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Another day, another player lost for the season at BYU.
Monday, the Cougars learned they'd be without cornerback Jordan Johnson for the 2013 campaign, following an ACL tear suffered in Monday morning's practice.
Today, the school announced that an MRI confirmed a pectoral muscle tear for 6'3", 330-pound nose tackle Tuni Kanuch, who now requires surgery that will end his season.
A 2010 signee, Kanuch returned from his LDS mission in time to participate in 2013 spring practices; during spring ball, he was competing along with Marques Johnson in an effort to move up the depth chart and help replace Romney Fuga at nose tackle.
Heading into the summer player-workout period, head coach Bronco Mendenhall said neither player had done enough to displace senior NT/DE Eathyn Manumaleuna as the top potential nose tackle candidate, but last week credited both Johnson and Kanuch for improving in the months leading up to August camp.
Mendenhall recently said that the progress of both Johnson and Kanuch had him comfortable with playing Manumaleuna primarily at an end position. With Kanuch now unavailable, and the only other nose tackles being newcomers JonRyheem Peoples, Meti Taliauli and Kalolo Utu, we'll see now if Mendenhall turns back to Manumaleuna to shore up the position.
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Meantime, BYU notified reporters that freshman corner Dallin Leavitt--now a likely starter with the season-ending injury to Johnson--suffered a hip injury in Tuesday's morning practice, and that an evaluation was ongoing, with more information likely available on Wednesday.
Leavitt himself, in response to an individual on Twitter, said "I'm not even hurt." That tweet was deleted later in the day.
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Tuesday was a media dead-day at BYU camp; reporters will get a 30-minute practice observation period and interview availablity on Wednesday morning.
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