Since it is the first day of spring ball I wanted to re-post in a full compilation of my position by position breakdown for spring for any that missed it when I made the post back on signing day...

DB

Corners:
Dayan Lake
Troy Warner
Austin McChesney
Michael Shelton
Chris Wilcox
Kamel Greene
Trevor Brent

Many of the above players have game experience and both starters last year played up to their 4 star ratings as freshmen. Trevor Brent is coming of a red-shirt and will be interesting to see where he ends up. It will also be interesting to see if there are any switches to safety and any influx of talent moving from WR.

Safeties:
Matt Hadley
Micah Hannemann
Isaiah Armstrong
Zayne Anderson
Tanner Jacobson
Sawyer Powell
New Comers:
Austin Lee

It will be tough to replace the production of Kai Nacua, I think the battle for the starting position will be one of the most intriguing aspects of this spring. I hope we can get a couple of playmakers to emerge. Micah Hannemann was better than I expected and I think he is only going to get better.

Overall the talent level at this position is as high as it has been at BYU, and this is necessary as BYU is truly playing a P5 schedule. I am excited for what these guys can bring as they get more experience and better players around them on defense. BYU is able to compete at an elite level on defense when it has really good defensive back play.

O-line
Starters:
Tuni Kanuch, Tejan Koroma, Ului Lapuaho, Keyan Norman, Thomas Shoaf

It’s really nice to have 5 starters returning. The only loss was probably the least effective lineman last year (Eide). Getting Lapuaho back will be a huge upgrade and seeing what Hoyt can do this spring will also be on my watch list. He has all the measurables to be a dominating force, he played well as a Fr but kind of slipped off the radar in '16. Still, 6’8 300 plus guys do not grow on trees. It is comforting to know there are other guys coming who could be even better...


Other players to watch:
Kieffer Longson- was a 4 star recruit and is about the same size as Hoyt
Austin Chambers- was a 3 star recruit with multiple p5 offers
Zac Dawe- a really good athlete who at 275 lbs ran a sub 5 second 40
Chandon Herring- 3 star player with good size
JJ Nwigwe- has been in the program last 2 years and has seen action
John Vaka- Im not 100% sure he is in school yet, but he will make an impact when he does. He had multiple P5 offers and was committed to Oregon.

This group could end up being really good. There is talent, experience, and depth. I think the only thing missing is just a little more size (weight) and hopefully a nasty streak in some of these guys. That is all good news for Ty Detmer and the rest of the offense as we all know very well it all starts up front.

Wide Reciever:
Starters:
Moroni Laulu-Pututau, Jonah Trinnaman

Other players
Talon Shumway, Beau Tanner, Aleva Hifo
Top New-Comers:
Inoke Lotuleilei, Micah Simon, Akile Davis

I am excited to see the passing game open up and I believe having a passing QB will help the receivers out a lot in 2017. Inoke Lotuleilei is someone I believe will make an impact on the field this year. I have high hopes as well that JT and MLP will have break-out years on the field and will provide leadership this position will also need. I was really impressed with what I saw from Micah Simon last spring and in fall camp. I was convinced he would make a splash in the two-deep but then he was red-shirted. In hind sight, that was a good move, as BYU will have him as a contributor the next 3 years instead of 2. Akile Davis is another player who could impact the position, but it is unclear if he will be playing DB or WR in 2017. Talon Shumway is another player who could turn heads this spring. He has size, speed and athletic ability, I think he just lacks experience. Still, the bread will be buttered with what the returning players can bring. Jonah should be able to get behind the defense and Tanner will find him. Moroni Laulu-Pututau has so much upside, we have seen flashes, and with one more year and carrying the leadership mantle hopefully he becomes more consistent.

Running Back:
Returning players:
Riley Burt, Squally Canada, KJ Hall, Trey Dye

Newcomers:
Ula Tolutau

Other players:
Brayden El-Bakri


With a veteran OL that will be more experienced and deeper than in 2016, this group should have no trouble finding holes to run through. Still, losing a potential NFL RB is going to hurt. I think the athletes that BYU has at the position are going to fit in well with that Ty Detmer is trying to do with the offense; here is both power and speed. I expect to see a couple of 500-700 yard rushers this year vs one guy getting over 1,000. That could change with productivity. If one guy starts producing, they will feed him. It will be interesting to see how reps are broken up, if Burt can really make a move up the depth chart and how Tolatau will fit in. I think we have seen enough of Squally to know he can be a good back, but it is nice to know there are other options if he is not able to be an every down back. A wild card is Trey Dye, has he finally found his landing spot? Is he able to make an impact on this team? For him I believe its now or never.

DL

Returning players:
Sione Takitaki, Moses Kaumatule, Tomasi Laulile, Kesni Tausinga, Trajan Pili, Tevita Mo’unga, Corbin Kaufusi, Merrill Taliauli, Handsome Tanielu

Newcomers:

Kainoa Fuiava, Uriah Leiatua, Keanu Saleapaga, Earl Mariner, Tico Fuga, AJ Lolohea

