What stood out as BYU opened spring football camp Thursday in Provo?

Unseasonably warm temperatures in Provo on Thursday meant the BYU football team was able to hold its first spring practice outdoors.

That’s got to be a first, for a program that always starts the first of 15 allotted spring practices in late February, or early March, in order to be done before General Conference rolls around in April.

With the temperatures edging slightly above 50 degrees, and the outdoor practice field behind the Student Athlete Building not covered with snow, the Cougars held a spirited session that actually didn’t go long — much to the surprise of starting quarterback Jake Retzlaff.

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“Oh man, I feel like we are miles ahead (than last year, when he battled Gerry Bohanon for the starting spot),” Retzlaff said. “… This year we have such a solid foundation, built by the seniors from last year, built by the core guys coming back. So many veterans coming back on both sides of the ball. We are moving faster. I mean, we got done early today, according to the clock, which never happens in a football practice, ever. So that’s pretty impressive.”

Retzlaff and the two guys battling to be his backup, McCae Hillstead and Treyson Bourguet, all got reps during the media viewing portion of the practice, and for good reason. They are the only three QBs on the roster, as offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick told the Deseret News last week.

It’s all part of the program’s effort to get the roster down to 105 players before the opener against Portland State on Aug. 30. There’s not a starting QB derby in Provo this year, but there certainly is for the QB2 spot, as Thursday’s team sessions showed.

“It’s going to be fun,” said Hillstead. “There’s a lot of respect in that room.”

But not a lot of bodies. Roderick said Bountiful High’s Emerson Geilman will join the program this summer, giving BYU four QBs on the roster this fall.

When spring camp opened last year, there were 9-10 quarterbacks assembled at the Indoor Practice Facility.

“Slightly (smaller),” Retzlaff said of the decreased number. “Just because there are three of us, it is already the closest room I have been a part of. I love those guys to death. They are awesome.

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“One of my favorite parts of spring is going to be watching those two guys battle it out. They are two good football players, two really smart guys.”

Hillstead has changed his number from 15 to 3, the number previously worn by Gerry Bohanon, who ran out of eligibility.

“Those guys are awesome. I can’t say enough about those guys. McCae got moved to No. 3, and so he pulled a ball running through there, so we call him McCae Bohanon,” Retzlaff said, reminiscing about Bohanon’s running ability. “We miss Gerry. I am definitely going to give Gerry a call. But yeah, we love this room.”

BYU’s receivers room is also smaller, due to the incoming roster limits, and also because Darius Lassiter apparently has not been cleared to return for another season by the NCAA. Lassiter was not out there Thursday and is not on the roster.

Star receiver Chase Roberts is on the roster, but not participating yet this spring “because of the shoulder,” Retzlaff said.

All-American kick returner Keelan Marion also changed his number, going from 17 to 1, and stud running back LJ Martin has gone from No. 27 to No. 4.

Retzlaff said Marion, Parker Kingston and JoJo Phillips all came out looking strong on the first day.

“Parker Kingston got the ball four plays in a row and got like 8 yards a pop. We were joking that he got 120 yards in team today. So he balled out,” Retzlaff said. “JoJo Phillips is that deep ball threat. That guy is a stud.

“Keelan, he is never covered. We had a conversation today about a rep where he looked covered, and one of our DBs played great coverage, and was inside him and everything, and we threw the ball and he made a great catch. He is never covered,” Retzlaff continued.

“Watching those three have this opportunity to grow now, they are going to get a lot of reps with the ones, a lot of great plays. I am excited to watch those guys, like, step into their own. I know Keelan is a really good returner. We are going to put that on the field in the receiver position.”

Also noticeable were some bigger, stronger, beefier Cougars.

Safety Tanner Wall also spoke to the media after practice, and said that is by design.

“We have been getting after it in the weight room,” Wall said. “Our strength staff has done a great job getting us ready for spring ball and starting this offseason the right way. We have been … getting bigger, faster and stronger.”

All told, there are 113 players on the roster distributed by BYU officials Thursday, with more scheduled to join the team — mainly freshmen who aren’t going on church missions — this summer. Head coach Kalani Sitake said they are “nowhere close” to getting down to 105, which doesn’t have to happen until the first game.

“For us, it is just being honest with everyone that we have at all positions. There are guys that definitely belong here. But the roster limits, that is not anything we came up with,” Sitake said. “Our job was to get our team to be 123 strong, and deep, and we got there. So now we gotta cut from it. That is the rule, so we will follow suit and just make sure we do the right thing and get the right guys that (belong) here. It is not going to be an exact science, but we will do our best to let them settle it on the field.”

As for objectives this spring, Sitake said the priority is to “get better as a team” and improve their attention to detail.

“There are a lot of guys that left that we need to fill those spots, and a bunch of competition at others,” Sitake said. “From Day 1, I like the talent on the team, and the potential. But that’s all it is right now, is potential. We gotta keep putting in the work. I thought today the effort was awesome. So as long as we keep the effort going, I think we will be in a really good spot.”