Cody Hoffman on BYU: ‘It’s going good’

Cody Hoffman practices in BYU’s LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo, Utah. Photo courtesy of Mark A. Philbrick, BYU

The former Del Norte High standout at wide receiver is now a freshman with the Brigham Young University Cougars of the Mountain West Conference.

“It’s going good,” Hoffman, 18, said during a telephone interview Tuesday from Provo, Utah. “It’s a lot different than high school, but it’s a lot of fun.”

“It started to snow here today,” he added. “That’s a big difference.”

After an outstanding gridiron career with the Warriors, Hoff­man, who was born and raised in Del Norte, accepted a full ride to BYU, a top-tier football program that has already won an NCAA football title and has sent numerous players to the NFL.

“It’s a big program,” Hoff­man said. “They know how to win games.”

This is a bye week for the Cougars. After a huge opening game victory against then-No. 3 Oklahoma, BYU is coming off a disappointing loss to undefeated conference rival Texas Christian University on Saturday to drop to 6-2 for the year.

Because of the bye week Hoffman said he will be visiting Crescent City for a few days this week. On Tuesday he said that he hoped to be a spectator at tonight’s home football game against Eureka.

“Since I have the time this week I figured I’ll see my family and friends,” he said, adding that he is pleased with the prospect of watching his former teammates play in person. “It’s going to bring back memories.”

He has suited up for one game, the home opener against Florida State University, in front of 65,000 screaming fans but did not play.

“Everyone was pumped up,” Hoffman said. Hoffman, one of BYU’s taller wide receivers at 6 feet 4 inches, was recently redshirted. This means that while he practices with the squad and is on the scout team, he will likely not play this season.

But the good news is he will  still have four years of college football eligibility remaining.

The hardest part of being a redshirt, he said, is not being on the field on game day helping his team. Since he has played football, Hoffman has always been on the field and has been a major contributor.

Being on the scout team consists of watching film of the opponent for that week and running the opposition’s offense against the Cougars’ starting defense.

When asked if it was a challenge to go up against the starting defense, Hoffman replied: “Yeah. But I’m tough on them, too. I want to make them better as a team.”

While disappointed at first  with being redshirted, Hoffman said he now realizes that this is a great opportunity to improve as a player and make an even greater impact next season with a year under his belt in the Cougars’ system.

“I’m seeing myself developing along with the other redshirts,” Hoffman said. “It will be worth it.”

 Hoffman said his coaches have worked with him on his route running, which was a bit raw and needed to be polished when he arrived.

He said that he has been hard at work in the weight room and has been “really working the legs, running hard.”

For next season, Hoffman said his goal is to see “some reps” during games and hopefully contribute in the Cougars’ explosive offensive attack. His coaches have told him they believe that if he continues to work hard he can be a contributor in 2010.

Fellow players have helped him get used to college life. He said that they have gone out of their way to help him as a football player but also as a student and socially.

“They treat me like a younger brother,” he said.

Hoffman said he is already good friends with fellow wide receiver O’Neil Chambers, a sophomore, and senior linebacker Terrance Hooks. The Cougars have a program where older players mentor younger ones, with Hooks serving as Hoffman’s “big brother.”

“Terrance makes sure I go to class, and I hang out at his house on weekends,” Hoffman said.

Another major adjustment Hoffman has faced is something the majority of first-year college students need to get used to: being away from home for the first time.

He said that coming from a small town like Crescent City, it is quite different living in  a much larger community like Provo. The Provo-Orem metropolitan area has an estimated population of 540,000.