Consider Jatta (6-foot-6, 315 pounds), and the course of his collegiate career up to his current status as a redshirt senior for the Cougars this season. The San Diego State native was a standout for Snow College through two seasons, earning himself All-American honors. His credentials were recognized by several top programs, including Colorado, where he appeared in 11 games during the 2023 season before opting to transfer to BYU following the Buffalos’ 2024 spring practice session.

Needless to say, Jatta hopes to make the most of his final collegiate season.

“It’s a big year for me, but I’m definitely ready for it,” Jatta said. “It’s about making the moment never too big while getting in there and doing my thing. I pride myself on being a very smart player, and I believe in myself. I’m ready for it.”

Jatta has already proved to be ready for big moments playing for BYU.

During the Cougars’ game at Utah last season, starting right tackle Brayden Keim was forced to leave the game early with injury. Enter Jatta, who not only had yet to take a game-time rep that season, but had to do as much opposite his more natural left tackle position in the typically raucous atmosphere for BYU vs Utah game played at Rice-Eccles Stadium.

Jatta didn’t miss a beat, effectively filling in for Keim at right tackle and moving on to start BYU’s games versus both Kansas and Arizona State before sitting out the rest of the season due to injury. Playing in just three games last season preserved Jatta’s redshirt option, allowing him to return and play for BYU for one more season.

It’s an opportunity he’s ready to take full advantage of, both on and off the field of play.

“I love everything about BYU and was definitely the right decision for me to come here,” he said. “I’ve been able to make great connections with my teammates and be around great people and learn from their testimonies. It’s been awesome for me.”

One of Jatta’s most notable teammates is Gentry, who will likely start opposite him at the right tackle spot.

“He brings a crazy tenacity to our room as far as coming off the ball and wanting to hit dudes,” Jatta said of the 6-foot-8, 315 pound Gentry. “He definitely has the ability to move some big dudes around and he’s going to be great for us this year.”

Gentry was one of the more notable roster additions for BYU during the offseason, having spent his first two seasons playing for Michigan where he appeared in 26 games and started two. The former 4-star recruit from Littleton, Colorado sat out the entirety of BYU’s spring practice session upon arrival, but has since made a full recovery from his lisfranc injury.

“The medical staff here has been amazing and I’ve honestly been ready to go since May,” Gentry said. “I’ve been rolling and feeling great for a while now and I’m happy with where I’m at.”

Gentry’s abilities are apparent, and have been validated through his play so far during fall camp. The biggest question, perhaps, is how he would mesh with his teammates, given the compressed time of just one full practice session before taking to the field.

“Cohesion is obviously the biggest key for an offensive line to have,” Gentry said. “We haven’t played a lot together, obviously, but I feel it’s meshing really well. Coach (TJ) Woods does a great job putting us in good situations to get a feel for one another, and playing for him is one of the big reasons I chose to transfer to BYU.”

Gentry was recruited hard by the Cougars prior to signing and then playing for Michigan, but he ultimately opted to play for BYU in large part due to an urgency within the program that he didn’t feel was there when first recruited back in 2020.

“Coach (Kalani) Sitake’s big thing in camp is talking about how we’re going to get from being a good team to being great,” Gentry said. “That’s what I saw when I decided to transfer to BYU and it’s all been validated since being here. This program is on the rise and I want to be a part of it and hopefully help it become a truly great program. That’s the goal and everyone is working hard toward that.”

While at Michigan, Gentry was a part of some of the top offensive line units in the entire country, and sees the same potential at BYU.

“We have some great players here,” Gentry observed. “I honestly believe that we can compete with any offensive line in the nation. We have the talent and now it’s getting the scheme together and making sure we get to the point where we’re playing five guys as one. That’s the goal.”