after reading this article http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/sports/columns/story/2017/apr/27/wiedmer-we-could-all-learn-something-byus-sit/425025/ , as usual I was very impressed with Kalani's ability to communicate his point and to draw people in. He has been doing that since his playing days. Some on CB are mocking the rest of us for not attacking Kalani when he said something similar to what Bronco said about being home for dinner and football not being #1

Well there is a reason, multiple reasons.

1) Kalani is still in his honeymoon phase.

2) Kalani is a BYU guy, he has never said a negative thing about BYU, Bronco talked about disliking BYU for not giving him a chance.

3) Kalani is bringing a family atmosphere back to BYU. remember this http://lawlessrepublic.com/2014/10/24/open-letter-coach-mendenhall-one-former-player-opinion/ and Stevenson wasn't alone in those feelings, it was very common.

4) Kalani sincerely loves the fans. Bronco told us we were stupid to criticize and comment, Kalani says, hey I did it too it's appreciated because it means you care deeply. http://www.mwcconnection.com/2009/10/5/1072046/byu-head-coach-bronco-mendenhall

5) Kalani is a LaVell guy (period)

6) Kalani immediately brought back Detmer, that was a huge feather in Kalani's cap

7) Kalani doesn't act like a bishop. Bronco was exactly what BYU needed after the Crowton mess, no doubt about it. He said many times that he felt like a bishop. Kalani has stated that he isn't a bishop but a coach and mentor. Bronco continued to push scripture as motivation and after his initial few years it began to wear thin with players and fans. players mentioned how hard it was to mentally prepare for a football game while preparing your fireside talk for the night before the game. Jamaal mentioned that the Bishop thing rubbed him the wrong way and it was refreshing to have a football coach he could relate to and talk football with when the new staff came in. http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865661504/BYU-players-happy-about-decision-to-eliminate-pre-game-firesides.html

8) Kalani has a "cool factor". like it or not, part of the HC's job is to make your school seem cool and like a place that kids want to be. Kalani has that in spades. Bronco doesn't. I don't know why but it just is.

9) Bronco constantly talked about walk-ons and effort. he was a walk-on I get it and they are some great stories aka Criddle etc. Kalani talks about getting the best talent and combining that with effort. We don't have enough data to see where recruiting classes rank but we have 5x the offers out to 4-5 star kids and at least we're in the game, and kids we are taking chances on are 3 star kids. this is a wait to see the results area though, but Kalani loves recruiting, Bronco said constantly that recruits should recruit us. that rubs fans the wrong way.

10) Kalani openly wants to get kids in the NFL, we love that as fans. we want to see the successes. we love to see Young and Matich on ESPN because they were great in the NFL. we love to root for our cougars in the NFL and under Bronco we have seen the absolute low end of players in the NFL from BYU since before LaVell. teams like USU surpassed us during Bronco's tenure. Bronco used to hold meeting to tell the team how bad the NFL was, the bankruptcy, the divorce etc. he didn't take into account that those things rarely happen to BYU players in the NFL since they are usually better prepared socially. Kalani is implementing mock Pro-days, talking about getting guys in the NFL so more high end recruits want to come to BYU for the NFL pipeline (this is where I believe the recruiting jump will take place, once we can get a solid group of guys in the NFL, just like what happened at Utah, or even at Boise a decade ago)


Time will tell if Kalani and company will be successful long term but for now they have done everything right and said all the right things and have brought back a glimpse into the campus life that LaVell established, and we as fans love it for the most part. Does it mean Bronco wasn't the right man for the job at the time? no, he was. But Bronco did all he could while here and left the program better than he found it, he just struggled so badly with the social aspects of the job and creating a welcoming environment for fans, alumni, press etc. most of his players liked him, but they got to see a different side of him. Kalani shows his openness and his acceptance to all fans, alumni, press, even the utes. and so when he says things like family is first and he likes to have his coaches home for dinner he gets the benefit of the doubt because of all the other things.

PS I supported Bronco while he was here and wish him well in Virginia, but that doesn't mean I can't be very excited for Kalani, Detmer and Company. My excitement for the future in no way diminishes my respect for what Bronco did for BYU