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Get to get into this player profile segment. Get to
know one of the newest members of this bau Cougar
football team, a part of the twenty twenty six class.
With so many greats that have come through Brigham Young
University over the years, you always look towards the future.
Who they bringing in who could be that next star,
whether you look back on the past and you maybe
love Curtis Brown or Harvey Unga or Jamal Williams or
Tyler Augier most recently l J.
Speaker 1: Mart Who can be that next LJ. Martin?
Speaker 2: And so we're gonna get to know a guy that
could very well be that in this segment. He's on
the line right now. He's recruited by a number of schools.
He ended up choosing BYU. We got the five foot
eleven hundred ninety pounder out of Lehigh High School, Devon Eka,
part of the BYU Cougar football family.
Speaker 1: Devon, How are you?
Speaker 3: I'm good?
Speaker 1: How are you doing? Awesome?
Speaker 2: Man, appreciate you joining us, letting us get to know
you a little bit better. The recruitment's done, You're signed, sealed, delivered.
You're recruited by a number of schools San Diego State,
San Jose State, sack Sate, Idaho State, Utah State, in
Northern Arizona, UNLV. You chose the Kougs. Why was being
a BYU Cougar the priority for you?
Speaker 3: Honestly, once they offered me, I knew the place you know,
like I've always wanted to go there since freshman sophomore year.
They've been recruiting me for a while. So once I
got the offer, I knew that's the place I wanted
to go to.
Speaker 1: And your your primary recruiters? Who were they? Who are
they individuals that were reaching out to you from the
Cougar coaching staff?
Speaker 3: Coach Anderson he was talking to me the most, and
I was talking to coach I'm got a little bit,
So yeah, those two are the most.
Speaker 2: Who what did the coach Anderson the coach Una say
about your skill set? Why is it that they liked
what they saw on tape what they've seen in person
on the football field.
Speaker 3: Uh huh. They just they think I got explosiveness that
I can really add to the team, you know, because
we've had a lot of you know, stronger backs and
stuff like that. So they think my speed could really
help it add to the offense.
Speaker 2: Well, I see it on the film obviously, great vision,
good physicality, great breakaway speed as well.
Speaker 1: Really good football player.
Speaker 2: You went to Lehigh High School, you won a lot
of football games there. You come from a great program
and it continues to produce high level football players. You've
got great teammates. What was it like kind of growing
up in that that Lehigh area and playing for Lehigh?
Speaker 3: It's been good. I've always had great players around me,
so practice, every practice felt like a game day. So
it was good to prepare with them. Had dogs all
around you, you know, since my freshman year, I had
people like Bobby and every year we just had dogs,
commits and all that. So you've always got some good
players around you, so it's good to build around them.
Great to build around them.
Speaker 2: Growing up, you grew up in Utah right where you're
born in Utah where we were born.
Speaker 3: And raised in Utah?
Speaker 1: Yes, sir, okay, so born and race here in Utah.
Speaker 2: Did you grow up a BYU fan, a Utah fan,
a Utah State fan?
Speaker 1: What was the upbringing like?
Speaker 3: Honestly, when I was younger, I was more of a
Utah fan. But over the years, is going especially going
to be actually get in there? It changes you, it's
the way.
Speaker 2: So yeah, so you became a BYU fan along the way.
And uh, when you watch your your own film, right,
what do you like about the way that you play?
Speaker 1: How would you describe yourself as a running back?
Speaker 3: I feel like I just play hard, you know, I don't.
I don't give up no matter you know, we're up
a lot, down the lot. I just try to play
my hardest at all times. So I don't. Yeah, I've
never been a quitning type. So that's all I like
about my play.
Speaker 1: Yeah.
Speaker 2: I describe you as a consistent running back too. I
mean it's hard as a running back to stay healthy,
stay strong, and produce year over year. I think you
accumulated three thousand, two hundred seventy six total rushing yards
over your high school career, including one thousand and thirty
eight as a senior one thousand and thirty six as
a sophomore. So I mean having that consistency of productivity.
