Jimmer has gone pro, and all-time steals leader Jackson Emery has gone green, trading in the basketball court for compost at a company called EcoScraps.
Where does that leave BYU a season after the Cougars won a record 32 games, advanced to the NCAA round of 16 and finished No. 10 in the AP poll?
Gunning for another title, insists coach Dave Rose, even if the Cougars lose a sensational backcourt and jump from the Mountain West to the West Coast Conference where perennial powers Gonzaga and Saint Mary's await.
''We expect to win the league,'' Rose said matter-of-factly. ''That's why we practice, why we recruit, why we do what we do.''
His optimism comes from having replaced good players before - though never a national player of the year like Jimmer Fredette.
The Cougars won 27 games in 2007-2008 after losing Mountain West player of the year Keena Young.
They won 30 games in 2009-2010 after graduating Lee Cummard, another Mountain West player of the year.
While this year's Cougars are definitely much greener with nine freshmen, they do return three starters and seven letter winners.
Big man Brandon Davies (11.1 points, 6.2 rebounds) is back having been reinstated after an honor-code violation made him the center of controversy just as BYU had climbed to No. 3 in the polls.
Add in returning seniors Charles Abouo (7.2 points, 4.8 rebounds) and Noah Hartsock (122 career blocks) and the Cougars have a deep and experienced front court with a combined 118 starts.
''I really believe early in the season we'll rely on our front line,'' said Rose, who also has a beefed-up Chris Collinsworth back after the 6-9 forward played only nine games last season before needing microfracture surgery on his knee.
But who will take the big shot that usually went to Fredette, who bombed in 124 from beyond the arc last year and led the nation in scoring with a 28.9 average.
''I think a lot of guys right now think they're the guy,'' said Rose, 159-45 overall with five straight 25-win seasons. ''We'll find out.''
Until left-handed freshman Matt Carlino is eligible to play Dec. 17 after transferring from UCLA, Brock Zylstra or Nick Martineau likely will handle the point for BYU.
The 6-6 Zylstra was on the scout team last year, but he made a name for himself during a series of games in Greece this summer.
So did 6-8 Stephen Rogers, who led the Cougars in scoring at shooting guard in their first exhibition game, and gives BYU size and outside shooting.
''It's one of the most beautiful strokes I've seen,'' Hartsock said of Rogers' 3-point touch. ''He really stretches out the floor for us. He's a hard cover on offense. You put a shorter guy on him and get it down low and he can hit the fadeaway. You put a bigger guy on him and he can just come off screens and knock down shots.''
No one knocked them down better than Fredette, who fed a national frenzy last season and saw his name tweeted out and even conjugated into a verb.
With the NBA lockout, the No. 10 overall pick by Sacramento has been a frequent visitor at BYU practices this offseason, and sat quietly last month while the Cougars took the court in front of the home fans for the first time without him.
''They'll have to find themselves in the beginning and early in the season, but I think they're going to do that,'' Fredette said of the new-look Cougars. ''They have a lot of talent. They're big and athletic and I think they're going to do well.''
Like everyone else, he's waiting to see how it comes together.
Charles in Charge might be the catch phrase for the Cougars if Abouo continues to progress.
The 6-5 swingman is probably BYU's best defender and likely will be asked to handle an opponent's top player this season.
''Not only can he defend on the perimeter, but he's a guy who's physical enough he can guard that 6-6 slasher post-up guy,'' Rose said.
Of the freshmen, 6-5 guard Damarcus Harrison brings athleticism, confidence and fearlessness, while 6-7 forward Josh Sharp is a local product that helped Lone Peak High claim back-to-back state titles.
Then there's Davies, who wasn't allowed to suit up with teammates after admitting the honor-code violation but was on the bench supporting them all the way through the NCAA tournament.
''It was probably one of the most difficult situations for one of our players to have to go through since I've been here,'' Rose said of Davies, not expected to talk publicly about his ordeal until after the Nov. 11 opener against Utah State. ''The one thing he's never wavered on is his desire to come back and play.''
Granted, the 2011-2012 Cougars don't have the buzz of Jimmermania, the ranking or the quickness.
But there's no question the expectations are as big as the roster (seven players are 6-8 or taller).
Now if Rose can just recycle all the bits and pieces into something fertile the way Emery now does at EcoScraps, he'll have the Cougars contending again.
''I do know this is a very good league with very good coaches,'' Rose said. ''For us to come in and convince them the league is better now because we're in it, that's not my job. My job is to come in and try to beat them.''
