REPORT: BYU Cougars are set to part ways with the $40 million mega star….

There’s always a buzz on the first day of Fall camp and Wednesday was no different for the BYU football program. Despite low national expectations, a quiet confidence surrounded the program heading into their second season in the Big 12. Here is a recap of everything that happened during the media portion of the first day of Fall camp.

Ben Bywater Announces Retirement

As BYU wrapped up practice on day one, star BYU linebacker Ben Bywater entered the field in street clothes. Bywater, who hasn’t played since the Big 12 opener against Kansas last season, announced his retirement from college football. Bywater suffered nerve damage in his right shoulder and was not cleared to play.

“Obviously it’s been an emotional few days,” Bywater told the media. “I’m not even halfway better on my right side. I’ve got to get that nerve back.” Bywater traveled across the country to see specialists for his shoulder, but he didn’t have enough time to get healthy for the season.

Bywater leaves the program as one of the most productive linebackers in BYU history. He ranks in the top five in career assisted tackles and he was positioned to crack the top five in solo tackles in 2024. “I’m just so grateful, man,” Bywater said. “I’m from Utah. My dream was to play BYU football and I did that. The fact that I’m here, having this conversation with y’all, is a dream come true.”

Two-Way Battle for Starting Quarterback

Clear back at the start of Spring camp, BYU offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick announced that the battle for the starting quarterback spot was down to two: Jake Retzlaff and Gerry Bohanon. Spring camp ended and the two-way battle continued into the Summer. The Cougars added Utah State transfer McCae Hillstead to the room after Spring camp and that opened the door for a three-way quarterback battle. In the opinion of this author, however, it still looks to be a two-way battle between Jake Retzlaff and Gerry Bohanon.

It was Retzlaff and Bohanon getting first and second team reps during the team portion, and it was Retzlaff and Bohanon that met with the media on day one. There were no public statements about a two-way battle like there were during the Spring, but all signs point to a two-man race.

During the media portion of practice, there were two separate segments of 11-on-11. Jake Retzlaff quarterbacked one team portion on the West side while Gerry Bohanon led the East side. The team segment was split up to maximize reps. Bohannon told the media after practice that reps were evenly split betwen him and Retzlaff.

Play of the Day

The majority of the reps during the media portion were run plays. There were a handful of throws, like a checkdown from Bohannon to tight end Ethan Erickson and a ball batted down at the line of scrimmage, but most of the plays were run plays.

The highlight of the day came courtesy of senior running back Hinckley Ropati. Ropati, who was running with the first-team offense, ran through a massive hole at the line of scrimmage. Ropati could have driven his car through the hole created by BYU’s offensive line, and he got a chunk play on the ground.

The run game has been a point of emphasis for the BYU offense throughout the offseason. While you can’t draw too many conclusions on day one without pads, the first-team offensive line looked like they were on the same page under the tutelage of new run game coordinator TJ Woods.

Gerry Bohanon’s Shoulder

The biggest question mark surrounding Gerry Bohanon when he signed with BYU was his shoulder. He missed the entire 2023 season due to a shoulder injury, and he only started throwing a football again last November. His first time practicing was back during Spring camp.

On Wednesday, Bohanon said that his shoulder is back to 100% health. He had a chance to show off his arm strength in a few practice clips (at the top of this article) and his arm strength looks like it did during his time at Baylor and there was no hitch in his throwing motion.

In the limited portion viewed by the media, Bohanon was running with the first-team offense.

Position Battle Updates

The quarterback spot isn’t the only starting position up for grabs during Fall camp. There are a handful of position battles to be sorted out on both sides of the ball over the next four weeks.

It was Caleb Etienne running with the first team at left tackle, while Colorado transfer Isaiah Jatta ran with the second team on the other field. Returning tackle Brayden Keim stayed at right tackle where he played last season.

Mory Bamba ran with the first-team defense at cornerback. The starting cornerback spot opposite of Jakob Robinson is up for grabs, and Bamba had the first crack at it on Wednesday.

Hinckley Ropati ran with the first-team offense while Miles Davis ran with the second-team offense. Projected starter LJ Martin was not seen during the team portion of media availability, but Kalani Sitake noted that he was dressed and participating.

Other Absences

Two notable names were missing from the Fall camp roster: 2024 signees Naki Tuakoi and Sefo Akuila. Both Tuakoi and Akuila were listed on the media day roster at linebacker in mid July, but neither were able to get enrolled in time for Fall camp.

After the first day of Fall camp, BYU head coach Kalani Sitake said Tuakoi and Akuila will try to enroll later.

Fresh(men) Faces

A large chunk of BYU’s 2024 class enrolled early and participated in Spring camp. There was still a group of true freshmen that participated in their first BYU practice on Wednesday. Notable additions included wide receiver Cody Hagen, defensive back Jonathan Kabeya, defensive end Kinilau Fonohema, and safety Faletau Satuala.

Practice Highlights

There were a few plays that the media didn’t have a chance to watch, but BYU was gracious enough to include them in the post-practice highlights. Top plays included contested catches from Keelan Marion and Keanu Hill. Freshman Faletau Satuala had a nice pass break-up in one-on-ones against Cody Hagen. Jojo Phillips caught a deep pass for a touchdown from Gerry Bohanon, and Jake Retzlaff found Parker Kingston over the middle for a big gain.