We’re just a few days away from the first game of the season and it feels like kickoff is that much closer with the release of the first official depth chart of 2019. There were a few position battles there were being decided in fall camp and this is our first preview as to which players have come out of top.

The first depth chart for #BYUfootball of the season in case you’re interested in such things. #BYU pic.twitter.com/bee1SToOm8 — Yawk Talk 哈雅各 (@JacobCHatch) August 26, 2019

Here’s our breakdown of the major takeaways from this first two-deep chart...

First and foremost, Ty’son Williams is listed as the starter at running back. As you’ll see in a lot of other places on the depth chart there are places where an OR indicates that a player is on equal footing with another teammate. Not the case here. Williams really impressed the team this fall and the coaches had lots of good things to say about him after the scrimmages. Lopini Katoa is listed second on the chart along with Emmanuel Esukpa.

Sitake said RB Ty'Son Williams "earned" the RB1 position, will start against Utah. Really high on all the RBs in the group. — Jay Drew (@drewjay) August 26, 2019

Based on this chart there are four linebacker positions listed, which goes alongside the indication that BYU will be going back and forth between a 4-3 and 3-4 alignment. The middle linebacker spot was one of the biggest battles in camp and it looks like the coaches haven’t really sussed out who will be first chair. Keenan Pili and Jackson Kaufusi are listed as the top MLBs with Kavika Fonua and Patyon Wilgar as the ILBs. It sounds like there will be a rotation between those four, but the true signal of who is on top will be the player on the field when the Cougars line up in the 4-3.

Isaiah Herron, who got dinged up in the most recent scrimmage, isn’t listed on the two deep at cornerback. Dayan Ghanwoloku and D’Angelo Mandell are the starters at corner. Two new faces to the program in Dimitri Gallow and George Udo are listed as backups behind Mandell and will see the field at some point. Beau Tanner, who left the program for a year, is back and listed as a backup to Dayan on the LC position.

Sitake said cornerback Isaiah Herron is "banged up" a bit and that's the reason he's not on the two deep. He said LC Beau Tanner and FS Hayden Livingston have played their way into 2-deep with gutty, competitive efforts in camp. — Jay Drew (@drewjay) August 26, 2019

Speaking of cornerback, during the “Coordinators Corner” Coach Tuiaki mentioned that Troy Warner and Chris Wilcox will be missing the first few games and then will have their status evaluated.

#BYU DC Ilaisa Tuika says neither Troy Warner (foot) nor Chris Wilcox (knee) will play early in the season. "We could push them, but we prefer to let it be their idea” as to when they return. Both are very much redshirt candidates this season pending recovery timeline(s). — Locked on Cougars Podcast (@LockedOnCougars) August 26, 2019