Kalani Sitake needs to get the quarterback position right. And if the situation requires, he isn’t afraid to allocate more scholarship spots to BYU’s most important room to do it.
Typically, Sitake likes to have around five scholarships for quarterbacks. This year, he is open to having more. He needs more prospects developing in the system. Last offseason, he saw the risks of having the cupboard empty.
“The numbers, we always want to be around that five [scholarship range]. But I don’t mind six. I don’t mind seven,” he said. “To me, that is the most important position in football. We have to get that one right. We have to load the talent. We have to have them buy into their role and develop.”
Sitake will get one scholarship back from the quarterback room going into the fall. Cade Fennegan, a longtime backup, will be moving to a graduate assistant-type role this season, opening up a scholarship.
Sitake said he’d like to move transfer quarterback Treyson Bourguet from a walk-on to a scholarship. Bourguet transferred from Western Michigan before spring camp this year.
Bourguet is the type of prospect — with multiple years of eligibility left — that Sitake wants to keep in the program long-term.
“There are certain guys who are in the walk-on type of category that will be on scholarship,” Sitake said.
After BYU had to start Kedon Slovis — a one-and-done transfer — last year Sitake wanted to avoid that situation going forward. He wants to start players who know the system and have been in the offense for several years.
Theoretically, if everyone stays, BYU has options for the next few years. Jake Retzlaff is vying for the starting role and is going into his second year in the program.
After him, BYU will have Bourguet, McCae Hillstead and Noah Lugo. That gives the Cougars a succession plan and every quarterback time to learn.
“Some of the issues we’ve had is we have to go get Kedon Slovis because we had nobody in the system,” Sitake said. “If people stay in the system and keep working, then it all works out. It is buy-in. Not everyone can be a four-year starter. If you look at the history of BYU football, the ones that work and learn the system, understand their role and find a way to get on the field [work]. I mean, there are plenty of quarterbacks in the NFL that had one great year of college.
“It is hard to keep moving around and learning new systems. And having guys grow within our program. That has got to be key.”
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