KSL Sports BYU Insider Mitch Harper Leans To Jake Retzlaff Starting At Quarterback

it's time to get the inside info on BYU with cougar Insider Mitch Harper of KSL sports.com a 975 the KSL Sports Zone lot of respect for their players I know they got some turn over and and getting some guys going but what you know with consistency that they have in the coaching staff with the head coach they'll be able to get their guys ready to go and we'll get their best shot Saturday we just got to make sure that they get ours welcome back everybody JJ and Alex 975 V KL Sports Zone oh we are prepping you for all sorts of football go going on this weekend of course starting tonight the University of Utah firing off against Southern Illinois or no against Southern Utah BYU against Southern Illinois I a lot of Southerns in my head a lot of directional schools week one a lot of directional FCS schools and and Utah are playing directional schools in Utah State's playing some guy named Bob hey Bob you come play a football game with us this weekend we just want to see where our team's at what Bill wasn't available you gotta play Bob instead Bob Morris yeah Robert Morris uh extra points if you know where Robert Morris University is Pittsburgh Pennsyvania there you go I did my homework by the way now what's their what's their uh what's their mascot what's rmu's mascot just the Bob Nam Robert guy Roberts joining us on the program right now he's our BYU Insider and he also is our lead uh college football simulator uh of all things college football 2025 Boy The Sim game has blown up uh Mitch I we'll take some credit for it because faking our way through a fake game to get us to these real games as actually worked for us it's actually helped but I think it was why did people love that that simulation of BYU and in Southern Illinois is it because it was so dang close and so many points were scored oh I I think they were I think well the visual first I mean I I think that just they were desperate for football like all of us we're ready for this thing uh but yeah that that story just uh it popped too on the website and there was there were a lot of people that text me and and hit me up said I love that simulation I just think people are clamoring for for football but also uh they just don't know what to feel about this BYU team going into week one because because there's just so many unknowns we feel like we maybe know this team's going to be better but you know is it going to be what it was last year I talked to keano hill yesterday BYU tight end and I you know asked him about how he he's you know about the pressures of of getting off to a fast start because he acknowledged last year the team felt down after that Sam Houston game they were they were disappointed and uh so there's a little bit of urgency to you know get out to a strong start and I just feel like that that pressure for is also carried over to the fan base because they just they hope it's not a Sam Houston game they wanted to see uh a strong performance they're going to win against Southern Illinois but how's it going to look how's it going to play out I think that's that's why the going back to the video game why I think people just kind of wanted to get a feeling they hope and pray it doesn't play out like that well whatever the result is the quarterback at BYU is going to play a big role in what that is and but the problem is we have no idea but Daron rodri says he knows and it's clear-cut at quarterback after his statements and and putting you know reading some of the tea leaves Mitch who do you think gets the start I think Jake redl gets the start and and and the thing is is that I don't know if it's completely clear-cut I mean obviously the coaches got way more Intel and they saw every snap every rep and and Jake you know he did have 15 spring practices where he was better than Gary banan and he put it all together over the course of the entire year you can maybe then make the case for clearcut but still I think you should factor in Gary banan in some capacity and you know if and if if the Run game's not working if that passing attack is is struggling uh consider going to Gary Bohanan if it does in fact be Jake Gretl you know BYU once you know Jake Gretl though I do believe from what I've seen this whole year he has gotten better and particularly in Fall Camp passing the football he has done a lot better and and I I feel like you know there there's reason for optimism that they can uh be a more effective passing attack team and what was noticeable too in Fall Camp was BYU was very willing to go to the quick hit uh you know passes to the to the receivers you know last year I thought that could be uh an option where they could turn that into their run game where you're just doing those quick hits you know two three yards but move up field whereas you're just getting stonewalled at the line of scrimmage with their running backs you know turn your passing game in some extent uh into a ground game where you're you know in a second and six rather than second and 11 so I thought that was noteworthy and you know redl had great command of the offense too in in Camp and now still with all this said I mean I still have you know modest expectations at best for him I still think that there's an opportunity for someone like bohannan to should be having chances to play but I do think he has made a lot of improvements since last year and I always go back to last season in January of 2023 when they brought him in you know Aaron rodri this offensive staff they looked at rettl as a potential qb1 to be the face of the program in the heart of the Big 12 for them and so they want to play that out I I did also think it was noteworthy too that rodri you know Point Blank said the eligibility piece was not factored into his decision uh in this which I thought was was interesting comment because if all things are equal you do go with the younger guy because if redl does hit this year it gives you more momentum going into 2025 that you feel like hey you got a qb1 mitch one thing that of course I mean I was telling uh JJ this because on the video you had a smirking uh A-Rod was he smirking because he's excit is he is he smiling because he's excited about you know what they've got at quarterback and what they've got planned out for for uh Sou in Illinois or is it smiling because he gets to tell you no again probably latter that he gets to tell us no again and you know what and and I think that I'm curious to see you know on Saturday how maybe loose BYU is you know because again uh is it is it a smile of nervous you know that it's like you feel like you still don't have the complete answers and and he has he himself rodri has said throughout camp they're not going to be able to say anything until they prove it on the field and that's what's so interesting about this this BYU team is that so many times you fallen into the traps of okay this has turned the corner in Camp and then it doesn't materialize in the season I don't think anyone's giving them any praise and rightfully so from What was seen in Camp now there were good things there were there were some positive developments particularly at linebacker uh I also you know see