BYU football: Projected starting corner, juco transfer, out for a year with ACL injury

Provo • When BYU's most-prized junior college transfer, cornerback Trenton Trammell, went down on the first practice of spring camp Monday while grabbing his left knee, coaches and teammates feared the worst for the 6-foot, 200-pound junior from Oakland, Calif.

After practice Wednesday, coach Bronco Mendenhall delivered the bad news: Trammell has a torn ACL, and will not recover in time to play in 2013. Trammell, from City College of San Francisco, has a redshirt year available and will take it this season, meaning that he will have two years of eligibility remaining when he returns in 2014.

"Man, he is a fantastic kid," Mendenhall said. "It was hard for all of us to see that injury. Noncontact injury. He just planted in the turf, knee shifted, no one around him. It is just really hard to see."

Trammell was projected to start in the position vacated by Preston Hadley, an all-Independent performer last season.

Mendenhall said senior Mike Hague, who is expected to get his year back after an injury cut short his season last year, can swing between corner and nickel back and immediately comes to mind as a player who could play the position. Also, sophomore Trevor Bateman, who sat out last year with an ACL injury, is also a possibility.

What, Alisa worry?

Running back Mike Alisa started BYU's first five games last year before breaking his arm against Hawaii, then watched from the sidelines as freshman Jamaal Williams emerged as the next potential star out of the backfield for the Cougars.

But Alisa said Monday there will be enough carries to go around this year, due to offensive coordinator Robert Anae's fast-paced offense.

"Jamaal is great. Man, he's a good running back," Alisa said. "Adam Hine is looking really good, too. A.J. [Moore] is just off his mission. So I feel like the same thing as last year — a lot of good running backs in the program, a lot of talent, a lot of speed.

"With the pace we are going at, there are going to be a lot of substitutions. They don't want anyone jogging around. So the moment they see anyone letting up a little bit, they are going to put someone else in, so we always have fresh legs in there. It is go, go go, eight-second transitions."

Briefly

Offensive lineman Jordan Black, a recently returned missionary from Alta High, is not participating in camp because he had surgery on both shoulders for torn labrums. He is expected to be ready in the fall. ... Running back Paul Lasike has been given a football scholarship, but still plans to compete for the BYU rugby team.

drew@sltrib.com

Twitter: @drewjay