Brigham Younger Cougars huge receiver Kody Epps (0) runs on Utah State Aggies cornerback Michael Anyanwu (22) in Provo on Thursday, Sept. 29, 2022. Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret Information
With guys like Puka Nacua and Gunner Romney now not with the BYU soccer program, the Cougars had been in want of including huge receivers by means of the NCAA switch portal to construct depth on the place.
The necessity to get extra depth — and skilled go catchers — simply turned extra heightened, although, as 247 Sports activities and The Athletic reported Sunday that Kody Epps, one of many workforce’s breakout gamers final season, has entered the switch portal.
The chance for gamers to enter the spring switch portal window, which opened April 15, closes Sunday. Whereas gamers had till Sunday to enter the portal, applications can add gamers as transfers from the portal at any time.
Epps performed in eight video games as a third-year freshman final season, beginning 4 earlier than a shoulder damage knocked him out for the rest of the yr.
He had 39 catches for 459 yards and 6 touchdowns previous to the damage and was one of many workforce’s prime playmakers.
If Epps finally leaves BYU, that leaves BYU with simply two of its prime 5 huge receivers from final yr: Keanu Hill and Chase Roberts. The Cougars additionally return tight finish Isaac Rex.
It’s not remarkable for gamers who've entered the portal to return to the varsity that had been beforehand at.
It occurred earlier this week for an additional BYU program, when star girls’s basketball participant Lauren Gustin introduced she would return to BYU after briefly getting into the portal and exploring her choices.
The 5-foot-11, 187-pound Epps got here to BYU as a extremely regarded three-star huge receiver prospect out of California. At nationwide powerhouse Mater Dei Excessive, he performed with Bryce Younger, the Alabama quarterback who went No. 1 total to the Carolina Panthers within the 2023 NFL draft final Thursday.
Epps performed in six video games in 2020, recording 5 receptions for 47 yards, and didn't lose a yr of eligibility because of the COVID-19 pandemic that impacted that season. He then used a medical redshirt yr in 2021.
With BYU coping with a wide range of accidents at receiver early within the 2022 season, Epps shortly turned a go-to huge receiver for the Cougars.
He caught touchdowns passes in 5 straight video games at one level and had back-to-back 100-yard receiving video games towards Notre Dame and Arkansas simply earlier than being misplaced for the season.
Epps was anticipated to be one of many Cougars’ prime playmakers, possible even their prime huge receiver, this season as BYU enters the Huge 12 Convention.
Like Epps, Hill and Roberts have expertise the Cougars had been anticipated to lean on this season, with the quantity of exits at huge receiver from final yr’s workforce.
Nacua, BYU’s main receiver final yr regardless of a litany of accidents, is headed to the NFL — he was a fifth-round draft decide by the Los Angeles Rams on Saturday — and Romney additionally left to pursue professional alternatives.
One other veteran receiver, Brayden Cosper — who had 30 receptions for 363 yards and a landing — additionally stepped away from this system following a profession beset by accidents.
Hill is the one returning returner to play in all 13 video games final season, when he caught 36 passes for 572 yards and 7 touchdowns. Roberts performed in 11 video games and had 22 receptions for 357 yards and three touchdowns.
Rex had 22 receptions for 320 yards and 6 touchdowns within the 2022 season and introduced in December that he's returning for his senior season to assist BYU as its transition to being a Energy 5 convention member.
BYU has receivers like redshirt freshman Dom Henry and return specialist Hobbs Nyberg who might work their means into the rotation this yr, however had been anticipated to hit the portal onerous to attempt to discover some succesful, skilled huge receivers so as to add for quarterback Kedon Slovis, the Pittsburgh switch quarterback who's changing Jaren Corridor.
BYU offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick informed the Deseret Information in February that the Cougars have searched the portal so as to add go catchers for months, however up to now haven’t had success.
“If issues pan out the best way I anticipate, we'll get one other receiver, perhaps two, and one other (offensive) lineman,” Roderick informed Jay Drew. “If it's not two receivers, it will likely be subsequent finest participant we will discover on the market that may assist our workforce.”