Speaker 1: What do you attribute that to?
Speaker 3: Honestly, just every day I practice, we just try to
do the right thing, you know, coda, class, lift, eat,
do the same thing every day and when you do
the right thing, you know, you get the result. So
we just try to say consistent every day and yeah,
don't do too much, but don't do too little.
Speaker 2: Just Yeah, you're a multi sport athlete as well. What
other sports did you play growing up?
Speaker 3: Growing up? I played basketball and baseball, so played those
Big Three. But when I got to high school, football
was just my main thing. I played some baseball too,
but yeah, football is my.
Speaker 2: Main sport really, so football transition to majority football.
Speaker 1: But you also played baseball. What position do you play
in baseball?
Speaker 3: I played center field?
Speaker 1: Nice?
Speaker 2: Nice, I'm looking at your your sophomore batting average. You
almost batted five hundred and at Lehigh. That's a pretty
good baseball school.
Speaker 3: Yes, sir, it is. Yeah, three husband, football, basketball and
baseball been dominant for years, so it's the great school
to come from.
Speaker 1: What made you fall in love with football? Why didn't
you fall in love with baseball?
Speaker 3: I don't know. Just since I was young, football just
had a different spot in my heart, Like I've always
loved baseball stuff. But yeah, football's has always been my thing.
Speaker 2: Well, it's a great sport. It's the ultimate team game,
no doubt about it. Devon Eca, three star running back
at Lehig High School, part of the twenty twenty six
b YU football class. Devon, you guys had just had
one of the best classes in BA football history, maybe
the best recruiting class in BAU football history.
Speaker 1: Who have you been able to get to know?
Speaker 2: That's a part of that class that you may be
shared recruiting trips with, et cetera.
Speaker 3: Yeah, Legend, you know, he's been my he's my teammate,
you know, family, he's been. He's gonna be someone that's
gonna be fun to go down with. Me and him
just gonna try to, you know, work through this. We're
going down early too, so it's great to have someone
to go with and compete with every day. So, yeah, Legend, you.
Speaker 2: Guys are both gonna be mid year transfers, early enrollees
for the spring.
Speaker 3: Yes, sir, we're going down to General.
Speaker 1: Love that man.
Speaker 2: Get to go down there and compete and ball out
and see you if you can, you know, get into
that rotation, into that depth chart.
Speaker 1: Do you think you can make an impact?
Speaker 2: Do you think you can be a true freshman that
can see the field the first year?
Speaker 3: That's for sure. That's the goal. That's what I'm trying
to do the day I get there. So I'm gonna
do everything I can to do that. But that's for
sure the goal.
Speaker 2: What weaknesses do you need to address in order to
accelerate your your your production and progress as a running back.
Speaker 3: You know, I'm already I have pretty good speed. But
it's good to get my speed up, get bigger and
get stronger in the weight room. But yeah, just let
b y U get me right and get down there
and play. Just work.
Speaker 1: You grew up in the state of Utah.
Speaker 2: I don't know if you're a member of the Church
of Jesus Christ the Latter day Saints, but I'm sure
you're familiar with it. Give us a little background on
family and faith and did that play a role in
committing to BYU?
Speaker 3: Yeah, I did. I do have family that's big, like
my grandpa, he's into the church. My family we've been
going to church since I was young, so that also
that is a big part of the me committing there
and being so close to home. So having a place
with a culture like that and so close, it's just
it's too good.
Speaker 1: Love that.
Speaker 2: Any any plans we you know, I always get this question,
So that's why I'm asking fans always asking, Hey, any
plans on mission after the first year or the second year?
Speaker 1: Any plans there?
Speaker 3: No, that's not what I was planning on. I'm not
playing on to going on a mission or anything like that.
