BYU defensive coordinator Kelly Poppinga isn’t shy about how good he thinks his team is.

“It’s as good as it’s been since I’ve been here,” Poppinga said. “I just feel like we have a really good football team and we have a chance.”

The new coordinator, who was promoted from special teams this offseason, thinks everything is on the table for the Cougars. That includes a Big 12 title and a College Football Playoff berth.

But if there’s one thing that’s going to undo their pursuit, it might be the cornerbacks.

The Cougars don’t exactly have the most depth at that position. They tried to add some Power Four experience through the transfer portal, but it’s still going to be thin.

Even Poppinga acknowledged it’s a work in progress.

“The one position I think we have to develop some depth is the corner position,” he said. “I like the guys we have now, I really do. It’s just a matter of getting them more and more experience.”

At the moment, BYU has two players who’ve seen significant snaps. Evan Johnson was the most productive corner in the Big 12 last year, accounting for five interceptions and leading the league. And Tre Alexander III jumped into the starting lineup after Mory Bamba had issues.

But outside of those two starters, it gets murky.

BYU brought in Mississippi State transfer Jayven Williams to back up Johnson and Alexander. He played 13 games in the SEC last year with one interception and two pass breakups.

And Poppinga is rotating in a few younger players like Jordyn Criss, a redshirt freshman, and Kevin Doe, who has mostly been a special teams player at BYU.

“I think we have some really good young guys in there. Jordyn Criss, Kevin Doe, some guys who haven’t played a lot. They had some really solid springs,” Poppinga said. “But that would be the one position where I think we need to develop some guys and get a fourth and fifth corner.”

There is always the possibility BYU could add a late transfer. There was no spring transfer portal window in college football this year, but plenty of players remain unsigned.

But Poppinga shied away from that option and preferred to develop the players on the roster. To him, the options still on the market won’t be Big 12 contributors.

“We are not going to do that. We are going to develop from within and get the guys here ready. Anybody who is left over from the portal right now, for the most part, are guys that are there for a reason,” he said. “A lot of them are probably not Power Four players.”

In case of emergency, BYU moved safety Matthias Leach over to corner to add more options.

“He showed us some stuff that I’m really excited about,” Poppinga said.

But it will be trial by fire, and a heavy lean on Johnson and Alexander to do most of the work.