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Provo • What do three players expected to be among BYU's biggest offensive stars in 2016 — quarterback Taysom Hill, running back Jamaal Williams and receiver Nick Kurtz — have in common?

"We shouldn't be here," Kurtz said last week. "We should all be gone. So it is cool to have another year back with those guys. We are having a lot of fun."

Hill and Williams are back because they missed all or most of the 2015 season — Hill after a foot injury suffered in the opener against Nebraska and Williams because he withdrew from school just days before camp started — and Kurtz is back because he missed the 2014 season with a broken right foot.

The senior's left foot is broken this summer and has kept him from participating in contact drills in camp, but Kurtz believes he will be "good to go" when the Cougars line up against Arizona on Sept. 3 at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz.

"It is the same thing I went through two years ago, so I am kind of used to the process of it," Kurtz said about the fracture he suffered in June. "It is always tough watching everybody out there and not be out there and make plays. But is all part of the process. I was able to run around out there and catch some balls [Thursday]. So I will be right on track, and I will be all right."

Kurtz is expected to be the leader, along with fellow seniors Mitchell Juergens and Colby Pearson, of a receiving corps that saw three of its top four pass-catchers — Mitch Mathews, Devon Blackmon and Terenn Houk — all graduate.

"You see new guys coming in here, and this is probably the most speed that I have ever seen at BYU for sure," he said. "These guys are going to make a lot of plays, with or without me or without any of the other guys. We just got to step in and do what we can."

Kurtz was referring to junior college transfers Jonah Trinnaman (Snow) and Beau Tanner (Scottsdale) and freshman Aleva Hifo, one of the more pleasant surprises of camp.

"I am really liking the newcomers and seeing some of the guys taking advantage of the reps that they are getting," coach Kalani Sitake said. "So, yeah, Jonah Trinnaman gives us a lot of speed. Beau Tanner does some really good things for us as well. And Aleva Hifo is doing great things for us. The new guys coming in, I think, will help us out, and they are joining a really good cast that has a lot of ability and size."

Quarterbacks like wide receivers, too

Hill said he was concerned about the receiving depth last spring, but has been pleasantly surprised.

"I think this coaching staff came in and did a pretty good job by bringing in Jonah and Beau Tanner and a few other guys outside. I've been really pleased," he said.

Tanner Mangum agrees.

"It is just cool seeing new guys, new faces, come in and make plays," Mangum said. It has been fun to watch."

Safety Hannemann high on defense

Having played cornerback last year, Micah Hannemann moves over to safety this year. The junior from Lone Peak High says the learning curve hasn't been steep, thanks to the new philosophy brought in by defensive coordinator Ilaisa Tuiaki.

"Our coverages and our plays I feel like are pretty simple this year," Hannemann said. "They want them to be simple so we know what we are doing and can play faster. I think if everyone gets their technique down and everyone just trusts everyone else, then things will be good. The times we are making mistakes is when one guy is trying to do two jobs at the same time, or one guy is trying to do someone else's job."

Briefly

Receiver Mitchell Juergens, from Houston, is on the watch list for the Earl Campbell Award, an honor that goes to the best college football who hails from Texas or plays for a school in Texas.

drew@sltrib.com Twiter: @drewjay —

Kurtz so good

BYU receiver Nick Kurtz in 2015

G Rec Yds Avg. TD Lng

13 39 578 14.8 3 53