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Today it was confirmed by BYU and Jay Drew of the Salt Lake Tribune that senior fullback Iona Pritchard and Billy Green will transfer from the BYU Football program. In a tweet from this morning, Jay said:
BYU football confirms that it has provided releases for QB Billy Green, RB Iona Pritchard, to be able to transfer.
— Jay Drew (@drewjay) May 30, 2014
Iona Pritchard
Pritchard played in all 13 games as a freshman for the Cougars before serving an LDS mission in the Marshall Islands. As a freshman he contributed on special teams, tailback, and as a linebacker. On offense he recorded one catch for three yards. It was on the defensive side where he made the largest contribution as he totaled 14 tackles with five of them being solo. He also was credited with a forced fumble against Utah State and one tackle for loss.
After his mission he came back to compete as a starter before suffering a knee and ankle injury that ended his season in fall ball. Pritchard subsequently used his redshirt year in 2011 to recover and come back as a sophomore in 2012. In the offenses of the next couple years he was utilized more as a blocker and so he only recorded 13 carries in 2012 and two in 2013. He also recorded three catches in his junior year. He played in all but three games in these years and was relied upon to open holes for Jamaal Williams and Taysom Hill.
Pritchard graduated this year and so he will be eligible to play immediately and has chosen to follow his younger brother to Oregon State. He will most likely play linebacker for the Beavers but will provide the coaches some experience if they need a fullback to step in.
Billy Green
Green was also granted his release today as the sophomore quarterback is looking to put himself in a better situation for playing time. Green has not decided on a school at this time. Most fans will remember him as a dual-threat quarterback that had his redhirt burned in the Idaho State game where he played, but did not record any stats. Out of high school, Green was recruited by Notre Dame, Oregon State, UCLA, Utah, Washington State, and Washington and so it wouldn't be a surprise if he garners some interest from a few of these teams.