BYU Cougars Football: Projecting All 11 Offensive Starters

The days seem to crawl by this time of year. With only dreadful baseball to keep our sports appetite sated, we football fans are starving for news and notes.

So why not peer into the future a bit and think offensively.

Here, for your mid-July enjoyment is my projected starting 11 for BYU come September.

QB: Jake Heaps

Shocker, eh? Heaps earned the spot and has given eternally springing hope to a BYU fan-base hungry for the next great QB.

It’s hard to argue Heaps did anything less than meet or exceed expectations in his freshman year. After he finally got the full time job and a couple games under his belt, the Cougar offense showed the explosiveness of offenses past.

He could become what Cougar fans hoped Ben Olson would be: The next Ty Detmer.

With a schedule full of opportunities (yet winnable games) and a new coordinator instilling in the O a discipline and confidence unseen in Provo in decades, Jake could be the man to lead the Cougars into a new millennia of Quarterback U.

FB: JJ DiLuigi

Huh?

Yeah, I know DiLuigi is a halfback. But there's something telling in the BYU Prospectus that came out in early June. DiLuigi is called "all-purpose."

While Bryan Kariya is a fan favorite, expect DiLuigi to be the #2 back on the field with this next guy most of the season.

Halfback: Josh Quezada

Josh Quezada came literally out of nowhere last season. When he scored his first touchdown against Washington, fans were scouring their game programs and saying "who is that?"

We were then blinded by the brilliant future of Josh Quezada’s at BYU. There’s no doubt he has the skill and ability to become what Harvey Unga may have been in his senior season, and what we haven’t seen since Luke Staley.

Expect him to be the starting tailback and get the majority of the carries in the offense.

WR: Cody Hoffman

Hoffman showed us flashes of greatness in the latter-half of last year that have us giddy for the 2011 season.

BYU has had receivers that are fast. Some that were tall. And some that ran great routes. But have they ever had a guy that's all three?

They may have two this year. Expect the majority of the balls to go to Hoffman, but don't be surprised to see this next guy demand a lot of attention as well.

WR: McKay Jacobson and Ross Apo

OK, I'm hedging here. I am officially putting Jacobson as the starter ahead of Apo. But I truly expect more reps and passes to go to Apo in the first game and beyond.

Jacobson brings leadership and stretches the field. But Apo is a talent on another level and if he runs good routes, which he is said to do, he ought to challenge Cody Hoffman each game for leading receiver.

TE: Marcus Matthews

This is the hardest position to pick for the Cougars, and much of it depends on whether they choose to run the ball or pass more in the opener.

I'm assuming the latter, which is why I think Marcus Matthews gets the nod and the time. While Austin Holt and Dennis Mahina are solid blockers, Matthews has the hands and the up and down game to suit what I predict Brandon Doman has in store for week 1.

Guards: Braden Hansen and Ryker Matthews

I'm not sure which guy plays which side, but I expect these are the two guards in the opener.

Hansen was a freshman all-American a couple years ago and should be an NFL player in two years.

The American Fork Caveman-turned-BYU Cougar freshman, Mathews comes to Provo with high expectations as the top recruit in the state of Utah. The 6’6" offensive lineman will need to pack on the pounds (currently a paltry 285), but he comes with such promise he even had his own ESPN feature article.

If he settles into this very experienced line early, he ought to be on track to be a four-year starter and another in the long line of NFL linemen from BYU.

Tackles: Matt Reynolds and Braden Brown

Reynolds, is getting national attention as a top NFL prospect and could be an All-American.

The Outland and Lombardi award candidate is mentioned in nearly every early first-round draft conversation and should anchor a very good offensive front line come fall.

The 6’6", 325-pound offensive lineman brings a full three years’ experience to the line this season. In what has become an incredible career for a lineman, Reynolds has been a staple in front of Max Hall and Jake Heaps and will be relied upon heavily again this year.

Braden Brown is likewise 6'6 with a ton of size, still and experience.

Center: Terence Brown

The 6’4" senior is on the Rimington watch list for the nation’s top center.

Brown will anchor a line which has its work cut out with games in the humidity in Oxford, Mississippi, Austin, Texas and Dallas.

While BYU gets a lot of press for its QBs and TEs, the O-line has been as impressive as any corps in recent years. And this batch could be one of its best.