BYU Football

BYU offensive lineman Sione Veikoso was killed in a construction accident in his home state of Hawai'i on Friday.

On behalf of the entire BYU Football family, our thoughts and prayers are with Sione's family and friends during this extremely difficult time.

Rest in Love Sione. God be with you till we meet again. pic.twitter.com/Bn0oW4kylY

— BYU FOOTBALL (@BYUfootball) December 31, 2022

"We are extremely saddened to learn of the tragic death of one of our brothers, Sione Veikoso," head coach Kalani Sitake said in a statement. "His passing is heartbreaking to all of us. We offer our deepest condolences and prayers to his family as we share in their grief. Our love for you is forever, Sione!"

The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported a 15-foot retaining wall at a home in Kailua collapsed and trapped three construction workers.

Veikoso was one of three people trapped under the rubble. Firefighters rescued two of the workers, who were in serious but stable condition. Veikoso was pronounced dead at the scene.

"He was a gentle giant who loved his family," said his cousin Joshua Kava. "He was reliable and caring."

The 6'7", 305-pound redshirt freshman began his college career at Arizona State after completing a mission in Brazil for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He transferred to BYU in July and appeared in the Cougars' 52-26 win over Utah Tech on Nov. 19.

BYU beat SMU 24-23 in the New Mexico Bowl on Dec. 17. Veikoso's family told the Star-Advertiser he was to fly back to school next week.

Pittsburgh quarterback Kedon Slovis announced Saturday via social media that he is transferring to BYU.

Slovis entered the transfer portal on Dec. 5. BYU will be his third school in what will be his fifth season in 2023. In addition to Pitt, he also suited up for the USC Trojans from 2019-2021.

I will always be grateful for Coach Narduzzi and the time I got to spend with all of my teammates at the University of Pittsburgh.
I’m excited for this new chapter and can’t wait to get to work. #GoCougs pic.twitter.com/yg0Sa4rXP6

— Kedon Slovis (@Kedonslovis) December 24, 2022

The BYU staff was intrigued by the former Pitt quarterback's "level of accuracy," according to ESPN's Pete Thamel. He is entering his final year of eligibility in 2023 and will compete for BYU's starting quarterback job, Thamel added.

BYU offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick praised Slovis in a statement, via Sean Walker of KSL.com:

"Kedon is an effortless passer, great leader and one of the most accurate quarterbacks in college football. I've enjoyed watching his calm demeanor. He is always poised, never too high or too low. I have been so impressed with his methodical approach to this decision to come to BYU. I can't wait for him to join us in January."

In his lone season at Pitt, Slovis completed 58.4 percent of his passes for 2,397 yards and 10 touchdowns against nine interceptions in 11 games. The transfer of star wide receiver Jordan Addison to USC heavily impacted the team's aerial attack.

Still, Slovis was far more accurate during his three seasons at USC, completing 68.4 percent of his passes for 7,576 yards and 58 touchdowns against 24 interceptions in 27 games.

BYU finished the 2022 season with an 8-5 record and is preparing for a move to the Big 12 in 2023 after being independent since 2011. Having played in both the Pac-12 and ACC, Slovis should help with that transition.

The addition of Slovis comes after former Cougars quarterback Jaren Hall, who spent the last two seasons as BYU's starter, declared for the 2023 NFL draft.

UCLA also expressed interest in adding Slovis this winter, according to Walker.

The Big 12 will add four new schools in the summer of 2023.

Central Florida, Cincinnati, Houston and BYU will officially join the conference next summer.

American Athletic Conference Commissioner Mike Aresco announced Friday the AAC has reached early-exit agreements with UCF, Cincinnati and Houston that will take effect July 1, 2023, and allow them to move to the Big 12.

UCF, Cincinnati and Houston are officially headed to the Big 12 in 2023. pic.twitter.com/70XfFtxuZQ

— Chris Hummer (@chris_hummer) June 10, 2022

The Big 12 announced in September that all four schools would join the conference "no later than the 2024-25 athletic year."

Per ESPN's Heather Dinich, AAC bylaws require schools to give a 27-month notice before they leave in addition to paying a $10 million buyout fee. The earliest exit date for the schools if they abided by those rules would have been July 1, 2024.

Aresco told Dinich the AAC was willing to negotiate a higher exit fee that would allow UCF, Cincinnati and Houston to leave early:

"We typically do, because it's not a great situation when you know somebody's leaving. Often you can mitigate some of that by just again getting a larger exit fee and having them leave earlier so we'll certainly be willing to negotiate that as we've done in the past and as other conferences have done in the past, but I can't tell you precisely yet at this point, nobody's indicated what year."

