Here Are The Players That Could Help BYU’s Defense Reach its 2024 Goals and How They Intend to Improve

The honeymoon period is over for BYU defensive coordinator Jay Hill and his staff.

It’s time to stop talking and give in. After Hill was brought in to take Ilaisa Tuiaki’s place and bring the Cougars defense back to its former glory, the team was granted a sort of grace period last season.

“I believe that there was not quite enough faith in everything last year. Good things will happen, in my opinion, when all 11 guys work together this spring.

― Kalani Sitake, BYU coach, regarding the team’s defense

Mixed results were seen right away. The Cougars started the season with a 4-1 record, and their defense held up fairly well after shutting out a Sam Houston team that ended up being offensively inept the entire season.

The lone early defeat came against Kansas, a 38-27 decision that favored the offense and gave KU two defensive touchdowns. Then, in the second half of the KU game, standout linebacker and leading tackler Ben Bywater suffered a shoulder injury, which made things much worse.

 

In the 44-11 loss against TCU, the Cougars were embarrassed by a third-string quarterback in the passing game. They would go on to give up 31 points or more in each of their final five games, when they were in dire need of a victory to qualify for the bowl. The two straight losses to West Virginia and Iowa State, along with coach Kalani Sitake’s doubts about the defenders’ faith in Hill’s scheme, were the lowest point.

The defense appears to have “figured it out,” as Sitake said last week, as seen by the team’s close losses to Oklahoma (31-24) and Oklahoma State (40-34 in 2OT) in their last two games.

 

Finally, we arrive at 2024. The offensive at BYU is not the only team under pressure to improve or face consequences. Hill’s defense is likewise being challenged. It seems that a bowl appearance is the bare minimum required to ward off pink slips.

“It’s true that improvement is the aim?” stated Tyler Batty, a defensive end for BYU, on the first day of spring practice on February 29. That is just what we anticipate. There were both positive and negative things that happened in the previous year. We therefore want to have a strong defense this season, one that is stronger than it was the previous one.

 

That’s obviously easier said than done. Because SMU, Utah, Arizona, and Central Florida are on the schedule in 2024, BYU may see better offensive production than in 2023.