BYU spring camp standouts: 6 players who helped themselves the most in March

Provo • It is a critical year inside BYU’s football offices.

After last year’s 5-7 campaign, those inside the building admitted the step up to the Big 12 was more difficult than they imagined.

The Cougars were taken aback by the physicality, depth and overall infrastructure of their new opponents. In year two, there needs to be significant improvements to show this staff can handle its new situation.

And it won’t get any favors from its schedule — one that asks BYU to go to Laramie and Dallas to play Wyoming and SMU before the Big 12 schedule even begins.

Plus, the Cougars don’t have a starting quarterback coming out of spring camp.

“For us to compete for the Big 12 title, we need to continue to take big steps forward,” defensive coordinator Jay Hill said.

Still, there were positive signs going into the summer. Here are six younger players who stood out in spring camp and could help BYU’s cause.

Tommy Prassas

Prassas probably wasn’t a recruit most fans circled when signing day came and went in December. The headliners of the BYU’s class were Kini Fonohema, Ryner Swanson, and Faletau Satuala.

But Prassas won’t be in the background much longer. The true freshman could play immediately for Hill’s defense — maybe in a starting role.

Prassas commanded the free safety position in spring camp, taking advantage of a room that was experienced but in need of a talent upgrade.

Last year, BYU was relying on Ethan Slade and Tanner Wall by the end of the year. Both did fine jobs but were walk-ons. Slade and Wall will compete for snaps in 2024, too.

Prassas could now play alongside guys like Micah Harper and Talan Alfrey in a starting role.

One note on Prassas, he comes from the same high school as Harper. A starting secondary of Harper and Prassas would be a nod to BYU’s Chandler, Arizona, recruiting pipeline.

Treyson Bourguet

BYU wasn’t exactly fishing for quarterbacks like it was a year ago. It had Jake Retzlaff returning and brought in Gerry Bohanon from USF.

So when BYU took in Western Michigan’s Treyson Bourguet last winter, it raised some eyebrows.

Why take a second quarterback, a redshirt sophomore, if you already have a room full of eight QBs?

Well, spring camp answered that question.

Bourguet had an impressive 15 practices — showing a playmaking ability and accuracy downfield. If I had to pick who’d be the third quarterback at the moment, it might have to be Bourguet.

And that is significant because it means he would leapfrog several quarterbacks already in the room. Cade Fennegan is going on four years in the program. Ryder Burton is in his second year.

In talking with the receivers, Bourguet throws a very catchable ball and helped himself plenty this spring.

Miles Davis

Davis is a hard one to include on this list, because he isn’t young. This will be his fifth year at BYU.

But the redshirt junior might’ve finally cracked the running back rotation permanently.

Davis showed spurts of being a dynamic weapon (think back to 2022 when he nearly won the Wyoming game by himself). But he hasn’t been consistent. Some of that can be attributed to a lack of trust from the coaching staff to play him in every situation.

This spring, Davis rounded out his game. Offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick said he can run every part of the offense.

That’s an important development for BYU. The run game completely collapsed last year and took the offense with it. Establishing the run is the priority for Roderick’s offense to function in 2024.

With Davis, BYU could have an experienced trio of LJ Martin, Hinckley Ropati and Davis. Don’t forget about Pokaiaua Haunga either, a freshman who had a nice spring.

Devin Downing

He is further down on the depth chart, but Downing stood out consistently among the receivers.

He made several nice catches from Retzlaff and Bohanon. It showed the athleticism that was so often talked about when he came out of American Fork.

Don’t expect Downing to be a major factor in this offense yet. Chase Roberts, Darius Lassiter and Keelan Marion are still the main pass catchers.

But it is a positive for BYU to develop a younger wave behind the glut of veteran receivers it has.

Jack Kelly

Kelly is also not exactly a young player — after spending two years at Weber State — but he is new to BYU.

Kelly should be an immediate impact contributor at linebacker. He could even play edge in certain situations.

As he sees it, the outside linebacker position is his best spot. From there, he can either rush the passer or drop back in coverage. He is a fluid enough athlete to do both. He might be the strongest player on the team, too, pound for pound.

It is critical for BYU to actually get to the quarterback this year. Hill loves to blitz, but he didn’t have a ton to show for it last year.

Kelly was a 10-sack guy at Weber. He is moving up a level, but Hill’s former players have done very well in this system (look at Eddie Heckard and Kamden Garrett). Expect that again from Kelly this year.

Ryner Swanson

It wasn’t exactly a surprise that BYU’s four-star recruit — who was heavily pursued by Texas — looks ready to play. But Swanson lived up to that billing

He should be productive at the tight end spot in 2024, right alongside Keanu Hill.

Although just months out of high school, Swanson looks like a ready-made college player. He is 6-foot-4 and already flirting with 250 pounds. For context, Hill is 255 pounds and a sixth-year senior.

The plan for him is to still serve a mission after his freshman year. It complicates the tight end room’s projection for future years (Jackson Bowers is still there) but he could be a weapon this go-round.