Per Brett McMurphy of the Action Network, the three schools are paying $18 million apiece to leave early after the AAC initially sought $45 million.

All of these moves come after Texas and Oklahoma accepted invitations in July to join the SEC from the Big 12.

Per Brian Davis of the Austin American-Statesman, the 2024-25 athletic year is "still a more realistic target date" for the Longhorns and Sooners to leave.

If that ends up being the case, the Big 12 will have 14 members for the 2023-24 athletic year.

Dreary weather in Louisiana couldn't bring down the UAB Blazers, who defeated No. 13 BYU 31-28 on Saturday to win the 2021 Independence Bowl.

Heavy rain in the Shreveport area briefly delayed kickoff, but it cleared up as the game kept going.

Both starting running backs dominated on the ground. DeWayne McBride racked up 183 yards and one touchdown on 28 carries. Tyler Allgeier carried the ball 27 times for 192 yards and three scores in the loss.

Trea Shropshire scored the game-winning touchdown for UAB with 6:17 remaining in the fourth quarter. He caught a 14-yard pass from Dylan Hopkins in the end zone after BYU took a 28-24 on its previous possession.

BYU came into the bowl game riding a five-game winning streak. The offense was averaging 48.5 points in its final four games of the regular season.

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Notable Game Stats

• Dylan Hopkins, QB (UAB): 19-of-23, 189 yards, 3 TD, INT
• DeWayne McBride, RB (UAB): 28 carries, 183 yards, TD
  
• Gerrit Prince, TE (UAB): 4 receptions, 43 yards, 2 TD
• Baylor Romney, QB (BYU): 15-of-23, 195 yards
  
• Tyler Allgeier, RB (BYU): 27 carries, 192 yards, 3 TD
  
• Gunner Romney, WR (BYU): 3 receptions, 55 yards
  

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This turned out to be a back-and-forth high-scoring affair. UAB's scoring outburst was especially surprising because it only ranked 59th in the nation in points per game during the regular season.

The Blazers looked like they were going to dominate right out of the gate.

After both teams traded punts on their first possession, UAB scored touchdowns on consecutive drives to go up 14-0 at the end of the first quarter.

McBride scored the second one on a 64-yard run. He showed no lingering effects from the ankle injury suffered in the regular-season finale against UTEP that kept him out for the entire second half.

BYU stormed back in the second quarter with two scores of its own to tie the score at 14.

The Blazers regained the lead before halftime with a nine-play, 78-yard drive that was capped off by Gerrit Prince's 23-yard touchdown catch from Hopkins.

Allgeier tied the score for BYU with a 62-yard touchdown run. The sophomore running back set a new school record for rushing yards in a season in this game.

Tyler Allgeier having an unreal season 😳 pic.twitter.com/Fi7E0KrQTM

— Bleacher Report CFB (@BR_CFB) December 18, 2021

UAB regained the lead with a field goal on its first possession of the second half.

BYU responded with a 52-yard scoring drive, capped off by Allgeier's touchdown from one yard out. The Cougars took their only lead of the game, 28-24, at that point.

BYU's only turnover of the game came at the worst possible moment. Samson Nacua caught a pass at UAB's 28-yard line, but he lost possession of the ball and Mac McWilliams recovered it.

The Blazers picked up four first downs to run out the final 3:18 of regulation and secure the win. Their nine wins this season are tied for the second-most in program history.

Even though BYU's season ended on a down note, head coach Kalani Sitake has the program trending in the right direction. The Cougars have won at least 10 games in back-to-back seasons for the first time since doing it four times in a row from 2006 to 2009.

BYU announced Friday it's signed head football coach Kalani Sitake to a contract extension through the 2027 season.

Financial terms of the agreement weren't released, but the school described the new deal as "unprecedented." Cougars athletic director Tom Holmoe praised Sitake in a statement:

In recent days and weeks there has been a lot of movement among college football head coaches. Today, I'm thrilled to know that Kalani will continue to be our leader, coach and mentor going forward. In the past 50 years, BYU has had only four head football coaches. Consistency, creativity and culture have been our hallmarks. Kalani will continue to strengthen our football team culture and develop young leaders based on his emphasis of 'love and learning.' I'm grateful for Kalani and the Sitake family for their commitment to BYU.

