The Cougars will slice the turkey today with their focus on Saturday’s regular-season finale at Oklahoma State (1:30 p.m., ABC). BYU needs a win to become bowl eligible while the Cowboys need a victory to reach the Big 12 championship game.
Despite a four-game losing streak, BYU (5-6, 2-5) has much to be grateful for on this Thanksgiving, including the players who arrived from the transfer portal to bolster the Cougars’ debut season in the Big 12.
As expected, playing a Power Five football schedule hasn’t been easy, and whether BYU relied too much on the transfer portal remains to be seen. However, it is quite clear that without some of these guys, the season could have been much worse.
Kedon Slovis, quarterback
With quarterback Jaren Hall leaving school early for the NFL, BYU needed a proven P5 quarterback to lead them into the uncharted waters of the Big 12. Kedon Slovis was the perfect fit. The Pitt/USC transfer brought experience (37 starts), leadership and a lively arm to the program. With one year of eligibility, he wasted little time becoming the Fred MacMurray character in “Follow Me, Boys!” and his teammates followed him.
During BYU’s come-from-behind win at Arkansas, Slovis injured his throwing shoulder. The issue worsened as he marched the Cougars to a surprising 5-2 start. Slovis fought through the pain until BYU’s ninth game, when junior college transfer Jake Retzlaff took over without burning his entire redshirt season.
So far, Slovis has thrown for 1,716 yards and 12 touchdowns. He also ran for three scores. When added with his USC/Pitt numbers, Slovis’ 11,213 career passing yards surpass every legendary BYU quarterback except for Ty Detmer.
Darius Lassiter, wide receiver
This 6-foot-3, 205-pound transfer from Eastern Michigan has 29 receptions for 365 yards and four touchdowns. Darius Lassiter’s one-handed grab against Texas Tech and the circus catch at Texas are the two plays that best show his athletic ability. With another year of eligibility, Lassiter will play a major role in BYU’s second Big 12 season.
Aidan Robbins, running back
Kalani Sitake had to wait a while, but last week against Oklahoma, he saw exactly what he was hoping for from Aidan Robbins. The 6-foot-3, 235-pound UNLV transfer rushed a season-high 22 times for a BYU best 182 yards against No. 14 Oklahoma. Much of his expected production was limited by a broken rib to start the season. Robbins has another year of eligibility, and it will be Sitake’s challenge to keep the A-Train parked in Provo.
Eddie Heckard, defensive back
There is a reason why defensive coordinator Jay Hill was so excited to have Eddie Heckard join the Cougars from Weber State. The FCS All-American cornerback has lived up to his billing. Heckard enters Saturday’s game at Oklahoma State with 70 tackles, three interceptions, a sack, two forced fumbles and a career-first fumble recovery for a touchdown against Texas Tech. He increased his value at BYU beyond his one season by mentoring next year’s secondary.
AJ Vongphachanh, linebacker
For a guy who tried his darnedest to beat BYU as recently as last season, Utah State transfer AJ Vongphachanh has done his best at helping the Cougars win. In his final year of eligibility, the 6-foot-3, 235-pound linebacker is second on the team with 70 tackles. The loss of Ben Bywater to injury and Keenan Pili to the transfer portal (Tennessee) added immense pressure on Vongphachanh and Max Tooley (81 tackles) to carry the load while tutoring the younger guys behind them. There is validation to why linebackers coach Justin Ena was so happy to get him here.
Will Ferrin, kicker
Perhaps lost in the commotion of BYU’s transfer portal wins and losses is the consistent play of Will Ferrin. As the 6-foot-3 sophomore kicker split the uprights on a career long 49-yard field goal before halftime on Saturday, he sent this message — the kicking game is in good shape and it’s going to stay that way. The Boise State transfer is 9 of 12 on field goal attempts and 28 of 29 on extra-points.
Jay Hill, defensive coordinator
Coaches aren’t found in the transfer portal, but the offseason addition of Jay Hill as BYU’s defensive coordinator could prove to be one of Sitake’s best moves. Playing defense in the Big 12 is a different animal and Hill will need time to recruit athletes that fit into his system. Just like the season so far, the defense has had its highs and lows, but when it’s clicking, as Oklahoma saw for much of the game Saturday, BYU can hang with the best of them. It will be up to Hill to make that kind of effort a consistent one.
The Big 12
This is the first Thanksgiving for BYU as a member of the Big 12. After playing a dozen years as an independent, the big time finally came calling. The Cougars owe a debt of gratitude to Texas and Oklahoma. It was their announced departure from the Big 12 to the SEC that triggered the wave of conference expansions and contractions (Pac-12) and opened the door for BYU to join the Big 12.
It might take a while for the Cougars to contend for a title. BYU has a lot of work ahead. It needs to get bigger, stronger and faster. Even so, this first season has been a thrilling roller coaster, and a win Saturday in Stillwater will extend the ride into the bowl season.
Saturday is Saturday. Today is Thanksgiving and as the team and the fans gather around those they love and express gratitude, they can warmly include all the newness around BYU football — new players, new coaches and a new conference with optimism to return to the program’s old ways of winning.
Speaking of old and new. Just think, next Thanksgiving, we could be days away from the revival of BYU-Utah, as a conference game for the first time since 2010. Now, that’s old school remodeled in newness and something else to be grateful for.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Dave McCann is a contributor to the Deseret News and is a play-by-play announcer and show host for BYUtv/ESPN+. He co-hosts “Y’s Guys” at ysguys.com and is the author of the children’s book “C is for Cougar” available at deseretbook.com.