When the local media was finally allowed into BYU’s Indoor Practice Facility on Friday for their viewing period the Cougars were deep into situational scrimmaging.

New BYU quarterback Kedon Slovis took off on one play and made his way quickly down the field, displaying a good burst of speed before stepping out of bounds.

Rumors are that he can throw the ball pretty well, too.

Early returns are that this new kid might work out.

BYU junior wide receiver Keanu “Kebo” Hill was asked what impressed him most about Slovis.

“His arm strength,” Hill responded. “I don’t know if y’all was here on Wednesday but he threw me two post balls that were like right on stride. It felt really good and the ball looked really pretty. We (the receivers) put in a lot of work when he got here. He always wanted to go throw. I tried to get all the receivers to come with us. We’re just trying to get a good connection between us and the quarterback room.”Slovis has had moments, both at USC and Pitt, where he looked like an NFL-caliber quarterback. His pairing with BYU offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick, who coached both Zach Wilson and Jaren Hall, is expected to draw more of those moments into existence.

So far, Slovis is taking first-team reps during spring football.

“His experience in the key right now,” BYU coach Kalani Sitake said. “But all the quarterbacks are doing a really good job, I would say Kade (Fennegan) is taking advantage of the reps because Jake (Retzlaff) is overcoming the tonsil stuff. But we’re looking at what Fennegan is doing and Nick (Billoups) is getting a lot of reps. Even the freshman, Ryder (Burton) is getting a lot of reps right now and he’s doing good.

“But you can tell Kedon has got a lot more experience than all of them. And the more they practice, the more they get those reps. Kedon is used to being the No. 1 quarterback wherever he’s been. You can see that he has a presence about him. Right now he’s definitely the front runner.”

Slovis is just one of approximately 30 new players on the spring roster.

“The vibe is really good, especially in the locker room,” Hill said. “Just to get to know new faces and all that stuff, it feels really good. Everybody is getting to know each other. Everybody is on the ping pong table again, getting whooped by me, obviously. But it’s really fun getting to see new people and to meet new people. That’s my whole big thing is meeting new people to learn more about them.”

Defensive tackle John Nelson said Jay Hill’s new defense is probably 1/3 installed through the first week of spring camp.

“There’s been a lot of schematic changes and a lot of new guys,” he said. “So it’s like we’re all staying on the same page. The coaches have been pushing us to run to the ball. That kind of makes a lot of plays in its own right. So a lot more guys are running to the ball and we’re putting more emphasis on that.”

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