Kalani Sitake offers latest injury update on BYU LB

BYU football linebacker Ben Bywater is recovering from an injury suffered last season.

Bywater injured his right shoulder in last year’s game against Kansas. Last October, the captain linebacker told KSL Sports that he had suffered nerve damage in his shoulder.

Bywater did not participate in spring practices last March. Following those workouts, defensive coordinator Jay Hill stated that Bywater’s status for the 2024 season was “wait and see”.

“Time will tell:” Ben Bywater working his way back from injury

During Big 12 Media Days, KSL Sports spoke with BYU head coach Kalani Sitake about Bywater’s status.

“It’s kind of close, and I think he looks great, but it’s a matter of health,” Sitake told KSL Sports of Bywater’s possible return date from injury.

“Will he be okay for us? Is he going to be ready to go by the time the season starts? And it’s terrible because the injury is so severe. But if anyone is going to recover from that, it’s him. “Only time will tell.”

Bywater is preparing for his final season of college football. The Salt Lake City native has 247 tackles in his career at BYU and has decided to return and take advantage of the extra year of eligibility provided by the COVID season in 2020.

Bywater recorded 32 tackles in four games last season before being injured in BYU’s Big 12 opener in Lawrence in September.

In the lead-up to last season, Bywater was one of the program’s faces at Big 12 Media Days. He was not in attendance this year because BYU removed Tyler Batty and Jakob Robinson off the defense. They also added wide receiver Darius Lassiter, Chase Roberts, and center Connor Pay.

“It feels weird not having Ben with us here [at Big 12 Media Days],” he remarked. “But I think Ben needs to take advantage of the recovery time and the days and get better that way.”

Depth at linebacker

If Bywater isn’t ready for the season opener against Southern Illinois on August 31, BYU has options at inside linebacker. Harrison Taggart and Siale Esera are two underclassmen who demonstrated their potential last season.

Following spring practice, BYU added UCLA transfer Choe Bryant-Strother to their inside linebacker unit.

The Cougars start fall camp on July 31.