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Provo • After the BYU Cougars opened preseason camp on Saturday on an unseasonably cool, pleasant day in Provo, Bronco Mendenhall and Taysom Hill heaped praise on nearly a dozen players. The coach and star quarterback said guys such as freshman receiver Moroni Laulu-Pututau, freshman backup quarterback Tanner Mangum, offensive lineman Austin Hoyt and defenders Harvey Langi, Fred Warner, Sione Takitaki and Travis Tuiloma showed well.
But the player most talked about was one who wasn't there: running back Jamaal Williams.
Try as they might, the Cougars couldn't avoid questions about Williams and Thursday's stunning announcement that the star ball-carrier had withdrawn from school for personal reasons and would skip the 2015 season.
Mendenhall and Hill said the team handled the news well, not dwelling on it much when they met Thursday night and then again Friday or Saturday.
"They and I love Jamaal. He will be back," Mendenhall said emphatically. "Absolutely will make the best of this situation. Our team loves him, and I love him. They are all with him, as I am."
Mendenhall was asked whose decision it was for Williams to withdraw from school.
"It was my decision," the coach said. "….The best option for all parties was for him to withdraw, and then we get him back. And it will work out just right."
When running backs coach Mark Atuaia was asked how confident he is that Williams will return in 2016 in hopes of breaking the all-time BYU rushing record (he needs 930 yards), he replied: "We will let it play out, and again, I am just going to focus on the guys we have here."
Those guys are primarily junior Algernon Brown, seniors Adam Hine and Nate Carter and returned missionary freshman Francis Bernard, a Herriman High product. Curiously, Washington State transfer Squally Canada got some reps Saturday and ripped off several long runs, although he isn't eligible to play this season.
A.J. Moore is listed as a running back on the roster, but he has moved over to defense.
"The next 30 days, we are going to find out who we are going to go with at Nebraska [as the primary back]," Atuaia said. "It is too early to tell."
Hine, who is coming off a foot injury that cut short his junior season, said he's back to 100 percent and up to the task. Brown said his style isn't similar to the quicker, more explosive Williams' style, but he is confident that he can build on his outstanding performances late last season and ensure the offense doesn't skip a beat.
Hill, who will be affected greatly by Williams' absence, said it won't impact how he plays.
"The guys that we have behind him are very capable," Hill said. "I have no worries there."
What about the guys behind Hill?
Mangum is clearly the backup — Mendenhall said he will get "slightly less" snaps than Hill as camp progresses — while freshmen Beau Hoge and Koy Detmer Jr. are third and fourth, respectively, on the depth chart. Another backup quarterback, McCoy Hill, is still recovering from a foot injury and won't join the team until school begins.
"Man, it was killer to have Taysom back," Mendenhall said.
Still, everything wasn't perfect. Star receiver Mitch Mathews and starting offensive lineman Tuni Kanuch have "lingering injuries," Mendenhall said. They did not participate in contact drills. Defensive back Micah Hanneman also sat out, but he could be back in a day or two.
Mendenhall declined to divulge Mathews' injury, but he said "he will be fine for our opener."
Twitter: @drewjay -
First-day developments
R Wideout Mitch Mathews and offensive lineman Tuni Kanuch did not participate in contact drills, due to what coach Bronco Mendenhall termed "lingering injuries."
• Returned missionary Tanner Mangum gets the first snaps at quarterback behind Taysom Hill, followed by freshmen Beau Hoge and Koy Detmer Jr., respectively.
• Backup quarterback McCoy Hill, linebacker Phillip Amone and kicker Corey Edwards are among the players missing Saturday who will join the team when school begins.