High hopes for Hoffman

Del Norte graduate is overcoming injury

BYU Del Norte High graduate Cody Hoffman during spring practice at Brigham Young University. Courtesy Jaren Wilkey/

Cody Hoffman ended last season as the team’s No.1 wide receiver as a redshirt freshman.

Hoffman, born and raised in Del Norte County, has progressed from being a lightly recruited player with only a single Division 1 offer out of high school to being a key cog in a likely offensive juggernaut for a major college gridiron program.

In a telephone interview with The Daily Triplicate on Thursday, Hoffman said spring practice, which recently concluded, “was going good up until I got hurt.”

He missed the final week of practice and the spring game due to cracked ribes.

Hoffman said the injury occurred when he and a cornerback got tangled up. His ribs got cracked and he tore cartilage.

“It’s a lot better right now, but it was truly painful,” he said.

After redshirting his first year at BYU, Hoffman shot up the depth charts last fall.

By the time the season ended he was the No.1 receiver on a youth-filled team that came back from a 2-5 start to finish the season  7-6.

The impressive turnaround was capped off with a 52-24 shellacking  of UTEP in the New Mexico Bowl on Dec. 18. Hoffman opened a lot of eyes on national TV in that game, finishing with 137 yards on eight receptions and  three touchdowns.

He finished the year with 42 catches for 527 yards and seven touchdowns.

Cody Hoffman of BYU runs down the field during a game against Wyoming last season. Hoffman led the team in reception yards in 2010. Hoffman, who was born and raised in Del Norte County, graduated from Del Note High School in 2009. He will be a redshirt sophomore for BYU this fall. Courtesy Jaren Wilkey/BYU

“I’ve learned a lot of new stuff and new techniques to help me,” Hoffman said. “I just have been going out there and giving it my best effort.”

The offensive coaching staff has changed this year, with quarterbacks coach Brandon Doman taking over as offensive coordinator.

Former BYU wideout Ben Cahoon, who just concluded a record-setting 13-year career in the Canadian Football League, is the new wide receivers coach.

Hoffman said he has already learned a lot from Cahoon.

“It’s been good. He knows what I need to do to become a batter player,” he said.

While considered diminutive   for a wide receiver at 5 feet 9 inches, Cahoon had an innate ability to get open and use good technique to thrive against bigger and faster competition.

Hoffman, who has ideal size at 6 feet 4 inches and 210 pounds, said Cahoon has empathized that if he continues to work hard and is able to get the fundamentals  down pat, he can become even more of an offensive threat.

In a March 30 article in the Deseret News of Salt Lake City, Cahoon talked about BYU’s wide receivers.

“They’re just willing and working hard,” Cahoon said. They’re still young and learning and trying to figure out their repertoire of tricks. They’re willing to experiment and test them out. They’re liking what they’re trying, figuring out how to manipulate a defensive back. Ross Apo and Cody Hoffman are big dudes, and they can run and make plays for us. That’s exciting.”

BYU is playing as an independent for the first time and is competing against a number of high- caliber teams, starting Sept. 3 at SEC school Mississipi.

Other road games include powerhouses Texas and TCU.

Hoffman said that his team goal is to win at least 10 games and finish the season in the Top 10.

To Hoffman, BYU moving from the Mountain West Conference to becoming an independent is a good move that will give it more national exposure and the chance to play more elite teams.

He said that it’ll be nice that the Cougars will play in  a number of games on television this season so that friends and family can watch.

“I do think it will bring us more exposure and it‘s great to be on ESPN a lot,” Hoffman said. “It’s going to be a lot of fun.”

Asked what game he was most looking forward to, Hoffman quickly responded that it was the road game at Oregon State on Oct.15.

After all, the contest is only about five hours away from Crescent City.

Asked about his personal goals, Hoffman hesitated for a second and said it would be nice if he got 1,000 yards receiving, but quickly added “that would be good, but really, I just want to play and help the team win.”

Hoffman said that he has enjoyed his time at BYU and the friendships he has made with his fellow players.

Good friends on the team include tight end Richard Wilson and fellow wide receiver Apo.

Apo, who also has excellent size and speed, sat out almost the entire year in 2010 due to injury as a true freshman.

He was highly recruited out of high school by teams like Texas. The  media, including ESPN, have said that  the combination of Hoffman and Apo, along with quarterback Jake Heaps, a strong running game and a vastly improved defense, could be deadly this year for the Cougars.

“I honestly can’t wait,” Hoffman said. “We’re going to keep working on getting better.”

Hoffman said it has been an amazing ride to come from a small town and not being well known   to becoming a key contributor in a storied program like BYU.

“I didn’t know what it would be like coming up here,”  he said. 

Hoffman said that despite normally playing in front of 60,000-plus fans, he is able to shut that out and just focus on playing the game he loves.

But there are times when, playing on such a big stage, Hoffman has to take a deep breath and be in awe of the stage he’s on.

For example, he said, it was special to in-state rival Utah on the road last year.

“You stroll out and you look around and, wow, it’s just so loud. It’s a big rivalry and that was surreal,” he said.