This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Provo • New BYU coach Kalani Sitake got his first on-the-field look at the football team he inherited from Bronco Mendenhall on Tuesday morning as spring camp practices began in 40- and 50-degree temperatures behind the student-athlete building.
Sitake said he liked what he saw — and he wasn't surprised.
"I have always thought this was a very talented team, so I am not so worried about that," said Sitake, the former defensive coordinator at Pac-12 schools Oregon State and Utah. "They are exactly what we thought, in all the workouts and all the stuff we were able to do in the offseason conditioning. They are used to winning. … I think it went pretty smoothly. The guys are adapting to what we asked them to do defensively and offensively, and I think so far it has been a smooth transition. It was a good day one."
Perhaps the biggest surprise Tuesday was that quarterback Taysom Hill, making a comeback from his third major, season-ending injury, a Lisfranc sprain in his right foot, did more than anybody expected he would after new offensive coordinator Ty Detmer said last month that the fifth-year senior would do next to nothing.
"I'm nowhere close to 100 [percent]," Hill told reporters after the workout, saying he still can't run anywhere near full speed on the foot.
Still, he was out there with last year's 13-game starter, sophomore Tanner Mangum, and the two others involved in what Detmer has said will be an "open competition" to be the starter next fall, Beau Hoge and Koy Detmer Jr.
"Great player. Great leader," Sitake said of Hill. "We want him around as much as possible. His presence is huge for us right now, and he wants to do a lot more. I think that was my No. 1 job, to make sure that Taysom is not doing too much."
The other familiar face welcomed back with open arms was that of running back Jamaal Williams, who withdrew from school a few days before fall camp last season. Calling himself an "old fart," along with Hill, the soon-to-be 21 Williams said he's fully recovered from a major knee injury that cut short his junior season in 2014.
"We love Jamaal. Everyone loves Jamaal," Mangum said. "Since he's been back, he's brought a very noticeable energy to the team. In workouts, he sets an example in word and in deed. He's a leader. He's been here and knows what he is doing."
Several players said they had "butterflies" in their stomachs while practicing in front of the new coaching staff — save defensive line coach Steve Kaufusi, the lone holdover from Mendenhall's staff — but Sitake described his first practice as "fun" and about what he expected.
"I like being around it," he said. "These guys make me feel young. So being around them, it is like a shot of energy for me. I am just honored to be here. We will look at the film, learn from the film. We will get better, but I definitely thought we got better as a team overall."
Sitake said more will be known when the players put on pads on Saturday and "start banging around a little bit," but he was impressed on how many guys got bigger and stronger in the weight room in January and February.
"I couldn't be more pleased with how everything worked with the new coaches, the players, the new positions," he said.
Speaking of which, the most notable switches were Francis Bernard moving from running back to linebacker and Micah Simon moving from defensive back to receiver. Sitake hinted that there might be more, although perhaps not more offense-to-defense changes, or vice versa.
"Some are permanent [changes], others we will just try to fill it out," Sitake said. "There are a lot of players I think could project to other positions. It is still a work in progress, I guess. We had some really good things that we saw."
Detmer and Sitake said mistakes were minimal Tuesday, but stressed that players weren't asked to do much.
"I have been involved in a lot of spring [camps] and being able to have it so clean today [was impressive]. There weren't a lot of miscues and so I think that's a huge compliment to these guys, and how mature they are, and the things that they have learned in the past. We didn't have to teach much effort, because these guys did it all naturally," Sitake said.
Notably absent, or not participating, were offensive linemen Tejan Koroma and Kyle Johnson and nose tackle Travis Tuiloma. Mid-year signee Handsome Tanielu, the highly touted DL from Snow College, also did not participate.
Sitake said Johnson and Tuiloma are sitting out spring ball due to injury, while Tanielu is "still working through some things" and should join workouts sometime this spring.
As for Koroma, Sitake told a reporter "you need to talk to somebody else about that" when he was asked if the freshman All-American center in 2014 is not currently with the team due to an honor code violation.
Asked if Koroma will be back this fall, Sitake said it depends on Koroma.
"That's up to him. I know and care about him, and we want what is best for him. So, that's up to him."
While it is clear that BYU's offense will change dramatically under Detmer — Hill and Mangum said they huddled more and took more snaps under center, for starters — the defensive alignment is still a work in progress, Sitake said.
"I am not going to make a statement and say this is what we are going to do offensively and defensively until we get the best 11 [players identified]," he said. "I guess that's my statement: The best 11 will play."
Twitter: @drewjay