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Provo • A year ago this month, San Diego-area high school star Troy Warner, a four-star recruit with offers from every major college football program in the West, made two huge decisions.
Warner, a 6-foot-1, 195-pound defensive back, picked BYU over Oregon, USC, Stanford and others on Sept. 16, and then chose to graduate early from Mission Hills High so he could enroll in January and participate in spring camp in order to get a leg up on the competition for the Cougars' open left cornerback position.
Mission accomplished.
Monday, the true freshman was tabbed by defensive backs coach Jernaro Gilford to get the start on Saturday when the Cougars meet Arizona in a season opener at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz.
"I guess it all worked out, and I'm grateful. I'm humbled," Warner said. "It is everything that I've worked for, but I am going to continue to work every day and try to get better every day, do the things I need to do to be great here at BYU. That's not going to stop."
Gilford, a former BYU cornerback himself, said Warner's experience from playing spring ball "absolutely" put him over the top, along with his natural football instincts, his athleticism, his ability to make plays and his ability to minimize mental mistakes.
"We came in and put in a new system in January, and he wasn't behind anybody," Gilford said. "From day one, he knew what everybody else knew. That helped him a lot. If he would have waited until the summer, he wouldn't have been ready. But that extra six months absolutely paid off."
Warner said it wasn't easy leaving his high school early and giving up the last half of his senior year, but it was worth it.
"I feel like I got ahead of the game and I was able to grow, gain weight, do the necessary things I needed to do to get that spot," he said.
Warner is so gifted athletically that coaches briefly talked last spring about making him a two-way player, perhaps as a receiver. But he downplayed that potential role in August, saying he needs to concentrate full-time on defense.
Warner will line up opposite senior Michael Davis, a two-year starter with plenty of experience, so he expects Arizona will try to pick on him early. Gilford said sophomore Akile Davis and freshmen Dayan Lake and Austin McChesney will rotate in, as needed, because Arizona's offense plays fast.
"I have a solid group of guys who are more than ready to go, and ready to play," Gilford said.
Defensive coordinator Ilaisa Tuiaki said that 10 years ago, starting a true freshman in a season opener against a Power 5 conference opponent would have been unthinkable. But times have changed.
"Now, with how explosive and big and fast these kids are, you try to put your freshmen out there if they are ready," he said. "And if there is ever a tie, you normally put the younger kid in, because in the long run he is going to do better for you.
"In Troy's case," Tuiaki continued, "he is a savvy football player, a lot like his brother [linebacker Fred Warner], and he has shown that he can do it."
Gilford said he believes the younger Warner will be able to handle the moment.
"He doesn't have a choice," Gilford said. "He talks to his brother every single day, and his brother has been doing it for years, so I am pretty sure that Fred has prepped him for this moment. He will be ready."
Twitter: @drewjay —
About Troy Warner
• Six-foot-1, 195-pound cornerback will start as a true freshman against Arizona on Saturday.
• Four-star prospect from San Marcos, Calif., picked BYU over Oregon, USC and others.
• Graduated early from Mission Hills High, enrolled in January and participated in spring camp.