BYU’s Dallin Holker runs the ball throughout apply in Provo on Thursday, Aug. 5, 2021. Laura Seitz, Deseret Information
Tight finish Isaac Rex was dissatisfied after BYU’s preseason coaching camp apply on Tuesday, and it had nothing to do along with his still-sore proper ankle or the truth that the Cougars are ranked simply No. 25 within the preseason AP Prime 25 ballot.
On the previous, Rex says it's coming alongside fairly properly however nonetheless not 100%. On the latter, he claimed to not know that truth, then gave an unfavorable opinion on preseason polls usually.
“Why don’t we simply do (polls) after the primary sport?” he stated. “… Since you see colleges which are like, seven on it, after which they don't seem to be on it the remainder of the time. I really feel just like the AP ought to, simply, after the primary sport, let’s determine it out.”
“I'm going to push via it. My ankle is probably not 100% till the twelfth sport or till the bowl sport, however who cares? I'm out right here taking part in soccer and having a superb time.” — BYU tight finish Isaac Rex.
The explanation for Rex’s disgust is that protection received the higher of the offense for a lot of the day, significantly the final interval that was seen by the media.
“It's kinda like a humbling expertise generally,” Rex stated. “Everyone talks about how nice you're, how nice the quarterbacks, tight ends, working backs, huge receivers, O-line are, however when the protection will get the higher of you; So it's like, ‘OK, we gotta get again to the drafting board and work on stuff, have a look at the movie.’
“We'll get higher tomorrow.”
Rex stated particularly BYU’s secondary performed effectively and just about shut down the passing assault. The offense did have one good second, nonetheless, as Jacob Conover threw a landing strike to Brayden Cosper on a well-timed crossing route.
“Our secondary, they're legit, and so they have a ton of expertise beneath their belt,” Rex stated. “Yeah, this secondary at BYU is top-notch this 12 months.”
Concerning his ankle, which was fractured throughout BYU’s win over USC final November, Rex stated he solely trusts it 80% of the time and might’t actually soar off it.
“However working feels nice. Yeah, breaking and chopping feels actually good,” he stated. “Blocking feels good. It's simply that proper foot soar is just a little hesitant at instances. However it's getting there, it's getting shut.”
Rex stated medical doctors have advised him it is going to be a 12 months from the time of the surgical procedure that his proper ankle will really feel precisely like his left. It's a matter of his tolerance for ache.
“I'm going to push via it,” he stated. “My ankle is probably not 100% till the twelfth sport or till the bowl sport, however who cares? I'm out right here taking part in soccer and having a superb time.”
Tight ends coach Steve Clark stated Rex is forward of schedule, however not absolutely wholesome.
“Some days he feels actually good. Some days it's fairly sore,” Clark stated. “In the present day he felt good so he went. We're nonetheless actually cautious with him.”
Rex stated he rests about at some point every week. Sometimes, he'll inform coaches he can’t do a selected drill or play, and they're “actually lenient” with him.
Clark stated Rex’s fellow tight finish, Dallin Holker, “has just a little little bit of a knee harm that we're being cautious about” and is being held out of practices and scrimmages at the moment.
“If we would have liked Dallin to go, he may go, however we're holding him out simply to watch out,” Clark stated.
With Rex and Holker lacking reps, guys similar to Carter Wheat, Lane Lunt and Ethan Erickson are getting a whole lot of taking part in time. Erickson particularly had a powerful first scrimmage final Saturday on the stadium, coaches stated. Rex stated freshman walk-on tight finish Anthony Olsen, a former basketball standout from Salt Lake Metropolis’s Olympus Excessive, has additionally turned some heads.
“We've a very proficient tight finish group, particularly the younger guys,” Rex stated. “Ethan and Carter and people guys are very proficient.”
Former tight finish Ben Ward is now on the offensive line.
BYU’s fall camp roster grows
There are just a few new names on the autumn camp roster BYU distributed Tuesday. Most notably, Snow Faculty switch Lisala Tai, an offensive lineman, is on the roster after clearing up some educational paperwork points.
Punt returner and receiver Hobbs Nyberg is on it once more, with the St. George product having joined the workforce final week after a two-week delay. Different new names embrace offensive lineman Donovan Hanna and defensive lineman Alema Pilimai.
Junior faculty switch cornerback Mory Bamba was at apply Tuesday however remains to be going via the acclimation course of and was not collaborating. He isn’t on the roster fairly but, however must be quickly.
Star flash linebacker Chaz Ah You and kick returner/defensive again Caleb Christensen are additionally not on the up to date roster.