What to Watch For When BYU Releases Depth Chart for Southern Illinois

It’s officially game week for Kalani Sitake and the BYU football program. The Cougars will release the first depth chart of the 2024 season on Monday to kickoff game week. Here are (x) things to watch for when the depth chart is unveiled.

1. Are…is a starting quarterback being announced?

The first and most obvious question: who won the quarterback battle? The quarterback battle between Jake Retzlaff and Gerry Bohanon has been the closest quarterback battle at BYU since Jake Heaps and Riley Nielson. Monday’s press conference is a natural time to announce the winner of the quarterback battle. If BYU declines to name a starter on Monday, this thing could go up until kickoff. It seems more likely than not that BYU will name a starting quarterback whether that’s Jake Retzlaff or Gerry Bohanon.

2. What about the other position battles?

There are a handful of position battles that haven’t been officially decided. The defensive end opposite Tyler Batty was a contested battle between Logan Lutui and Isaiah Bagnah. Both starting safety spots have been up for grabs. Then there’s the starting cornerback spot opposite of Jakob Robinson. Monday should provide some clarity on at least a few of those battles.

On offense, keep an eye out for the right guard spot and the tight end spot. Sonny Makasini and Austin Leausa have been battling for the starting spot at right guard. The rest of the starting jobs on the offensive line have been locked down.

At tight end, it’s pretty safe to assume that Keanu Hill will be the starter. After him, it’s anyone’s guess. BYU has rotated a lot of players at tight end during Fall camp.

3. Which true freshmen are on the depth chart?

Every year, there’s a handful of true freshmen who emerge and contribute. There were a lot of true freshmen contributing during camp, so you could see a lot of their names on the depth chart.

There are even freshmen that play well and show early signs of becoming star-caliber players. LJ Martin was a prime example of that in 2023. Martin led BYU in rushing as a true freshman and now he is one of the faces of the program.

4. Can Cody Hagen sneak onto the depth chart?

Speaking of true freshmen, Cody Hagen is a name to watch out for. When Cody Hagen got home from his mission in May, he joined the deepest room on the team. Even though he is part of a very crowded wide receiver room, Hagen might have shown enough in camp to warrant an “OR” at one of the backup spots.

5. Who is the youngest group and who is the oldest group?

Of the players that are in the two-deep, which group will be the oldest and which group will be the youngest? Hint: the defensive line will likely be the oldest. All four of the expected starters along the defensive line are seniors.

6. What will the backup offensive line look like?

Depth along the offensive line is a major question mark. While the starters along the offensive line are mostly locked in, the backups are not. Monday should provide some clarity on what the backup offensive line will look like. In the best-case scenario, there will be some underclassmen who have won those backup spots. The future of the offensive line room is a question mark at this point. Having a few young players emerging would go a long way in securing the future at that position.