College football season is about to begin.

Sort of.

After seven months of transfer portal talk (i.e., college football free agency) and recruiting rankings, players will actually be taking the field this week in preparation for the 2025 season.

For practice.

We’re talking about practice.

Not a game.

Practice.

Allen Iverson, I feel your pain.

The local media is allowed to watch about 20 minutes of BYU football practice a couple of times a week during fall camp. Then we report breathlessly about how this or that player looked really good or is making a push for more reps in a game.

Al based on 20 minutes of observation of whatever drill the coaches decide to end practice with that day.

Interviews will reveal that this is the closest group of players to ever play the game, everyone is flying around making plays and every position group is deeper than it’s ever been.

Don’t take everything you read and hear as absolute gospel.

The media isn’t allowed to watch scrimmages, yet boosters and players’ families can, sharing the details with everyone they meet. Which reminds me of a story: Years ago when social media was still getting off the ground, the local media was allowed to watch a BYU football scrimmage on a day fans were invited to watch practice as well. We were instructed not to send out into cyberspace any details about what we would see.

All during practice, hundreds of fans were pointing their phones at the field to take pictures and video which they happily shared online.

The paranoia reaches a fever pitch as we approach Game 1. Coaches try to keep everything hidden, even grumbling about having to produce a mid-week depth chart for the game notes and then dotting the entire thing with “ands” at every position to hide who will really be getting the most reps.

Once Game 1 is over, everything is basically out of the bag anyway. Game video reveals all to your next opponent.

Another story: When I was working at the Lincoln Journal Star in Nebraska, I wrote about how it was ridiculous that coaches would fear a media report could reveal anything of substance to an opponent.

As if a regular part of the weekly coach’s meeting was to discuss what a newspaper beat writer had written about practice or what a TV reporter talked about on the evening newscast.

That week, Nebraska was playing some FCS opponent from a small town in the deep South. The Huskers defensive coordinator told me that there was so little information on the opponent he actually went to the website of that small town’s newspaper to find out what offense they were running.

Huh.

Everything I just wrote is not to say I’m not interested in the next four weeks of BYU football practice. It takes some effort but you can read between the lines of dreary interviews with coaches and players to glean a little information about the coming season.

When a coach says the offense won the day’s scrimmage, or the defense won a different day, you may have to ask some additional questions about how that took place. I mean, I didn’t see it. Would I have agreed with the coach if I had watched the scrimmage?

I always prefer to believe my own eyes, when I have the opportunity.

Once in a while you get a coach or player who is having a good day and reveals something you didn’t know.

You have to pay close attention and ask the right questions, not the ones that start with “talk about …”

Most of the attention during BYU’s fall camp will be on the quarterback battle, obviously, but there are a few other position groups I will be watching as closely as I can.

The offensive line, for instance, has some new blood to integrate with some returners. With a new quarterback, it will be essential that the O-line room has some studs that step up and protect the new guy as well as provide some great run blocking.

The defensive line is pretty much completely rebuilt. Who will step up to take the reps? How deep with the Cougars go in their rotation there?

BYU lost both of its starting cornerbacks from 2024 in Jakob Robinson and Marque Collins. Who plays their way into a starting role?

So even though it sounds like I’m complaining, I’m really not. I’m just anxious for the football season to really start.

But it’s a long four weeks to get there.

What I just watched

I have to say “Fantastic Four: First Steps” is a good time. It’s a summer blockbuster without agenda or preaching. It’s just a simple story about family that includes a gigantic robot and people with superpowers.

I also will say while I enjoyed “Superman,” I liked “Fantastic Four” better.

What’s next?

This means you

I saw a “No Soliciting” sign at a house the other day where someone had written in felt pen “Especially not roofing companies.”

What is it that makes these guys feel like they are not soliciting when they come knock on your door?

Tastes great

Had a barbecue on Saturday and was especially proud of the way my hamburgers turned out. I’m still working on convincing my wife to stop buying the 90/10 hamburger and go with 85/15 or 80/20, but she’s still fearful of the fat content. Or as I like to call it, “the flavor.”

That’s all for now, but for this: You never really own money. It’s just your turn with it. I just wish it was my turn more often.

Have a great week and be kind to someone. You might be surprised how it makes you feel.