Sitake, a former BYU fullback, returned to the program in 2016 when he accepted his first head coaching job. It followed 15 years as an assistant coach that included one season as a graduate assistant with the Cougars (2002), along with stops at Eastern Arizona, Southern Utah, Utah and Oregon State.

The 46-year-old Tonga native has compiled a 48-28 record across six seasons in Provo. The Cougars will wrap up their 2021 campaign Dec. 18 when they face off with UAB in the Independence Bowl after finishing 13th in the final College Football Playoff rankings.

BYU, an independent in football since 2011, is scheduled to join the Big 12 in 2023 to become a Power Five program. Sitake referenced the impending move in his statement after signing the extension:

I am grateful for the confidence that Tom Holmoe, President [Kevin] Worthen and the administration continue to have in my role leading the BYU football program. As both a former player and a BYU fan, it is an honor to be the head coach at this great university. I am blessed to lead a football program full of tremendous young men, outstanding coaches and staff and the best fans in the world. We're all excited about the opportunities ahead as we prepare to enter the Big 12.

The extension comes after Sitake spoke with Oregon about its head coaching vacancy earlier this week, per ESPN's Adam Rittenberg.

It's the second new deal signed by the BYU coach this year. The program previously announced an agreement through 2025 in August.

The interest from Oregon combined with the Cougars' 10-2 record this season necessitated a second extension within a span of four months.

Sitake's deep roots in the program and the upcoming Power Five move gives BYU a chance to retain the coveted coach for the long haul despite what will likely be continued outside interest.

In the short term, a win over UAB later this month would move the Cougars to 4-1 in bowl games under Sitake.

The NCAA is investigating two "high-profile" NIL deals involving football players at BYU and Miami "for potential violations of the association's interim rules regarding new marketing rights for college athletes," according to Sportico's Daniel Libit and Eben Novy-Williams. 

The two deals might qualify as a pay-for-play setup, per Sportico, which is prohibited under NIL guidelines.

The BYU deal is reportedly in partnership with protein bar company Built, which provided compensation for every member of the football team. The Miami deal was with American Top Team, an MMA and Brazilian jiu-jitsu gym, which offered compensation to every member of the Hurricanes football program.

"We have communicated with the NCAA concerning the Built Bar NIL arrangement," Jon McBride, BYU's associate athletic director for communications and media strategy, told Sportico. "They have informed us they do not have any additional questions at this time. We will continue to monitor and abide by the NCAA interim NIL policy."

Miami told Sportico the school had not been contacted by the NCAA about the issue. 

Among prohibitions, NIL compensation cannot be given or offered to players based on their enrollment at specific schools, meaning it can't be dependent on their commitment to play for a school.

The NCAA's interim NIL policy took effect in June, allowing student-athletes to benefit from their names, images and likenesses. Student-athletes are allowed to engage in NIL activity that is consistent with the law of the state where the school is located. In addition, they have to report their NIL deals to their schools. 

BYU's dream start hit a speed bump on Saturday, as the Cougars were upset by unranked Boise State 26-17 for their first loss of the season. 

The 10th-ranked Cougars dominated the stat sheet with a 413-312 advantage in total yards, but they committed four turnovers, including two in Boise State territory, that proved costly. 

Broncos wide receiver Khalil Shakir caught five passes for 66 yards in the win. Their rushing attack racked up 140 yards and two touchdowns on 45 carries and allowed them to control the clock. 

Saturday's win marks Boise State's first victory over a team ranked in the Associated Press Top 10 since the 2010 Fiesta Bowl against TCU. 

Boise State hands No. 10 BYU its first loss of the season!

The Broncos beat an AP Top-10 opponent for the first time since 2010 👏 pic.twitter.com/z6u743haKo

— ESPN (@espn) October 9, 2021

BYU quarterback Jaren Hall did throw an interception on the team's final drive with under two minutes to play, but the first three turnovers came on poor execution. 

Tyler Allgeier fumbled the ball away at BYU's 24-yard line midway through the second quarter with BYU leading 10-3.

Boise State needed just four plays to get into the end zone and tie the score. Cyrus Habibi-Likio capped off the drive with an 11-yard drive. 

On the ensuing kickoff, Lopini Katoa lost possession of the ball and the Broncos recovered. The Broncos took a 17-10 lead five plays later on Andrew Van Buren's third-down score from one yard out. 

Two field goals put Boise State up 23-10 midway through the third quarter. BYU seemed poised to at least get a field goal on its first possession of the second half, but Katoa fumbled again at the Broncos' 18-yard line. 

