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BYU receiver Puka Nacua talks to reporters after practice on Monday, Aug. 8, 2022.

Jaren Wilkey/BYU Photo

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BYU receiver Puka Nacua runs after catching a pass during practice on Monday Aug. 8, 2022.

Jaren Wilkey/BYU Photo

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BYU defensive back Gabe Jeudy-Lally (11) plays defense against receiver Keanu Hill during practice on Friday, Aug. 5, 2022.

Jaren Wilkey/BYU Photo

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BYU graduate transfer cornerback Gabe Jeudy-Lally recently arrived in Provo after transferring from Vanderbilt. When he was asked Monday after practice about how being part of the Cougar squad was different from his other college football experiences, his response focused on the mentality of the team.

“I find, to be honest, is probably one of the most different places in the country,” Jeudy-Lally said. “It’s really relaxed. Everybody’s happy. When camp comes, most people around the country dread it. Here, like, it’s fun. We’re going to come out here, going to practice, get three hours off and come back and do my meetings. I’m excited to come out here every single day. I don’t see anybody dread it, which is like very surprising coming from when I did camp from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. This is just a lot better. I’m actually really happy to be out here.”

With such a strong endorsement of BYU approach from an experienced newcomer, Cougar offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick was asked whether he saw a difference when guys were able to enjoy the “grind” of fall camp.

But Roderick, who is known to be direct, was quick to point out that he didn’t agree with the phrasing of the question.

“I’ve never understood why it has to be a grind,” Roderick said. “We love what we’re doing and (head coach Kalani Sitake) makes it fun. I love coming to work every day just like Gabe said he loves coming to practice. We are all blessed to be out here, so why would you think of it as a grind? You’ve got to put in a lot of hard work but this is a blast. I love it.”

BYU junior wide receiver Puka Nacua is another player who experienced playing college football somewhere else — Washington, in his case — before coming to Provo. He sees the effort that is made to allow everyone to stay relaxed.

“I think it’s one of the big things here,” Nacua said. “We play games in our meeting room, which is a different way of learning than is often the approach in the classroom. We’re having fun, joking around. It makes the learning process fun. It makes the camaraderie we have so much more fun.”

He talked about how different coaches have different personalities, but they are themselves and that allows them to connect with a variety of athletes.

“Kalani is our head coach, but he is very different from (assistant head coach Ed Lamb), who is very different from (offensive coordinator Ilaisa Tuiaki and offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick),” Nacua said. “Then you have the position coaches, who obviously impact their groups but they impact other players too. I’ve known (running backs coach Harvey Unga) forever and sometimes we’ll meet and never talk about football. That makes you feel a lot more comfortable.”

He explained that making practice fun and having those ties benefits players and coaches on multiple levels.

“When there is a key teaching moment to talk about football, it’s not something that I want to immediately reject because during lunch we just had a great discussion that was separate from the position meeting we were about to have,” Nacua said. “It makes everything way more fun. I think the big thing I can say is just it’s a huge blessing to be around these guys. It makes football a thousand times more fun.”

He said that when he takes all those things into consideration, he understands what Jeudy-Lally has seen in just the first few days.

“It can be hard getting ready for the season in fall camp and you have to get adjusted to it — but I definitely can say that I like fall camp here more than I did at Washington, for sure,” Nacua said.

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