BYU football notes: Cougar head coach Kalani Sitake not looking forward to roster cuts
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- BYU players run a drill during spring camp in Provo on Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025.
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- BYU senior quarterback Jake Retzlaff throws a pass during spring camp in Provo on Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025.
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- BYU junior Treyson Bourguet throws a pass during spring camp in Provo on Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025.
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- BYU senior Marquis Taliulu catches a pass during spring camp in Provo on Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025.
There is a scene in the great sports movie “Miracle” where head coach Herb Brooks calls Ralph Cox into his office and informs him that he would be the last player cut from the 1980 Olympic team.
“There is no easy way of saying this,” Brooks said. “The rules say we’ve got to be down to 20 men and right now we are at 21. I wish I could keep you, Ralph, I really do. You’re a helluva hockey player. This doesn’t change that.”
Cox said, “Thanks for giving me a shot, Coach,” to which Brooks responded, “Thanks for giving me your very best.”
It’s an emotional theatrical moment that will likely be replicated in college football head coaches offices in the coming months, since new rules will require football teams to trim their rosters from 123 to 105 by the start of the 2025 season.
BYU head coach Kalani Sitake was asked how the Cougars will be approaching the changes after practice last Thursday.
“It’s about being honest with everyone at all the positions,” Sitake said. “There are guys who definitely belong here, but the roster limits are not something we came up with. Our job was to get our team to be 123 strong and deep. We got there, but now we have to cut from it. That’s just the rule.”
He emphasized that BYU isn’t going to make those decisions right now or in the near future, particularly since some athletes are limited after offseason surgeries and other injuries.
“We’re not anywhere close (to 105),” Sitake said. “We don’t need to be yet. We’ll get there. We are going to carry more in spring, and then we will keep working. There are guys who are limited and others will be full go, just like in any spring.”
The reality is that there will be fewer openings and so some players might see limited opportunities and decide to move on after spring.
“We have a transfer portal in April, so it gives guys a chance to move on and play,” Sitake said. “I hate thinking like that because they are all our guys.”
He said it’s a fluid process at this point, one the Cougars know they are facing but not something that has a clear-cut methodology.
“We won’t be at 105 even when we get to fall camp,” Sitake said. “The rule is you have to be there by the first game. We’ll see how close we get from now to then but it’s hard to say when that will be right now.”
The bottom line, according to Sitake, is that BYU wants athletes to get a chance to earn their spots during spring camp, the offseason and fall camp.
“It’s not going to be an exact science but we are going to do our best to let them settle it on the field,” Sitake said.
BYU senior quarterback Jake Retzlaff talks about special opportunities during Super Bowl week
As a Jewish quarterback at a Christian school owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Cougar senior Jake Retzlaff has gotten quite a bit of national attention.
That has opened doors for some special opportunities, like the one he had in mid-February.
“I got to speak at the “Stand Up to All Hate” unity summit through the Robert Kraft Foundation,” Retzlaff said. “Robert Kraft is Jewish, just like me, so he had me come and speak on a panel with Greg Joseph (who is Jewish), Leonard Fournette and Nancy Lieberman (who is Jewish). It was a joint effort to show African-American and Jewish unity and stand up to all hate.”
He said he enjoyed hearing all of the different stories and look toward the future.
“It was great to talk about where we are at and where we are going,” Retzlaff said. “There are all these great things that football does for us like giving us this platform. I’m just so grateful to have the chance to spread my faith that way.”
Cornerbacks coach Jernaro Gilford adding new title as defensive passing game coordinator
On Feb. 7, BYU announced that cornerbacks coach Jernaro Gilford had been promoted to the position of defensive passing game coordinator on the Cougar defensive staff.
Sitake talked about how the move was an official reflection of what Gilford has been doing for many years.
“He’s a BYU guy,” Sitake said. “The main thing is just giving him the credit for what he’s been doing already with our pass-game defense. It’s putting him in a role where he’s been doing a lot of the bracket coverages and the variety of coverages that we do. He’s a big part of working with (defensive coordinator Jay Hill) and the defensive staff, formulating ideas and strategies and schemes.”
Sitake credited Gilford with making a big difference for BYU on and off the field throughout his time in Provo.
“I’m really happy he’s here with us,” Sitake said. “He’s a great developer of character and potential on the field. I feel really good about what he’s done in the cornerback room and overall with coverages on our defense.”
