Most BYU fans, football players and coaches knew that returning starters such as Ben Bywater, Max Tooley and Tyler Batty were going to be important parts of the defense in 2023, and Keanu Hill, Connor Pay and Kingsley Suamataia were going to help out a lot on offense.
They also knew that newcomers such as Kedon Slovis, Darius Lassiter and Eddie Heckard were expected to make immediate impacts, and they have, Slovis and Lassiter for the offense and Heckard for the defense.
But what about some of the other guys? Through five games, who are the players that have been pleasant surprises for a team that is an unexpected 4-1 overall and 1-1 in Big 12 play?
It is a tricky list to compile, and very subjective, obviously.
For instance, the player who has easily been the biggest surprise to outsiders is freshman running back LJ Martin, hands down. But Monday coach Kalani Sitake argued that coaches knew the 18-year-old from El Paso, Texas, was going to be special and let everyone know in August.
“We told you guys about LJ Martin before he was doing what he is doing,” Sitake said. “So, that wasn’t even a surprise. I believe (Aaron Roderick) and other coaches have been singing his praises from the beginning.”
That they have. But with Aidan Robbins coming in as a 1,000-yard rusher from UNLV and Deion Smith transferring in from Colorado, Martin didn’t figure to see much of the field in Year 1. Yet here he is, having rushed for 289 yards and four touchdowns and emerging as RB1 by a combination of his own outstanding performances and a rib injury that has taken Robbins out of the lineup.
“It is hard for me to say (who are the biggest surprises), but probably guys who have filled in for injured players,” Sitake said. “But we knew that we had good depth, too. So I am not really surprised by a lot of the performances. I just know that when guys have their opportunities they are going to step up and make plays.”
Bottom line, the coach said, is that there haven’t been a lot of guys who came out of nowhere to make splashes in September.
“We have been around long enough to know that we have some good talent and can project where guys can perform and how they can do it,” Sitake said. “… We have a talented team. We as coaches need to find ways to use all the talent to the best of our ability, and their ability, and find ways to make really great advantages for us in games.”
Still, the rise of some players, most notably Martin, has been startling to those who predicted depth charts and the like back in the summer. Without further ado, here’s the Deseret News’ list of BYU’s five most pleasant surprises through the first five games of the 2023 season, in no particular order:
Freshman running back LJ Martin
Certainly, Martin making this list is no surprise. It’s true: Roderick, running backs coach Harvey Unga and Sitake sang the freshman’s praises as early as the second week of preseason training camp. But did anyone really see him supplanting Robbins, Smith and others at RB1?
That returning contributor Hinckley Ropati sustained a season-ending knee injury in fall camp also helped Martin spring up the depth chart. Given an opportunity, the 6-foot-2, 205-pounder has delivered, and then some.
After he carried the ball 16 times for 66 yards and two TDs in the 35-27 win over Cincinnati last week, Martin was asked by the Deseret News if he ever imagined he would make such a big debut.
“It would probably have been like, ‘no way,’” he said. “You always dream of it, you always think of it, but for it to come out and happen, it is just a blessing. I give all glory to God and I am just thankful for the opportunities he has given me.”
Where would the Cougars be without him? He rescued them from the get-go, picking up 91 yards in the opener against Sam Houston. His other big outing came in the 38-31 win over Arkansas, when he ran for 77 yards and two touchdowns in SEC territory, with a long of 45 that went for a score.
“Obviously, LJ is playing really well right now,” said Pay. “He is running hard and he has been a pleasant surprise, for sure. We didn’t know much about him, because he is a freshman. We didn’t see him as much during training camp. He’s done a great job for us.”
Sophomore receiver Chase Roberts
Can a guy who caught 22 passes for 357 yards and three touchdowns last year really be considered a surprise? Yes, because of the way Roberts has emerged this season as WR1, and Slovis’ go-to guy.
Also, did you see that catch he made against Arkansas? It is an early candidate for BYU’s play of the year. And consider this: Roberts has bounced back from an injury-plagued freshman season to match his rookie year’s statistics through just five games. He’s caught 24 passes for 358 yards and three TDs, most recently that 59-yard catch-and-run against Cincinnati in which he displayed great speed to pull away from UC’s defensive backs.
