BYU has seen its share of transfer portal attrition and addition this offseason — a reality that’s all-too-familiar at universities nationwide in this era of collegiate athletics — but no addition is likely to have a bigger impact on the 2023 season than Kedon Slovis.
The former USC and Pittsburgh quarterback came to Provo this offseason as a graduate transfer to help fill a much-needed hole, with Jaren Hall declaring for the NFL after two seasons as the Cougars’ starter.
As Slovis explained to ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg in a story showcasing five quarterbacks who are getting fresh starts this season, BYU offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Aaron Roderick — and his vision for how they would utilize the Arizona native — played a crucial role in Slovis joining the Cougar program.
It will be the first time that Slovis will play for the offensive coordinator who recruited him.
“That was the thing that excited me the most: ‘Hey, I get to play for this guy,’” Slovis told Rittenberg. “I feel really comfortable with him. We align in a lot of ways. I feel like I’ve known him for a lot longer than I have. It really just clicked, like, ‘That’s the guy I want to play for. I want to play in his system.’”
Roderick has been equally impressed with Slovis and how he’s assimilated to the team as BYU prepares for its first season in the Big 12 Conference.
Last month, Roderick told the Deseret News’ Jay Drew, “I wasn’t surprised about (Slovis’ ability to fit in) because I had heard great things about him before I met him. And then once I got to know him I could see he had those qualities. That wasn’t surprising. I think I was more surprised with how much he loves it here. I was hoping he would love it here. But it is pretty obvious he is enjoying his time and loves it in Provo.”
Slovis, an Arizona native who has started 37 games throughout his collegiate career, is again the starter and will try to finish a roller coaster career on a high note after throwing for nearly 10,000 yards (9,973) and 68 touchdowns to this point.
That first college season for Slovis has been his best to date — in 2019 at USC, he completed 71.9% of his passes for 3,502 yards, 30 touchdowns and just nine interceptions to go with a 176.6 QB efficiency rating.
His most recent season was a struggle, as Slovis completed a career-low 58.4% of his passes for 2,397 yards, 10 touchdowns and nine interceptions in his lone year at Pittsburgh after playing three seasons at USC.
Roderick presented Slovis with a plan that intends to get him in the NFL, Rittenberg reported.
If that plan works out next spring, Slovis could become the third BYU quarterback to be selected in the NFL draft since 2021, joining Zach Wilson (2021 draft, No. 2 overall to New York Jets) and Hall (fifth-round pick in the 2023 draft).
“His investment in me and my investment in him, super mutual,” Slovis told Rittenberg. “He could just be, ‘Hey, I care about my offense,’ and he does, but he’s also trying to help me succeed, too. I want to help him as much as I can this year, but I’ve only got one year, too. My goal is to play in the NFL, and that’s something he’s super invested in.
“His selling point was: ‘Come play for me, and we’ll get you to the next level.’”