This is one of the positions I have the most hope for. The addition of Takitaki alone is cause for optimism. If he makes it back, it will be huge for BYU. So far he has not joined BYU for spring but was mentioned by the coaches as a possibility. He has an ability to get into the backfield the team sorely missed last year. Coach Kaufusi spun straw into gold in 2016 dealing with multiple injuries to key players then taking a bunch of guys we never heard of, switching to a 4-3 and ending up helping the defense to a top 10 finish in rushing defense. If you look at the losses of Tuiloma, Laulile, and Taliauli it is amazing what this group was able to accomplish. Taliauli particularly was adept at eating blocks and disrupting the running game. The one are of concern is the pass rush. The aforementioned addition of Takitaki and some talented newcomers will give Coach K some options to address this. This group is really deep and more talent coming in will make this a very strong anchor for the defense. With all of that said there will be a lot of talent, experience, and depth for this unit that is continually increasing its talent level
TE

Returning players: Tanner Balderree, Hunter Marshall, Nate Sampson, Troy Hinds, Alema Piliami

Newcomers: Joe Tukuafu, Matt Bushman

For how much lip service the coaches have given to this position since the staff was hired, this will be an area to really watch this spring. The coaches have backed it up on the recruiting trail as well. 2016 was not the best year BYU has had in the passing game, and I don't think it fair to judge our current TE's based on that. It seemed Balderree and Marshall both had their moments last year. Balderree was able to make some huge game changing plays. His catch and run on the 4th quarter TD against Toledo, his TD in overtime vs Mississippi State, and his TD off the deflection in the bowl game. These plays were enormous and were directly responsible for BYU winning each respective game. With a more pass oriented QB, and more confidence as the starter, I am optimistic at what Tanner will bring to the throw game in '17. A lot of hype is surrounding Matt Bushman. He is a big time recruit with impressive skills. I think he is the future at the position and it will be nice to bring him along this year with a veteran like Balderree. I am not sure if Tukuafu is going to be able to play this year, but he is another player to watch this spring. Troy Hinds is still listed on the roster, and if he is ever 100% healthy he will make an impact. Alema Piliami is another player to watch. He is someone who could make a move this spring as well.

Special Teams

Kicker
Rhett Almond was 17/21 kicks and 39/40 extra points. I think it cannot be understated how nice it was having a steady kicker that could be relied on week in and week out. The only problem was range. BYU needed to be at the 25 yard-line or closer, but in that range he was nearly automatic. Corey Edwards was the primary kick off guy and had 17 touch-backs in 2016. Andrew Mikkelson kicked off a little and lined up for a few kicks and will be the back-up at both positions.

Punter
Jonny Linehan will return and he has been very solid for BYU. 2016 was Linehans best year so far as a cougar. Out of 57 punts he got 30 inside the 20. In addition, I don't remember him being blocked.

Returners
With the new comers at both the WR and RB positions, Aleva Hifo may have some competition returning kicks. Riley Burt has experience in this area from his FR season. Inoke Lotuleilei seems like the type of player who can come in and replace Jeurgens as a punt returner. This will be an area to watch if they actually practice these things in spring.

Deep Snapper
I am very motivated by what Matt Foley has done. He is one of, if not the most solid and consistent DS in college football. I don’t think he has had one bad snap. I don’t even think he has had one average snap. His snaps are nearly perfect every time. This has led to more made kicks and better punts.

Having a solid special teams unit does wonders for the W-L record. Thinking back at how each game went last year, the difference between a winning record and a losing record came down to very good special teams play. The fact BYU returns everyone and another year for improved play bodes very well for BYU's chances in 2017. The biggest need is improving the range of FG kicking. Hopefully that is addressed this spring.

LB


Starters returning: Fred Warner, Francis Bernard, Butch Pau’u

Returning players: Phillip Amone, , Kavika Fonua, Grant Jones, Va'a Niumatalolo , Adam Pulsipher, Rhett Sandlin, Johnny Tapusoa, Morgan Unga, Rylee Gautavai

Newcomers: Scott Huntsman, Will Sedgewick, Keenan Pili (mission?), Isaiah Kaufusi

Another very solid position group as it returns 3 starters from last year. If the starters stay healthy all year, this will be another great defense. Developing depth will be the key this spring. Bernard was really coming into his own as a LB, hopefully he gets everything cleared up that kept him out of the bowl. Fred Warner seemed to get better with each game. He has been able to be a play-maker from the LB position and BYU will rely on those big plays in order to get through a tough schedule. Butch Pau'u was a monster in the middle. He is the type of seek and destroy LB I remember from the past. He will need to stay healthy. With all 3 LB returning and established, spring will be more about getting reps for the back-ups to develop depth. Some of these guys may even sit out spring with not much to gain. Some of the guys I will be watching closely are Will Sedgewick and Scott Huntsman (if he stays at LB). They seem to have the talent to make a move up in the spring.

QB

Returning players: Tanner Mangum, Beau Hodge, Koy Detmer jr.

Newcomers: Kody Wilstead (set to return from a mission in March but not sure if in time for spring)

Not a lot of drama here, Tanner will be the starter. Staying healthy and developing a back-up are really the only goals for spring. Tanner will benefit from getting 100% first team reps for the first time since he has been here beginning with spring. I have spent the last several weeks watching every snap Tanner has played at BYU and here are my observations

His strengths are the deep ball and throwing the out pattern with zip and accuracy. The kid has a gun. His weaknesses are staying in the pocket, reading the defense, and throwing over the middle. That may have been a function of the offense that was being run under Anae when he got the bulk of his snaps and what he was allowed to do. This will be a great opportunity for Ty Detmer to develop his weaknesses into strengths.

It will be interesting to see if Hodge can make a push at all. It will only benefit the team if he comes in and tears it up on the field this spring. Koy Detmer jr has talent but I would suspect he will fill the 3rd spot on the depth chart. He could be a heckuva FG holder though.