“We knew about the receivers who were coming in, whether it was Chase Roberts or Kebo (Hill) or Darius (Lassiter) or Keelan (Marion) or Kody (Epps) or Isaac (Rex),” Sitake said. “There were a lot of guys that we knew we could count on to make plays.”
True, but Roberts has been the biggest playmaker of them all, to date, on a team that desperately needs as many as it can get heading into the thick of its Big 12 schedule. And that’s kind of a surprise.
Junior cornerback Jakob Robinson
Speaking of plays of the year, don’t discount two of the plays that Robinson has made through five games — the interception in the end zone against Sam Houston, and the pick-six against Cincinnati.
Categorizing the 5-11, 170-pound Utah State transfer’s emergence in 2023 as a surprise is a mild stretch, granted, but with the transfer of FBS All-American Heckard from Weber State, Robinson was lost in the shuffle as one of the Cougars’ top defensive backs.
“What Jakob is doing doesn’t surprise me in the least,” said safety Ethan Slade, who also graduated from nearby Orem High. “He’s an amazing player. I’ve known that for years. It is awesome to see him showing out, again.”
Robinson played in all 13 games last year, and started five. He made 51 tackles, but none bigger than the game-sealing stop on SMU QB Tanner Mordecai in the New Mexico Bowl last December.
Robinson now has seven career picks, three in 2021, one in 2022 and the three this year.
“Coach (Jernaro) Gilford has done a phenomenal job coaching those (cornerbacks),” said defensive coordinator Jay Hill. “They are doing exactly what we are asking them to do. They are staying on top of coverages. They know what to jump and when to be aggressive.
“They know when to play smart. They have really bought into the way we want them to play, and they are great players. They are instinctive, they are tough, they play the game the right way. They are a real treat to coach.”
Freshman receiver Parker Kingston
In a fall camp interview with the Deseret News, BYU receivers coach Fesi Sitake reminded us to not sleep on receiver Parker Kingston, noting that the former Roy High quarterback had moved into the six-man rotation at receiver with the likes of Epps, Hill, Roberts and the newcomers, Lassiter and Marion.
That in itself was a surprise, considering that Kingston was injured most of the 2022 season, his first in Provo, and appeared in just one game. He had one carry for 2 yards.
Then the Arkansas game happened. Kingston showed off his arm, throwing a touchdown pass to Deion Smith on a trick play. Then he caught a 20-yard touchdown pass, becoming only the seventh BYU player ever to catch a TD pass and throw for a TD in the same game.
“Our (receivers) room has a lot of really good throwers, actually,” Fesi Sitake said. “We are like half and half on lefties and righties. The options are endless on specials we can do. But I think Parker can throw the furthest of the guys. And he has got the prettiest motion. The others might get mad at me for saying that, but I speak truth.”
Kingston’s next game was forgettable — he was rocked by a Kansas defender on a jet sweep and fumbled, resulting in a scoop-and-score for the Jayhawks — but that play was obviously not entirely his fault. Poor blocking as much as anything else led to the miscue.
Freshman special teams ace Marcus McKenzie
According to McKenzie’s profile on BYUCougars.com, the 5-11, 172-pound cornerback from St. George’s Pine View High is majoring in cyber security. That’s fitting, because he was one of the team’s best-kept secrets throughout fall camp.
But the freshman burst onto the scene in a big way, although not for his work in the secondary. He has emerged as a valuable weapon on special teams, most notably as a “gunner” on punts. McKenzie has made six tackles in that role, and also forced and recovered a fumble.
“He is a playmaker,” Kalani Sitake said after the SUU game. “He is almost beating the kick down the field, and that is hard to do. He has a ton of speed and a lot of confidence. He is going to be a great player for us.”
Monday, Sitake said McKenzie is “definitely” on the depth chart as a corner and coaches would like to play him more, but the corner position is ultra-deep with Heckard, Robinson and Kamden Garrett (another pleasant surprise).
“We know that Marcus can play. That’s why we brought him here. That’s why (Kelly Poppinga) is using him as a huge weapon for us on special teams,” Sitake said. “We will keep working with him, and perhaps give him more opportunities to be on the field. We will see.”
