the basketball team