4 BYU Freshmen Who Are Off the Radar and Should Factor into BYU’s ‘Home Run’ Class

PROVO — With just a week to go before BYU’s season opener, Jay Hill’s defense is getting going in his second season as defensive coordinator.

That defense returns several notable players, including defensive end and team captain Tyler Batty, linebacker Harrison Taggart and cornerback Jakob Robinson, to name a few key returnees.

But don’t count out the newcomers either. These first-years can play, he said.

“We’re still a short way into that freshman class, but I think we hit a home run with all of those guys,” Hill said during training camp. “That freshman class is going to be something special; I can’t wait. We’re going to have to fight like crazy to keep them all here because there’s some good talent in that group.”

Of course, there’s some unfortunate news from the newcomers. Joe Brown, the 6-foot-3, 300-pound freshman from Lone Peak who recently returned from a two-year church mission, underwent surgery to repair an injury he suffered during spring training and will miss the 2024 campaign.

But several players have already seen playing time in the two-deep throughout training camp. Four-star tight end Ryner Swanson, for example, should have little trouble getting playing time — even at a position that added Keanu Hill to a room that already included Mata’ava Ta’ase, Ethan Erickson and Mason Fakahua following Isaac Rex’s departure to the NFL.

That includes Faletau Satuala, the four-star athlete who Hill called “one of the best players the state has seen in a long time” when he was selected to the 5A All-State First Team and named Region 5 co-MVP at the All-American Bowl in San Antonio, Texas.

Satuala, however, has found a spot — and likely playing time — in an undeniably deep safety group, one that includes returning starters Ethan Slade, Crew Wakley, Raider Damuni and Tanner Wall, and Micah Harper, the former Basha High star from Chandler, Arizona, who has recovered from a knee injury last year. The former Bountiful High star’s presence only makes it deeper.

“I think we’re a lot better in that room than we were last year,” said Hill, who also coaches the safeties, “and we’re deeper. That’s good.”

Not every freshman is an immediate-impact four-star. Here are four under-the-radar freshmen who should find their way onto the field as early as Saturday’s season opener against Southern Illinois (6 p.m. MDT, ESPN+).

Ephraim Asiata, THE

Asiata, a three-star player from Herriman High, is astonishing in his own right for his presence, as is his experience in Division I football.

The 6-foot-1, 205-pound pass rusher played two seasons at Hunter High, where he was involved in a shooting that left two classmates dead and Asiata hospitalized, with doctors saying he had a 1 percent chance of survival.

But Asiata returned to football and recorded 53 tackles, 21 tackles for loss and nine sacks as a senior at Herriman. The son of former Utah and Minnesota Vikings running backs at the time, he went to BYU after interest from USC, Utah and San Diego State, graduating early to participate in spring training.

Now Asiata can immediately contribute.

“You see his whole physical side come out; he’s a football player,” Hill said. “He’s just crafty and understands the game, knows where the ball is and knows how to play.”

Therrian “Tre” Alexander III, CB

Another promising freshman from the spring team, the 6-foot-1, 175-pound cornerback from Southwest Dekalb High near Atlanta, has put himself in position to get playing time in the defensive backfield.

Robinson and Harper playing in Hill’s nickel package and their preferred positions will certainly help players like Alexander in their bid to become impactful freshmen right away. He has certainly caught the attention of his peers.

“With Tre being there, and Jonathan (Kabeya) as well, they’re technically strong and physically strong,” Robinson said. “It makes us, the older guys, want to be the same and push harder than we’ve been getting.”

Pokaiaua Haunga, RB

LJ Martin’s shoulder injury was a highlight (or lowlight) of spring training, and the return of senior Folau Ropati, who sat out the 2023 season as a result, gave BYU more depth in its running back aspirations.

That goes for Las Vegas speed demon Miles Davis, who has seen plenty of reps with the ones and twos in camp. But don’t count Haunga out either.

The 5-foot-11, 200-pound athlete from Timpview signed as an athlete in 2023 after helping the Thunderbirds to the 5A state championship as a senior. Haunga played running back, wide receiver, defensive back and returner in high school, but appears to have found his role in the offensive backfield.

“I know people don’t like comparisons, but he’s a lot like Reno Mahe,” BYU head coach Kalani Sitake told BYUtv of Haunga’s potential. “He can come back, he played a lot of receiver, he’s so fast and raw.”

Tommy Prassas, S

Prassas, an underrated dropout of the 2024 recruiting class, was a three-star recruit out of Basha High in Chandler, Arizona — the same alma mater as Harper — before enrolling at BYU in the spring.

The 6-foot-1, 185-pound safety totaled 197 tackles, 13 pass breakups and six interceptions in high school and frequently rotates with the No. 2 defense at free safety during periods when the media is watching him.

“He’s a ball chaser, a hitter and he’s going to make a big difference in our secondary,” Hill said of Prassas.

Here are a few other freshmen who stood out during spring practices and training camp, including redshirt freshmen, recent missionary returnees and recent high school graduates who could see immediate playing time in BYU’s second season in the Big 12:

• Jojo Phillips, WR, Sierra Canyon High (Lancaster, California) (RS)
• Dallin Johnson, DT, Springville High (Springville, Utah)
• Cody Hagen, WR, Corner Canyon High (Draper, Utah)
• Jackson Bowers, TE, Mountain View High (Mesa, Arizona) (RS)
• Jonathan Kabeya, CB, Byron Nelson High (Euless, Texas)
• Trevor Pay, OL, Lone Peak High (Highland, Utah)
• Kinilau Fonohema, DE, Springville High (Springville, Utah)
• Kevin Doe, CB, East High (Salt Lake City)