the wide receivers being a a great strength for BYU but there's there's other key spots the defensive line the offensive line too I I think that starting five is going to be good you got to go prove it though and there's nothing that can be said in the preseason that's going to really change people's minds until you actually do it week after week in a season it can't just be one game either it's got to be over the course of an entire year because you know BYU had a game last season at Arkansas where they had you know in some respects a complete Game defensively and they had some explosive play offensively there a big win at the time but do it over the course of a 12-game season and so that's going to be the task in front of rodri and colani and this whole entire staff what's the biggest non-quarterback storyline or question mark about this team that you'd like to see answered on Saturday the offensive line it has you know are they uh as good uh as a run blocking team as they have said they're going to be uh you know that that has been the number one goal for Aaron Roder beyond the quarterback you know sorting that out his messaging has been you know number one goal establish the ground attack because they were a good football team when they had Tyler aler and you know even for a brief window tyon Williams and before that with colani Jamal Williams so BYU had a great run of of really good running backs and uh that was nonexistent last year and even though they had an NFL running back in Aiden Robbins he was banged up and he was just non-existent so uh you know LJ Martin he he's cleared to go ready to go for uh Saturday and you know BYU's offensive line has got to dominate uh the Salukis because Southern Illinois they are a team that they shouldn't pose a threat to BYU but one thing that is interesting about them is that they come from the best league in the FCS and they play teams in their league annually that are kind of built like you know group of five or maybe low in P4 offensive lines like North Dakota State South Dakota State those are good football teams we're going to see North Dakota State tonight against Colorado and what they're only an underdog by about a touchdown so the trench play in the Missouri Valley is is pretty good it's comparable to group of five programs but so you know BYU if if they do dominate at the line of scrimmage this offensive line it could be a a little you know moment that says okay maybe they have turned the corner but if they have struggle man I I don't know how you re-evaluate this season because the second unit is very thin uh your starting five should be good but that second unit has really little to no experience and so they got to get it right with that starting five Mitch Harper BYU Insider KSL sports.com uh Mitch you and I get to fire up our our our big 12 breakdown uh first and 12 every Sunday 10 to noon right here on the KSL Sport Zone and also on KSL News radio from the Big 12 perspective what's the stuff that you're excited to be able to chop it up this this this year about with this conference what excites you about about Utah and BYU being a part of it is it is it is it that is it is it where this conference is is it Brett ym Mark's uh insane way of planning things out with this league but as we break the league down more every Sunday what excites you about it I'm curious to see what the identity of this league becomes because half the members were were not members 24 months ago or 18 months ago uh so it's it's a power League yet it's as ymark has said many times it's a startup so what is it going to become is it going to be uh you know a past Happy League that it once was with when when Mahomes and Baker Mayfield were there or is it going to be you know the the running uh back League where it is this year uh I mean the Personnel running back is Elite it's the best running back league in college football but just kind of the uh what what the maybe the narrative the the identity of the Big 12 is going to become you know your Market is trying to set the tone as the deepest league in America I don't know if I buy that necessarily but it's pretty impressive that your you know your 16th team going into the season is Arizona State and I know Arizona State's not great but still like that's a program that they could you know win six like you could draw a path where Arizona State's winning six whereas other power four leagues your seller is Vandy and Indiana like you're not drawing up much for those teams so uh there's really not a terrible floor in this conference so the identity is going to be interesting but I also think too uh you know the the chase for getting two bids into the playoff you know I I just I feel like you cannot be branded as a one bid league in the first year of the playoff because then you're behind the eightball and you're fighting a narrative perception deal that will just linger even though people you know year to year it should just be based on you know some years are down others are up but that will be an ongoing perception battle that the Big 12 will face they have to get two teams into the college football playoff and if they don't that's just going to be a bad look where people are they going to say Well they're more like a group of five than they are P4 so it it's critical for these 16 teams to find a way to get two you know three would be incredible but if they get two that'd be a solid start in year one in the 12 team playoff era Mitch we're excited about it man this is uh it's it's such a fun time of year and the anticipation is killing us that's just how it works every year so we're looking forward to it and uh we'll catch you on Saturday and we'll we'll break it down there and we'll we'll break some bread over some Tucanos up in the uh up in the med area can't wait guys looking forward to another great year it's gonna be a lot of fun take care there you go job for everybody yeah let's go let's get it done let's get it going it feels there's I'm really fascinated by this BYU team yeah I don't know what to think like with Utah it's a different deal because we have such high expectations of them because and they they're experience expi and the talent and all that kind of stuff BYU is in this different place where there's no pressure on them right CU they think everybody outside of their locker room thinks they're not good so how do they deal with that how do they play that role and can colani tap into some of what Kyle Whittingham used to do when he was up at Utah and really get this team fired up to prove people wrong if they do what a great story that's going to be and you know that would be that would be that would be great let's take a quick break we'll come back we've got more to go around the corner we've got our would you rather we're going to chop it up with Adam from beehive meals Again by the way we have our Hercules here of the week that we're going to be giving uh a shout out to next hour so you don't want to miss that speaking of next hour we also have uh Steve Bartle our youth Insider for KSL sports.com uh one of the newest members of the KSL sports team cannot wait to have him break it down for us again more to go around the corner 975 the KL Sports Zone