BYU football 2017: Projected Cougars depth chart
Defense
Notable losses: The defense looks strong after returning many of the key pieces from a unit that surrendered just 19.5 points per game a year ago, but there are a couple of concerns for coordinator Ilaisa Tuiaki to address.
One of the biggest question marks on the team will be the defensive line, which is replacing three starters. Sae Tautu is now with the New Orleans Saints after piling up 11 tackles for loss and six sacks in 2016, Harvey Langi recorded 57 tackles and was terrific in the Poinsettia Bowl, and Logan Taele also enjoyed a productive senior campaign.
BYU’s linebackers should be excellent, and the secondary appears to be in good hands with one major exception. Safety Kai Nacua led the team with six interceptions last season and signed with the Cleveland Browns as an undrafted free agent.
DE – Corbin Kaufusi, redshirt junior
DT – Kesni Tausinga, senior
NG – Tevita Mo’unga, junior
DE – Trajan Pili, redshirt sophomore
While the defensive line doesn’t have a lot of career starts as a group, there are a few young players the Cougars can get excited about.
Pili has the potential to quickly become a force in the trenches after appearing in all 13 games with five tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks as a redshirt freshman. Kaufusi, a former BYU basketball player, also looked good in his college football debut and should improve with more experience.
Mo’unga will be counted on as the primary run stopper in the middle at 6-3, 335 pounds, while Tausinga chipped in 16 tackles last season as a rotation player. The Cougars are also bringing in some young depth from the recruiting trail, including highly rated freshmen Langi Tuifua and Saleapaga.
While he’s unlikely to play much this season 6-7, 410 pound Mo Langi out of will certainly be worth following in the coming years.
OLB – Fred Warner, senior
MLB – Butch Pau’u, redshirt junior
OLB – Francis Bernard, junior
The linebackers are the strength of BYU’s defense on paper, as the unit returns three productive starters who all produced nearly identical statistics last season.
Warner is the Cougars’ top returning defender after leading the team with 86 tackles, including 10.5 for loss, plus three interceptions and six passes defended. Pau’u and Bernard combined for 162 tackles themselves and both have the ability to either drop into pass coverage or get into the opponent’s backfield.
There isn’t a lot of tested depth here, so the Cougars will need the trio to stay healthy. Three-star redshirt freshman Isaiah Kaufusi could crack the rotation, with Morgan Unga and Johnny Tapusoa also in the mix.
CB – Troy Warner, sophomore
FS – Zayne Anderson, junior
SS – Micah Hannemann, senior
CB- Dayan Ghanwoloku, sophomore
Nickel – Chris Wilcox, sophomore
BYU’s secondary has great potential in 2017 thanks to a combination of solid upperclassmen and talented sophomores looking to build on impressive debuts.
With Nacua gone, Ghanwoloku becomes the leader of the secondary after recording 48 tackles and picking off three passes, one of which was returned for a touchdown, as a freshman. Warner added 21 tackles in his first year and looks steady enough to hold down the starting job.
Hannemann was second on the team with five passes defended in addition to 28 tackles, leaving Anderson as the biggest question mark on the unit after serving as a rotational player last year. Wilcox struggled in two starts last year but drew rave reviews during the spring to become the favorite to play the nickel.
Texas Tech transfer Tanner Jacobson should also receive a few snaps after piling up 47 tackles with the Red Raiders as a true freshman back in 2017.
Special teams
P – Johnny Linehan, redshirt senior
K – Rhett Almond, redshirt junior
PR – Micah Hannemann, senior
KR – Jonah Trinnaman, senior