Tre Alexander is a BYU cornerback who can talk with the best of them on and off the field. He’s confident, has that golden swagger and, quite frankly, is one of the best interviews on the Cougar squad.
That’s why his description of the first day of spring practice was, well, quite entertaining when he described freshman Legend Glasker.
Glasker was at Lehi High school just before Christmas, and that was just a few days after officially signing to play for BYU as part of the Class of 2026. In other words, Glasker is as fresh a rookie as they come.
Glasker came up to Alexander, one of BYU’s best corners, and right out of the chute told him, “You ain’t never seen a freshman receiver like me.”
Alexander said he had a little cockiness in him.
Do you think?
“But I respect that so much because he’s coming out here and he’s improving himself,” Alexander said.
Glasker is turning some heads, and word out of spring camp is he’s taking the top off the defense in practices.
“He hasn’t caught nothing on me and Shmev (Evan Johnson) going against the ones,” said Alexander, “But no, the youngin’s looking good. Like honestly, he came in with a chip on his shoulder.”
Asking Alexander, a junior from Georgia, what he thinks about BYU’s offense is kind of fun. He can get after it like he should be on TV.
Like his anecdote about Glasker, he just comes up with engaging and compelling observations. He doesn’t hold back.
“What I see is our tight end room is going to be special, especially Roger (Saleapaga),” Alexander said.
Saleapaga, the 6-foot-4 junior from Orem is a transfer from Oregon and is part of a two-headed portal venture by BYU’s coaching staff to replace Carsen Ryan.
The other half of that equation is USC transfer Walker Lyons, who was one of the top tight end recruits in the country a few years ago out of Folsom High School near Sacramento.
Saleapaga is kind of scary, according to Alexander.
“I remember after the first day of spring ball saying Roger is going to be an NFL guy,” Alexander said. “I mean, he’s a bigger version of a wide receiver.
“He can line up anywhere on the field, run any route and catch the ball. He can block. He’s physical. That’s a guy who I know for 100 percent fact he’s going to the NFL.”
It’s just not Saleapaga’s size, it’s that he can get open.
“You might know what route he’s running, but his physical presence presents a different obstacle because you don’t know if you want to get up there and get hands on him and jam him,” Alexander said. “You don’t know if you want to play off and let him get his body in front of you, so he presents a challenge in that way.
“I mean, its a fun matchup so me and him got into it, but we respect it so much because it’s the competitive nature coming at you. Any time you have a guy on your team who can line up on the opposite side of the ball and go to war with you, you know you’re going to have two alpha males who are going to do whatever it takes to win, so we definitely have a respectful relationship with each other and we compete every day.”.
And Bear Bachmeier, the quarterback?
“He’s been here for a full year now, and he just looks a lot more comfortable,” Alexander said. “He’s better at reading the defense, picking the defense apart at times.
“He’s taking command of the team. Honestly, everyone loves Bear.”
Receiver Jojo Phillips? The most experienced receiver now that Chase Roberts is gone and Parker Kingston isn’t coming back?
“Before Jojo got hurt against Stanford (last season), he was the leading receiver on the team,” said the corner.
“I don’t think people understand how good he is when he’s at his best, but he’s been looking great. I think if he’s really focused and he’s really bought in, he could really have a career year.”
BYU’s spring practice is winding down in coming days. It’s been basically a very experienced team with a lot of returning starters trying to take the next step forward.
And new faces are making their mark, according to this Georgian quote machine.