PROVO — The BYU football team is expected to receive a little over 30 roster additions this fall, with most of them set to compete immediately for playing time this coming season. They'll join about 20 freshmen already on the roster in forming an exciting and rather large freshman class.
About half of the additions come from those signed as part of the 2017 class, while the others come in the form of players recently returned from LDS Church mission service, those re-entering the program, and incoming transfers from other programs.
It's generally difficult for any first-year player to contribute immediately — particularly those without the benefit of having practiced with the team during the spring session, but it's certainly doable. Past seasons have witnessed a number of first-year players making solid contributions to the team, and 2017 could very well see the same.
So which first-year players or redshirt freshmen are best-suited to contribute immediately this season? That question will be answered starting on July 27 when fall camp begins. In the meantime we're giving you our best assessment of the top 10 freshmen set to contribute immediately, based on what they've already shown during practice sessions, recruiting credentials and position-need.
Note that at least two additions (Tristen Hoge and Joe Tuku'afu) will be forced to sit this coming year due to NCAA transfer rules.
10. Bentley Hanshaw, 6-foot-6, 220 pounds, tight end, true freshman, Moorpark (California) — Entering the program from the same high school where former Cougar great Dennis Pitta played, Hanshaw certainly looks the part of a highly productive tight end. He held multiple offers when committing to BYU, which included offers from Utah, Cal and Oregon State.
The tight-end position is certainly one where an incoming freshman can make an immediate impact despite solid gains made by players such as Tanner Balderree and Matt Bushman. Hanshaw certainly has the notice of position coach Steve Clark, who talked enthusiastically about the addition of the Moorpark product during media day.
9. Chaz Ah You, 6-foot-2, 200 pounds, safety, true freshman, Timpview High — Ah You could easily be considered the top player the program signed this past February, considering his impressive offer list and other notable credentials. Although he technically didn't participate in spring practices, he was present at almost all of them — learning what he could in order to hit the ground running come the fall practice session.
Making an immediate contribution at safety is difficult for any incoming freshman, although Ah You could certainly prove equal to the task. With Micah Hannemann holding one of the two safety spots, Ah You will have to compete with players such as Zayne Anderson, Tanner Jacobson and Austin Lee for the spot.
8. Langi Tuifua, 6-foot-3, 230 pounds, defensive end, true freshman, Bingham High — Of all the promising defensive ends signed in 2017, Tuifua comes in with the best recruiting credentials. Previously committed to sign with Oregon, the four-star prospect decided to join the Cougars after strongly considering an offer from Utah.
Learning the end position isn't as complex as learning safety, which is why Tuifua lands one spot higher than Ah You on our list. There's also more open spots to provide an immediate contribution at the start of fall practices. Tuifua will compete primarily with Corbin Kaufusi, Sione Takitaki and Trajan Pili, among others for playing time.
7. Austin Chambers, 6-foot-4, 310 pounds, offensive line, redshirt freshman, Shawnee Mission (Kansas) — Offensive line coach Mike Empey has talked highly of his upcoming freshman group, of which Chambers is a strong representative. He signed with BYU as a three-star prospect and joined the team in 2016 after serving an LDS Church mission to Las Vegas.
Chambers is listed as the second-string left guard and third-string center after spring practices, indicating a strong possibility of significant playing time this season.
6. Chandon Herring, 6-foot-7, 285 pounds, offensive line, redshirt freshman, Gilbert (Arizona) — Herring is comparable with Chambers, having played on the scout team while earning a spot on the two-deep roster after spring practices. Coaches talked enthusiastically about him throughout spring and during media day — indicating a player who could see good chunks of playing time this season.
He was offered by programs such as Arizona and Arizona State out of high school and signed with BYU as a three-star prospect.
5. Uriah Leiataua, 6-foot-4, 265 pounds, defensive end, redshirt freshman, Compton (California) — Leiataua flipped his commitment to sign with Stanford in the 11th hour of the recruiting process, with BYU standing as the beneficiary. The former four-star prospect spent the 2016 season on the scout team after returning from an LDS Church mission to Samoa.
Although Tuifua has similar recruiting credentials to players such as Langi Tuifua, he gets the edge due to time within the program. The Compton product is coming off a solid spring practice performance and could easily find himself on the two-deep roster this season, if not as a starter.
4. Ula Tolutau, 6-foot-1, 255 pounds, running back, true freshman, East High — Tolutau is certainly one of the most intriguing names on this list, with fans excited about his prospects since announcing his transfer from Wisconsin. Tolutau had a good share of standout moments during spring practices and is listed as one of the many second-string possibilities to play running back this fall.
Tolutau possesses an athletic makeup that is unmatched at the position, and if he continues his progress, he could possibly end the season as the top option out of the offensive backfield. Doing as much will be a challenge, with competition coming from Squally Canada, KJ Hall and Riley Burt, among others.
3. Matt Bushman, 6-foot-5, 230 pounds, tight end, true freshman, Tucson (Arizona) — Bushman is one of the best-known freshmen on the team after his standout performance during the spring scrimmage this past April. The tight end position is relatively open for the fall, and the Sabino High product is coming off a very good spring practice session and possesses natural receiving skills that could very well see him on top of the tight end rotation this season.
Bushman held multiple Pac-12 offers out of high school and opted to serve an LDS Church mission to Chile prior to enrolling at BYU this past winter.
2. Kieffer Longson, 6-foot-7, 321 pounds, offensive line, redshirt freshman, San Ramon (California) — Of all the promising redshirt freshmen offensive linemen, none of them entered the program with better recruiting credentials than Longson. He signed with BYU as a four-star prospect with multiple Pac-12 and Big-12 offers.
More importantly is what Longson has shown since entering the program after serving an LDS Church mission to Toronto. He spent spring practices practicing primarily with the first-team unit and is listed as one of the two potential starters at right tackle, along with Austin Hoyt, entering fall practices.
1. Sione Takitaki, 6-foot-2, 245 pounds, defensive end, junior, Fontana (California) — As the lone non-freshman on the list, Takitaki is an easy choice as the incoming or freshman player most likely to make an impact in 2017 due to his prior production as a player. The Heritage High product has been able to make an immediate impact since joining the program in 2014, and after leaving BYU in 2016, the junior is primed to make a big impact at defensive end.
There's a lot of open spots at end this fall, and Takitaki is already listed as a starter, along with Corbin Kaufusi and Trajan Pili.