Allgeier did get BYU within six points on a touchdown run with 7:27 remaining in the fourth quarter. Boise State's ensuing possession sealed the win thanks to Jonah Dalmas' 22-yard field goal. 

Dalmas was put in position to even have a chance to kick the ball after Shakir caught a 35-yard pass with two defenders around him. 

How did he come down with this?! 🤯 pic.twitter.com/rFu9WwXxbm

— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) October 9, 2021

Boise State (3-3) has had an inconsistent start to the season. It did play Oklahoma State and Central Florida close, losing both games by a combined six points. Head coach Andy Avalos got his first marquee win in his sixth game leading the program. 

BYU (5-1) fells from the ranks of the unbeaten, but there are still plenty of reasons to be optimistic about the program. It already has wins over Pac-12 teams Utah and Arizona State, the latter of which is currently ranked No. 22 in the AP Top 25.    

Notre Dame and BYU will make their way to Sin City in 2022.

The Fighting Irish announced Tuesday that next year's Shamrock Series game against the Cougars will be held October 8 at Allegiant Stadium, which is home to the Las Vegas Raiders.

Next year's game will be the 11th Shamrock Series matchup, and it will be the Irish's first game in the state of Nevada. Notre Dame is 10-0 in the series, which began in 2009, with its most recent win coming last Saturday over Wisconsin at Soldier Field in Chicago.

Allegiant Stadium will be the eighth venue for the Shamrock Series. In addition to Soldier Field, the games have been held at Lucas Oil Stadium, Yankee Stadium, FedEx Field, Fenway Park, AT&T Stadium and the Alamodome.

Notre Dame and BYU have met eight times, and the Irish lead the series 6-2. Their most recent meeting was in 2013, when the Irish won at home 23-13.

Notre Dame is ranked No. 9 and is 4-0. Starting quarterback Jack Coan has thrown for 986 yards and nine touchdowns. He exited Saturday's game with an apparent leg injury, but head coach Brian Kelly is optimistic that he won't miss any time.

"We got clean X-rays," Kelly said after the game. "It's a soft-tissue injury. It doesn't even respond like a high ankle sprain. So, we're pretty optimistic that we'll be able to see him back next week."

The Irish will face No. 7 Cincinnati at home on Saturday.      

UCF, BYU, Cincinnati and Houston are all planning to submit applications to join the Big 12, which is looking to regroup after news emerged that Oklahoma and Texas plan to join the SEC.

Sports Illustrated's Pat Forde and Ross Dellenger broke the news Friday, and ESPN's Adam Rittenberg and Heather Dinich confirmed it as well.

Sports Illustrated reported that the applications are expected to be in next week, and approval could happen as soon as Sept. 10, when the Big 12 presidents are scheduled to meet.

As for how the league structure might work, SI wrote the following:

In this scenario, the four teams will join the league by 2023 or, at the very latest, 2024, and may even compete alongside Oklahoma and Texas before those two powerhouses depart for the SEC, making for a couple of awkward seasons in a 14-team Big 12.

The timeline is fluid and has been described as optimistic, but not unrealistic. Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby has even gone on site visits, most recently taking a trip to meet with Houston officials on Thursday.

ESPN also noted that the potential expansion is moving very quickly.

"Things are moving very quickly," a source told ESPN Friday. "There's obvious momentum to get votes to the board."

The ESPN duo previously reported Thursday that the four aforementioned schools had informally contacted the Big 12 about joining.

The Big 12 has found itself in a bind after news emerged of Oklahoma and Texas' impending departures, but the conference was also left out of the newly formed alliance between the Pac-12, Big Ten and ACC.

The SEC will clearly stand alone as the most powerful conference in college sports bar none when Oklahoma and Texas join, although the league has to contend with the alliance, which was formed in response to the SEC's power move.

That left the Big 12 as the lone Power Five conference that hadn't increased its power in some way. The natural move was to add schools, which appears to be moving at warp speed to keep up with the rest of the college sports landscape.

As for when those schools will join, American Athletic Conference members UCF, Houston and Cincinnati's most "realistic timeline" is 2024, per ESPN.

American Athletic Conference bylaws require schools to give a 27-month notice before they leave and pay a $10 million buyout fee. In that scenario, joining by the 2023 season would be a long shot, but an earlier exit and higher buyout could be negotiated. The most realistic timeline, sources said, is 2024.

Sources told ESPN that those three schools have not told the AAC of their intentions.

BYU is an FBS independent but participates in the West Coast Conference for other sports. SI noted that the school must give the league advance notice if its intends to leave.