BYU Football Adds Utah Transfer QB Nick Billoups
Jul 21, 2021, 12:25 PM | Updated: 12:32 pm
(BYU Photo/Jaren Wilkey)
PROVO, Utah – BYU football has added another signal-caller to its quarterback room.
Former Utah Utes walk-on Nick Billoups is joining the BYU program as a preferred walk-on.
Billoups arrived in Provo earlier this month and is gearing up for fall camp, which begins on August 5. He currently lists his new landing spot at BYU on his Twitter bio that reads, “BYU Quarterback.”
BYU Offensive Coordinator Aaron Roderick told KSL Sports at BYU Media Day he was actively seeking another quarterback to add for the 2021 season.
Somethings… pic.twitter.com/Hp9RWFuAJE
— Nick Billoups (@_nickbilloups) June 9, 2021
Why BYU added another quarterback
The active search to add another quarterback was due to the losses of preferred walk-on Jake Jensen and walk-on Rhett Reilly. After Jensen and Reilly left, BYU was down to four quarterbacks. The addition of Billoups brings the QB room back up to five signal-callers.
Out of the five players in the QB room this season, three will be contending to win the starting job in Jacob Conover, Jaren Hall, and Baylor Romney.
Sol-Jay Maiava Peters and now Billoups will have opportunities to develop at the QB position under Roderick, who helped develop and mentor the No. 2 NFL draft pick this season in Zach Wilson.
Jensen enrolled at a Junior College in California and has since received Power 5 recruiting interest. Reilly is currently in the Transfer Portal.
Billoups is a dual-threat quarterback who could play a variety of positions. He was initially with the quarterbacks at Utah; then, he was switched to safety heading into spring ball earlier this year. After spring ball concluded, Billoups entered the Transfer Portal in May.
Billoups prepped at San Clemente High School in San Clemente, California. The San Clemente, Southern California area is a part of the country where Aaron Roderick has recruited extensively during his time at BYU. He also recruited San Clemente when he was on the staff with Utah.
Billoups graduated from San Clemente in 2020. He was a high school teammate with BYU signee Preston Rex, who is currently serving a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Billoups has five years to play four during his collegiate career, still after last season was a free year of eligibility due to the NCAA’s blanket waiver amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.
BYU football opens up fall camp for the 2021 season on August 5.
BYU Football Quarterbacks for 2021 season
* denotes walk-on
Jaren Hall, Redshirt Sophomore
Baylor Romney, Redshirt Sophomore
Jacob Conover, Freshman
Sol-Jay Maiava-Peters, Freshman
Nick Billoups, Freshman*
Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for KSLsports.com and host of the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (Saturday from 12-3 pm) on KSL Newsradio. Follow him on Twitter: @Mitch_Harper.