Speaker 2: Okay, So we're gonna get you midyear and you're you know,
you may be playing this first year and we may
get you for four or five years. That's not always
what happens with the BYU student athletes.
Speaker 1: At least fifty percent of them go on mission. So
that's why I ask the question.
Speaker 2: Devon Ekka here on ESPN The Fan getting to know
him b YU running back for the twenty twenty six class.
You mentioned legend glasger guys a baller. What are we
getting in Legend as a wide receiver and athlete?
Speaker 3: Uh, he's some one who just works. You know, he's
not worried about all the outside noise. He's just he's
gonna get their work. And when you need someone to
make a play, you could for sure justin to do that.
So yeah, he think we got a dog coming in
our receiver Love.
Speaker 2: That Legend's gonna be a legend hopefully in that wide
receiver room. And as you watch BYU over the last
couple of years, when your recruitment started to get started
to heat up, going eleven and two, eleven and two,
with an opportunity to win a bowl game versus a
ranked opponent in Georgia Tech, what if you see that
you liked about the football program and how they're winning.
Speaker 3: I like, I'm gonna lik him. You know, they're staying consistent.
They're not worried about all the outside noise, you know,
maybe like with stuff like a coach by the league.
They weren't worried about none of that. They're just worried
about the next week and getting a after they after
they win, they're not satisfied. They're always ready for more
wins than That's a program I want to be a
part of.
Speaker 1: Who.
Speaker 2: Who's your, uh, maybe favorite player you've loved watching over
the years as a as a UH as a maybe
a fan football player watching the Boers. Do you have
any favorite players.
Speaker 3: I've been LJ honestly watching LJ player is always Finn.
He's been a dog for years, so he's for sure
probably my favorite player to watch.
Speaker 2: Lj's nice man, He's a He's a great football player.
Speaker 1: Who do you try to model your game after?
Speaker 2: Is there anybody you look at your height, your weight,
your skill set, your ability, your vision, Any NFL guys
or college guys you try to mimic?
Speaker 3: For sure, Jamal Williams. You know I trained with him,
you know, so I'm trying to soak in as much
stuff as I can from him, because yeah, he's he's
a by uk. So I would say, Jamal.
Speaker 2: What type of impact has Jamal Williams had on you
as your coach?
Speaker 1: He's been coaching you up a little bit.
Speaker 3: Yeah, it's been it's been way, it's it's big, you know.
He helps me get the little stuff you know people
don't quite see, and yeah, it's it's hard work. So
every day he's there to work and no matter the
time or whatever, they're there ready. So it's good to
it's good to be behind people who are always there
to work.
Speaker 2: So well, lu Khan trained him and has been training
him for a long time. I know, uh, Master Yoda
lu Khan, he's uh, he's a great coach too.
Speaker 1: How has he impacted you? Impacted you as well?
Speaker 3: He's been impacted me too much. You know. He's just
he's always there making sure I'm doing the right thing,
training us to trending us to get to the point
where we need to be. And he believes in us.
So it's always going to have someone who believes in
you that make you want to work harder.
Speaker 1: So love that perspective.
Speaker 2: You need great mentors and both those guys are fantastic mentors,
uh to guys like yourself future running backs U for
b Yu Ugar football. Outside of football, What do you
like to do? Where do you spend your time?
Speaker 3: I like to hang out with my friends, you know,
play basketball, we fish a little bit, so yeah, that's
probably my biggest thing to hang out on that at
the time.
Speaker 1: Are they mostly on the football team? You hanging out
with most of your football buddies?
Speaker 3: Yeah, my football buddies, I got some. I got some
buddies outside of football, but yeah, mostly.
Speaker 2: The love that Devon Eka here on ESB and the
fan BYU running back for the twenty twenty six class.
Getting to know him a little bit better. What do
you want to study at BYU? Is there anything of
interest there?
