Comparing BYU sophomore Parker Kingston to former Cougar Taysom Hill may sound like a stretch — especially when you consider Hill is 6-foot-2, 220 pounds and Kingston is 5-11 and 184. But when it comes to weighing pound-for-pound athleticism and on-the-field involvement, whether in New Orleans or Provo, the similarities are stunning.
The Saints have added fullback duties to Hill’s relentless repertoire that already includes time at quarterback, tight end, receiver, kickoff returns and punt coverage. His widely respected mantra as football’s Swiss Army knife might even get him residency in the Pro Football Hall of Fame someday.
As for Kingston, the case of his own Swiss Army knife labelling was made last season. The shifty Roy High product produced two touchdown passes, 19 receptions, six rushes, six kickoff returns, 11 punt returns and one tackle.
“I just feel like I can do a lot of things. I played all the positions in high school — quarterback, receiver, cornerback and kick returner,” Kingston said. “I’m just trying to do whatever I can to help the team out.”
Kingston, who will wear No. 11 this season, is in a crowded receivers room with Chase Roberts, Kody Epps, Darius Lassiter, Keelan Marian, JoJo Phillips and Cody Hagen. Former receiver, Keanu Hill, is also in the mix but as a converted tight end. There is a lot of talent but just one football, so to make himself more of a target, Kingston turned himself into a jack-of-all-trades.
“He is such a good athlete in everything — football, golf, basketball, baseball — those guys are hard to come across,” said receivers coach Fesi Sitake. “They get natural movements. They have great understanding of angles. The development in his progression from last year to this year, with the physical changes that he has made, is phenomenal. He looks the part now.”
Kingston is the first to admit he played big boy football last year in an undersized frame and he paid a physical price for it. This offseason, he bulked up 10 pounds.
“I feel faster. I feel more explosive — definitely stronger,” Kingston said. “I feel like I can hold my own now out there. Playing last year, I realized I was at way too small of a weight. But I feel good. I feel the fastest I’ve ever been.”
In addition to throwing, catching and running, Kingston will remain on punt returns and back up Marion on kickoffs. And, if there is a call for something special — Kingston will likely do that as well.
“Whenever we talk gadget plays, he’s usually one of the first guys we talk about,” Sitake said. “He wants to do more. I have zero reservations about his ability to step on the field and play any position on any play and know that he will hold is own. That wasn’t the case last year.”
Hog heaven
When BYU showed up in Lawrence, Kansas, to make its 2023 Big 12 debut against the Jayhawks, Kingston and the 3-0 Cougars were flying high. Not only did BYU go into SEC country and upset Arkansas the week before, but Kingston played a huge role in doing it.
Trailing the Razorbacks 14-0 in the first quarter and on the brink of a blowout, Kingston caught a backwards pass from quarterback Kedon Slovis and fired a 37-yard touchdown strike to Dieon Smith to get BYU back in the game.
Late in the third quarter, Kingston caught a short pass from Slovis at the Arkansas 20-yard line and raced to the end zone to tie the game at 31 and lay the foundation for Chase Roberts’ heroic game-winning touchdown catch with 2:24 remaining.
The big hit
Kansas greeted BYU with its own 3-0 record and a frenzied crowd to introduce the Cougars to Big 12 football. The confident Kingston didn’t have to wait long to get his hands on the ball.
Offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick called his number on the second play of BYU’s first offensive possession — a jet sweep.
“I thought I was going to get around the corner,” Kingston said. “I thought I was gone because everyone sealed the edge off. I’m thinking, ‘Here we go! This is either going to be a touchdown or a really big play.”
Trouble was, Jayhawk defender Cobee Bryant saw Kingston coming and greeted him with a hammering blow.
“The next thing I know is I’m on the ground looking for the football and wondering what was going on,” he said. “He made a good play.”
To make the moment even more painful, Bryant grabbed Kingston’s fumble and raced 22 yards for a Kansas touchdown. The jarring hit knocked Kingston out of the game with a concussion. He returned three weeks later, but admits he was never quite the same.
“I think I was still ‘in my head’ about it, not playing close to my potential, not playing free or loose, because I always had that in the back of my head,” Kingston said. “Once spring ball came around, I just washed it out. I don’t think about it much anymore.”
A hand in history
Like Hill, Kingston played quarterback in high school, and so far at BYU the former Roy High star is 2-2 for 63 yards and two touchdowns. Kingston’s second touchdown pass is likely to remain in the BYU record books for years to come because of who caught it.
Isaac Rex entered the Iowa State game on Nov. 11 needing one more touchdown reception to pass former All-American Gordon Hudson for the most touchdowns by a tight end — a milestone the stood for 40 years since Hudson’s 22nd and final touchdown catch in 1983.
Quarterback Jake Retzlaff handed the ball to Kingston during a third quarter drive. As the receiver-extraordinaire rolled to his left, he spotted Rex open near the end zone and hit him for a 26-yard history-making touchdown.
Ready for more
Now that BYU is on the back side of fall camp, and with the Southern Illinois season opener rapidly approaching, Kingston is making plans. Not only is he licking his chops for a second shot at playing in the Big 12, and especially against Kansas, he wants to help BYU prove the naysayers wrong.
“I just want to have a good year and build on what I did last year,” he said. “I want to help the team out anyway I can — and score a touchdown at LES this year.”
Sitake and Roderick have Kingston in their plans.
“There is going to be some cool stuff we do with him,” Sitake said. “What I don’t want is when he comes on the field that people go on high alert for something. They have to respect him as an all-around receiver and that means I have to play him. I have to put him in a position where he is an all-around guy. So, expect to see him playing all the different spots, running different routes, taking jet sweeps.”
In other words, what the Saints are doing with Hill, the Cougars will continue to do Kingston because when you have that rare Swiss Army knife of a player who can carve up a defense, you get him the football.
Kingston is getting the ball on Aug. 31.
Dave McCann is a sportswriter and columnist for 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.