‘Fired up to be here’: New BYU OL coach TJ Woods’ task is simple — improve Cougars’ rushing attack

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‘Fired up to be here’: New BYU OL coach TJ Woods’ task is simple — improve Cougars’ rushing attack

BYU running back LJ Martin (27) fights for yardage against Arkansas Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023, in Fayetteville, Ark. The Cougars struggled running the ball last season, and brought in new offensive line coach TJ Woods to help remedy the matter. | Michael Woods, Associated Press

Jay Drew · Deseret News

Thu, Aug 15, 2024 ·

6 min read

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Almost every morning since he was hired a few days before Christmas last year, new BYU offensive line coach TJ Woods makes the drive down Interstate-15 from his home in Lehi to his office in the Student Athlete Building and expresses gratitude for the opportunity he has earned.

"I wake up and I drive down I-15 and I look up at the Wasatch Front and the sun is starting to pirouette over the mountains, and I'm thankful," Woods said last week. "I definitely count my blessings every day. I am fired up to be here."

"Playing with an attitude, and finishing and playing with technique, all those things take time. They take a lot of repetition. We are still in the process of that. But I like where we are at. I like our progress that we have made so far."

Woods, who is familiar with long drives up and down the highway that dissects the Beehive State because he coached at Utah State from 2009-12 and again in 2019, is grateful despite the monumental task he faces in BYU's second season in the Big 12. The well-traveled offensive line coach, who has also been at Wisconsin , Oregon State, Western Kentucky, UNLV and most recently Georgia Southern, was brought to Provo to reestablish a running game that has been mostly absent the past two seasons.

His first item of business, he noted, has been to persuade the 18-20 offensive linemen that he oversees that "everything is on us."

Simple as that. If the Cougars hope to improve upon last year's 5-7 record and exceed low expectations in 2024, they will need to get better play out of their offensive line, and Woods knows it.

"Without the offensive line, it is hard for the rest of the guys to do their job. So I think obviously that has been a focus of ours, and it is really about them and their attitude, and their effort, and them not being real proud of the product they put on the field last year as well," Woods said. "It is still a work in progress.

"Playing that way, playing with an attitude, and finishing and playing with technique, all those things take time," Woods continued. "They take a lot of repetition. We are still in the process of that. But I like where we are at. I like our progress that we have made so far."

As offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick has mentioned several times the past few weeks of preseason training camp, praise and accolades won't come until this group has actually performed well in games — and helped BYU win games.

"Improved," Roderick said of the offensive line after last Saturday's first scrimmage of camp. "They are getting better. We still need to go do it in a real game. But I believe in those guys, and I believe in what we are doing. And they are really well coached."

Head coach Kalani Sitake said Woods is doing a great job with the offensive line, before and after the scrimmage. Reportedly, the offense moved the ball fairly well, but there were a few procedural problems, false starts, and the like, issues that will need to be cleaned up before the opener on Aug. 31 against Southern Illinois.

"Oh yeah, (Woods) is making a big-time (impact)," Sitake said. "That is the one coach who coaches the most on the field. So we need him to be good, and TJ knows how to get them rolling. These guys, with technique and fundamentally, I have been seeing huge improvement there. They are still tough kids and TJ knows how to get the most out of them. I am really happy with the way the O-line is working right now."

A graduate in business from Azusa Pacific, where he got his start in coaching after playing there and at Iowa State, Woods returns to Utah with his wife, Kelly, and daughters, Madison and McKenzie.

New BYU offensive line coach TJ Woods works with players during spring camp in Provo on March 16, 2024. | Jaren Wilkey, BYU Photo

"Everything, from the coaching staff to the players, has been awesome," he said. "Working for Kalani had been tremendous. BYU and the culture here, and the fan base, and what we represent, is all very cool. But for me, the best thing is the kids we get to coach. They are quality individuals who are willing to put in the work and know what hard work is, and know what humility is, and are willing to put in what it takes to be good."

Woods was no stranger to BYU football , having coached against the Cougars eight times in previous stops.

"I am ashamed to say I am 2-6 against the Cougars, but we had some great battles at Utah State back in those days," Woods said. "Matt Wells was our offensive coordinator. Gary Andersen (now helping out at BYU as an analyst) was the head coach. And then when we went to Wisconsin, we played BYU at Wisconsin in 2013, and then two more times the second stint at Utah State."

Projecting the offensive line depth chart

When it comes to this year's BYU offensive line, the big question is which newcomer or inexperienced player will join Caleb Etienne, Weylin Lapuaho, Connor Pay and Brayden Keim in the starting five in the right guard position held down last year by Paul Maile.

Etienne played a little guard last yeah but is back at left tackle and doing well there, by all accounts. Lapuaho (left guard), Pay (center) and Keim (right tackle) are back at their familiar positions.

In the media viewing portions of fall camp practices, SUU transfer Austin Leausa and redshirt sophomore Sonny Makasini of Timpview High in Provo have rotated with the ones at right guard. Leausa confirmed that it is the most competitive battle along the O-line.

"I really can't say right now how it is going to go," he said at Photo Day.

Woods said he is "very straightforward" when it comes to letting players know where they stand on the depth chart, and acknowledged that the right guard spot is the most open right now.

"There are some real battles in my mind for basically the fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth (spots)," he said. "You need eight guys (to have a good rotation) and I think we have a lot of candidates that have potential to fill that role. But potential just means you haven't done anything yet. That's why we are out here practicing."

Woods mentioned veterans such as Colorado transfer Isaiah Jatta , converted defensive lineman Bruce Mitchell, former walk-on Joe Brown and Weber State transfer Jake Eichorn as being "right there in the mix."

Others with a chance to get on the travel squad include Trevin Ostler, Jake Griffin , Kaden Chidester, Sione Hingano and Trevor Pay.

"Numbers-wise, our roster is in a good place, with the O-line," Woods said. "You want anywhere from 19 to 20 in fall camp, and we are close to that number. We are right there. … Right now, we are in a really good spot."

Just like the coach himself.

TJ Woods — BYU offensive line coach in action during first day of spring drills in Provo, Feb. 29, 2024. | Jaren Wilkey, BYU Photo

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