Speaker 3: I don't quite know a hundred percent I'm gonna do,
but probably get into like maybe sports medicine some in
that field. So yeah, I don't pind know though yet.
Speaker 2: So you like anatomy and physiology and exercise physiology.
Speaker 1: Is that something maybe that's down your path?
Speaker 3: Yeah, that's what that's for sure, something something I would
want to look into.
Speaker 2: Yeah, okay, I like that and so obviously b Y
is a great academic institution, so you can I'm sure
you get your generals out of the way, and then
you can get into a major. They do have a
couple of different pathways there. When you when you get
to by you right and you start competing, what do
you think is going to be the most difficult thing
to do? Like as you're acclimating to that new college
football regiment of being at a high level P four university.
Speaker 3: I think the thing is, you know, there's no days
off like in high school. You know some days you
may you know, feel a little lazy, you feel like
you take days off, I know, b YU And in
college there's there's no days off if you're trying to
really go do something, really be great. So you know,
maybe just flipping that switch and just know you got
to come and compete every day. So that's probably the
biggest thing.
Speaker 2: Love that perspective. I want to go back to your class.
This is a monumental class that you're a part of.
Uh did you I'm trying to think of your schedule now,
and and these other guys actually legend you know him
very well. But there's a lot of local products that
are part of this class.
Speaker 1: Bot Mulitalo at Loan Peak. You have Brock Harris.
Speaker 2: From Pineview, Adam Bywater at Olympus. You have Jared Pula, Lopetti,
Mwala at Orum, Jerreed Poulett Loan p Kennon Poole at
Loan Peak. I believe uh Kawei Akana at Orum, Legend
at Lehigh, Ridgeline Has Graham Livingston. All these guys, they're dudes,
great football players. The the instinct talent continues to get better.
Any of those guys really stand out. See did you
play against any of them? Or we're on sevens with them?
Watch film on them?
Speaker 1: What do you make of it? Yeah?
Speaker 3: I mean all those guys, there's some there's some real
life guys. You know Bo. I've played against Bo since
I was young. He's always been someone you don't want
to line up against, you know. And yeah, Legend, the
Pula Twins, you know, we've seen the cats they made. Yeah,
Ken made. You know. There's some dogs all around, you know,
Litt Graham, some speed, all them. So it's a great
classant to be a part of. Just it was great
to see people from Utah too, all your Utah people
you've been around and to go play with them, So
that's a big no.
Speaker 2: Doubt about it. Like, so, who did it come down
to for your recruitment? You know, obviously DYU was the
place that you chose, but did you have like a
final three, final four?
Speaker 3: I mean besides BYU like San Diego State, that was
a bit that was a good one, you n V.
I was talking to him a little bit, but BYU. Once,
once I was able to get that going, I just
stayed with that. So that was my main school. I
was focus on what do you.
Speaker 1: Like about Harvey Yunga?
Speaker 2: The way that he recruited you and the relationship that
you've been able to be with Harvey.
Speaker 3: I like that he he kept it riding me the
whole recruitment process. You know, everything he said he met.
You know, a lot of these other coaches they might
you know you or just say what you need to hear.
But coach Harvey was straight up with me the whole process,
you know, and that's that was probably the biggest thing
that made everything go smooth smoothly.
Speaker 2: So, yeah, well Harve's a former b YU great as well.
Speaker 1: Have you have you checked tape on Harvey yet? Your coach?
Speaker 3: Oh? Yeah, he was a dog. He's a dog.
Speaker 2: Yeah, he had a unique skill set. He can catch
the ball in the backfield. He's great in the past
pro he's a he was a complete back, you know,
high bar. How how can you become a complete back? Well,
you got to be able to be if you if
you lean in on you know, master Yoda, my guy
lu Kahan, obviously Jamal and Harvey.
Speaker 1: You guys, you got some good mentors there to lean
on to become a complete back.
Speaker 3: Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 1: Yeah.
