Cougar line is ailing for spring practices

BYU's offensive line should be a strength in 2006.

But boy, there's drama with this bunch, and it mostly centers around big guys broken down.

Consider: Sophomore starting guard Dallas Reynolds just had shoulder surgery this week. This follows shoulder surgery to LDS mission-bound Terrance Brown and veteran Ray Feinga. Brown is headed for a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and will have some time off to lick his wounds. Feinga is missing spring drills along with much heralded Travis Bright, who is now a sophomore but has yet to play a down for the Cougars due to an LDS mission, freshman redshirt year and broken ankle doing a sumo-wrestling drill a year ago.

Weeks before spring practice, Jason Speredon, fresh off an LDS mission, blew out his Achilles tendon just doing a routine conditioning drill. Out one year.

Counting senior Jake Kuresa's shoulder surgery exactly a year ago, four Cougar pass protectors have undergone shoulder surgery the past 12 months.

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Reynolds' cut job has left eight offensive linemen with pads on for the remainder of Cougar spring drills. Since five start on the line, BYU can't field a two-deep lineup at that position.

Right now starting tackle Kuresa is playing right guard so David Oswald can experience what it takes to play right tackle. On the other side, starter Eddie Keele is an anchor while Seti Aulai and Jeff Rhea take turns playing center and guard in place of Reynolds.

This leaves walk-ons Erik Freeman and Marco Thorson to juggle time with Nick Longshore.

BYU's offensive line, which returns everyone but center Lance Reynolds and guard Brian Sanders, is suddenly under siege just finding bodies. Bronco Mendenhall has designed his entire practice around how many plays the offensive line can endure.

"There are guys I'd like to have out there," offensive line coach Jeff Grimes said. "Not only are those guys not developing, but the guys who are out there are taking a lot of reps, getting overused and risking even more injuries."

Grimes has eight bodies. He needs 15.

More bodies are on the way. Alta's Braden Hansen has yet to decide if he will enroll this fall and play one year before an LDS mission. Wyoming's Rick Wolfley, Hawaiian Walter Kahaialii, Orem High's Ryan Freeman are incoming freshmen who could join Hansen. Vanderbilt transfer Tom Sorenson will be back from an LDS mission within months.