It clearly factors into recruiting, yes. But we can compete, period: Fred Warner. Troy Warner. Chaz Ah You. Jamaal. Taysom. We were 9-4 in 2016. Bronco averaged 9 wins per year over 11 years. There are plenty of good athletes still willing to abide by the HC. If we were to capture all active LDS recruits, imagine the team we'd field. Not saying we will or that we should, just that it's not the HC. In my opinion it's coaching. We need to return to winning ways. We've had periods of success before, and I think with the right coaching we will again. We have an expectation of winning here, unlike even some P5 schools. Something brought Jim McMahon here, Steve Young, Ty Detmer (note 2 of those 3 were non-LDS at the time), their O-lines and some beastly RBs and defensive players back when it was just as clear we weren't the top program in the country and we had an HC.

Boise State has no HC but has other disadvantages: it's a less-attractive school in a less-attractive location. Yet they pulled themselves up like BYU did in the 80s. Coaching is huge, coaching leads to success, and that success attracts future good players. Sure they're G5 and would have a challenge competing for the NC. But point is it's not the HC, and that we can whine but we have advantages other schools don't, too. We forget even P5s have limitations, geography being one, but more importantly bottom-dwelling P5 programs won't attract the best players, either. To me, it's really about money and coaching.