The new regime at quarterback for BYU has seen success early during spring practice and has drawn high praise from head coach Kalani Sitake. Speaking after spring practice, Sitake detailed just how impressive his group of quarterbacks has been so far in 2023.
BYU QBs Adapting Quickly
BYU has had tremendous success at the quarterback position over the course of their illustrious program. None more apparent than in today’s world of college football as Jaren Hall is set to join former Cougar quarterbacks Taysom Hill and Zach Wilson on an active roster in 2023.
While Hall is preparing for the 2023 NFL Draft, a new starting quarterback has to be named, and though that player will likely not have thrown a pass in Provo as the team’s leading man, the success at the quarterback position seems poised to repeat itself at BYU.
“I was really impressed with all the quarterbacks,” Sitake said. “[There was] high-level accuracy, great command of the offenses, and they were able to tell their guys where to go.”
Those attributes certainly speak to success at the QB position, but most notably, Sitake expounded on a potential ground-breaking bit of news in terms of his new quarterback room’s preparedness for the 2023 season.
“Any errors that were happening with the signaling, they were correcting on the field,” Sitake said of his quarterbacks adapting right before his eyes. “That’s crazy that we’re doing that with this new group of guys really, but they seem to be veterans who have adapted to our offense really well.”
Those quarterbacks just so happen to be veterans, in fact. Entering the year, only two of the six rostered quarterbacks are freshmen — Cole Hagen and Ryder Burton.
MORE: 2023 Big 12 QB Rankings
Kedon Slovis is the apparent starter as the senior from Scottsdale, Arizona, leads a relatively unheralded group behind him. Slovis, a former starter at USC and Pittsburgh, has plenty of Power Five experience and a bevy of knowledge in the game to help transition BYU from the ranks of the FBS Independents into the Big 12 this fall.
As one would expect, Slovis has praised his offensive players and their readiness after just a few short weeks on campus.
“The receivers and everyone know the offense so well,” Slovis told ABC4 in Provo. “The coaches have been here for a while; it’s established. It’s not like you have to go into the playbook to ask about a play — if you ask a guy, they know it.
“The receivers know the offense better than any receiving corps I’ve ever been around.”
Considering his time around the block and the top-tier talent at receiver he’s played with (Amon-Ra St. Brown, Michael Pittman Jr., Tyler Vaughns, Drake London, Jared Wayne, Konata Mumpfield), that’s some high praise from the man himself who received high praise.
All in all, it’s turning up roses in Provo so far through March.
