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Provo • Life was anything but a beach for BYU football players during the offseason, but at least they now have a sand pit to play in this year.

At the request of the school's strength and conditioning coaches, BYU installed a giant, rectangular sand pit that runs parallel to the Student Athlete Building on the outdoor practice field.

"Yeah, we will build sand castles over there," joked coach Kalani Sitake.

The pit that looks as if it could be used for beach volleyball matches if it wasn't bordered by short concrete walls will be used for athletic training, Sitake said.

"It is to work on our speed and agility," he said. "Our strength coach asked for it, and we gave it to him. Our guys have used it a lot. It works. Go run in the sand. You will figure out why we did it."

Outside linebacker Fred Warner said it reminds him of the sandy beaches near his hometown of San Marcos, Calif.

"I have actually got into it a few times to do footwork stuff, but they just now got it finished, so we haven't done anything too bad," Warner said.

That's not to say the Cougars spent the offseason goofing off. Every Friday, they had to run the stadium stairs at LaVell Edwards Stadium, for instance.

"I was a monster," Warner said. "Running stadium stairs every week was a killer, but it helped us a lot."

Liking the look

Sitake liked the way the players looked when they reported to camp Wednesday.

"I am really pleased with how the offseason went and with how our guys look, and how they got really big and more athletic and a lot better as a team," he said.

Running back Tolutau to forefront

Two practices without pads have shown that BYU is serious about seeing what returned missionary Ula Tolutau can do at running back. The former Class 5A MVP from East High, who is listed at 6-foot-1, 255 pounds, seems to be getting the most carries during the media viewing portions of practice.

"Just listen to coach and run the ball, take care of the football and be the big, punishing, bruising back that we know he is," Sitake said of his expectation for the one-time Wisconsin signee.

Sitake on Kafentzis

Another transfer who originally signed with Wisconsin, former Jordan High star Austin Kafentzis, is also getting a good look early in camp. One of the most prolific quarterbacks in state history, and also the state javelin throwing champion, is getting some reps under center.

"Well, he's a good athlete so he can play a lot of different things," Sitake said. "Also, I think the first thing is to see what he can do as a quarterback. He has a great attitude. He wants to help us win, no matter which position. We will see how it goes from there."

Twitter: @drewjay