There are a lot of options for BYU and college sports news. To make your life a little easier, here are some of the hot reads over the last 24 hours, all in one handy place.
Rumors of the demise of Dallin Leavitt are greatly exaggerated.
When word got out that freshman CB Dallin Leavitt was injured at practice, many Cougar fans feared for the worst, as a weak spot on the depth charts continues to be hit with a injury spell that's almost comic. Luckily, Leavitt's injury isn't serious:
Dallin Leavitt suffered a hip-flexer; expected recovery time is seven days max, according to Bronco.
— Jason Shepherd (@kslshep) August 14, 2013
Given the alternatives, a week isn't so bad at all, and Leavitt should still be expected to be a major contributor come week one. There might be some more....creative ways of insuring that happens...
In other words, freshman corner Dallin Leavitt has been placed in protective custody until prep week for Virginia.
— Dick Harmon (@Harmonwrites) August 14, 2013
In other major depth chart related news, welcome your new defensive back.
Other fans openly speculated if Bronco might need to switch a few players around to join a depleted secondary. It appears that we now have our first defection:
Bronco says Eric Thornton is now a field cornerback. Thornton was doing well as JD Falslev's backup at WR.
— Jarom Jordan (@jaromjordan) August 14, 2013
This should be a solid move, as Thorton was probably a little buried on the WR depth chart, and will now have a greater chance to contribute. Another personnel move wouldn't be unheard of as well, especially if somebody else gets hurt, or if Leavitt is slow to heal. A full write up of the defensive back situation can be found here.
Injury spell means walk-ons can get a little love.
You never like to hear about players missing major time due to injury, but not every story is all negative. Jay Drew at the Salt Lake Tribune has a nice write up on how Skye PoVey has preserved from multiple injuries to potentially be a significant contributor to the team this year. All the best to PoVey, who should see major time at boundary corner.
BYU women's volleyball will have a target on their back this season.
In a move that shouldn't be too surprising, the Cougars were named the preseason #1 team in the WCC, barely edging out San Diego and Saint Mary's. BYU sophomore middle blocker/outside hitter Alexa Gray was also named to the Preseason All-WCC team. The WCC women’s volleyball season officially starts Aug. 30, with BYU beginning Aug. 31.
BREAKING: BYU FANS LIKE COLLEGE BASKETBALL, ATTEND GAMES.
Big tip of the ol' hat to @geoffjBYU, who scrounged up this PDF showing that BYU is 13th in the country in attendance for men's basketball games, averaging nearly 16,00 fans a game. That's better than schools like Michigan State, Arizona and Maryland, and better than anybody who could be considered a "Western School". Kentucky (surprise!) leads the pack, but a few surprises (Creighton at #6, Tennessee at #8, Ohio State #9) abound.
#BYU is the King of the West when it comes to college hoops attendance. UNLV, UNM, Arizona not far behind. http://t.co/gKNR0MJYHZ
— Geoff Johnston (@geoffjBYU) August 14, 2013
SEC, Big Ten, pull out of next EA Sports video game
Our friends at Land Grant Holy Land break down the implications here. We previously knew that the NCAA would pull out, but seeing as that only really removes the NCAA logo, it wasn't expected to be a major change. Conferences pulling out doesn't mean we won't see Alabama, LSU and Ohio State in the next game (necisarrily), but names and logos of conferences can't be used, which will ding the realism of the game a little bit.
It's possible that more conferences, or even individual schools may pull out later. Those of us who had Sega might remember the old Bill Walsh games, where you'd have to play PROVO VS COLUMBUS. Maybe those days aren't too far away.