Speaker 2: Not everyone has access to that type of resources, those
type of people in their lives. So you definitely blessed
to be in that situation, no doubt about it.
Speaker 1: So you're gonna roll at b YU. When do you
arrive on campus?
Speaker 3: Uh? January third?
Speaker 2: Anyway, thirst right around the corner, man, you get have
you you already scheduled with classes?
Speaker 1: Right? What? What?
Speaker 3: What?
Speaker 1: It's your twelve credits? Thirteen credits? What are you taking?
Speaker 3: I don't quitely know that off my head right now,
but yeah, I'm gonna I'm gonna have to see that.
Speaker 2: Yeah, hey man, it's all right. We still got time.
You got Christmas breaks? Still, what are you gonna be
doing for Christmas?
Speaker 3: Break to get ready, get ready to come down. Coming
down has been the only thing really on my mind.
So yeah, I love it.
Speaker 1: Man. Well, you've been training hard.
Speaker 2: I've been getting feedback from Luke and Jamal about your training.
Where do you think you've made the most process progress
since the end of the football season.
Speaker 3: I feel like I'm I'm I'm really conditioned right now.
You know, before every every workout we get a sprint
in sprints in you know, conditioning. So that's that's something
that I feel like I'm good at right now. Like
my heart, you know, I'm in a good I'm in
a good place to start to go into you got
a party.
Speaker 2: Good cardiovascular health is an imperative, especially as you get
into springball and you're trying to earn your keep in
that running back room, no doubt about it. Deavon Ekka
here on your Utah ESPN Radio Network B while you're
running back a part of the two thousand twenty six clash.
Are you currently wearing one nineties? That where you're at
five five eleven, one ninety? Where's the way.
Speaker 1: At right now?
Speaker 3: Yeah, sir, I'm probably like one eighty eight right now. Yeah,
one ninety. So I'm creeping her right around there.
Speaker 1: Nice. How's the weight room? Do you like the weight room?
Speaker 2: I don't know if you've done any of your max
lifts or anything like that.
Speaker 1: What do you lift? What do you push?
Speaker 3: Bench? I'm like two five squad, I got like four thirty?
You know.
Speaker 1: Nice?
Speaker 3: Yeah, so that's about where I am in the weight
room bench a squad. So weight room that's something I
for sure need to really really fall in love with
when I get to college. But yeah, I like to
for sure.
Speaker 2: You asked Jamal and Luke about the weight room. Man,
they hit it hard. I believe going into his senior year,
transform that body. I think he was. He was tote
in the rock at like two twenty his uh his
senior year, he was.
Speaker 1: He was big, he was strong, he was fast.
Speaker 3: That's sair.
Speaker 2: So you got to fall in love and put with
pushing weight, no doubt about that as well.
Speaker 1: Devon.
Speaker 2: It's been awesome getting to know you man. Uh, congratulations
on all your success. Can't wait to watch you and
cover you and uh and and get to know you
a little bit better as you you find your path
there at BYU. But uh, final thing before we let
you go, what message do you have for kugarnation as
you becoming a part of the become a part of
the of the Cougar football family.
Speaker 3: I can't wait. I'm working my butt offs and I
can't wait to see y'all down there.
Speaker 2: Love it Devon Echo, ladies and gentlemen, Dan, thanks for
joining us today, brother.
Speaker 3: Yes, sir, appreciate it. Thanks for having me.
Speaker 2: Therego Devon Echa, Ladies and gentlemen, by you. Running back
three star out of Lehigh High School baller chose b
YU over San Diego State, UNLV, San Diego State, San
Jose State, UNLV, Utah State and many others, had interest
from other schools and decided, Hey, I want.
Speaker 1: To be a b YU Cougar. Love that.
Speaker 2: I love his film. Honestly, his film was fantastic. Check
it out, check out the huddle. I think you're going
to be impressed, guys by the way it's getting into
the holiday season. Want to remind you, guys out there
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