I have not posted this previously, for many reasons, but for whatever reason I feel like posting it today.

I feel like I have at least somewhat of an inside look at recruiting because I have had multiple family members involved in the recruiting process in the state of Utah recently. Here are my perspectives regarding the old regime and the new:

*** I was a HUGE fan of Bronco for the first several years he was here, and there is still a lot about the man that I admire. He's a very good man, with noble intentions. And the man is a very good coach. I believe he saved a program that was at a crossroads. And while he was never able to get BYU over the hump, he was a VERY respectable coach who did some great things for BYU. I'll always cheer for his success and wish him nothing but the best.


*** Bronco had two major liabilities when it came to recruiting, IMO: 1) He was a natural introvert; 2) He could not relate to "millennials". He despised entitlement and the showtime athlete, and his methods of countering this attitude often rubbed people the wrong way. For example, a scene I saw first-hand: At the Poly camp several years ago (Maybe 2012?), there was an in-state kid that everybody in the West was recruiting. I watched as coaches from Utah, Stanford, Washington, and USC hovered around like vultures, each vying for a position on the sidelines to be seen by this kid...except for Bronco who watched from a golf cart 100 yards away. After drills, each coach took an opportunity to shower the kid with attaboys and fist-bumps...except again for Bronco who never left his cart. It's not that Bronco was lazy...it's just (I think) he despised the process. He wanted the kid at BYU, but not if he had to grovel and whore himself to get a primadonna. (Eventually this kid signed out of state with a premiere school.)


*** Under Bronco, recruiting in the state of Utah was declining rapidly and IMO on the verge of tanking. I think most fans would be surprised to know how friendly most of the top Utah HS athletes are to each other. It's NOTHING like it was when I was in high school; these kids are networked! Many of them form bonds throughout their high school athletic careers (at summer AAU tournaments, spring track meets, summer baseball camps, 7-on-7 passing leagues, etc.). They follow each others' athletic prowess and recruiting, and they stay closely connected via twitter and instagram, etc. There is tremendous power in "group think" and I can tell you that Bronco's reputation and image among the Utah H.S. athletes (and many coaches) was not good. Though I think it was somewhat unfair, his reputation among many athletes, coaches, and parents was one of aloofness and arrogance. BYU still managed to get many of the dyed-in-the-wool LDS Utah kids, but more and more of those kids were growing disaffected and heading to Utah or out of state as Bronco's reputation declined.


*** Much of this was due to the fact that Utah coaches were working circles around BYU coaches on the recruiting trail. I have a family member who was in high school a few years ago and was being recruited by several western schools. As a junior in HS, he received in-school visits from several regional schools, including Coach Wells and his staff at USU and several visits from the Utah staff...and nothing more than a mailed form letter from Coach Mendenhall. Going into his senior year, he attended summer camps at all 3 schools, and coaches at Utah and USU went out of their way to visit with him and tell him they were not quite ready to offer a scholly but they were looking to see his production on the field his senior year. BYU coaches were nowhere to be seen. I can't tell you how bothered I was to receive a text message from this kid (life-long BYU die-hard) with his arm around Morgan Scalley, wearing Utah garb from head to toe, and flashing the U...with the text, "Utah Man Am I!!". In the end, none of the Utah schools offered him a scholarship, but he had previously completely scratched BYU off his list of desired schools. (He accepted a scholarship offer from an out-of-state school)

I know the critic would say, "yeah, but he obviously wasn't good enough for a scholarship, so no big loss!". But 1) I think under Mendenhall a lot of kids were writing off BYU early in the process because BYU was acting totally disinterested (while Utah was showing all sorts of love); and 2) Like I said earlier, these kids talk; this kid knew and talked frequently with James Empey, Britain Covey, Porter Gustin, Gabe Reid, Frank Jackson (and many others)...and they all shared their experiences and impressions. (FYI - I consequently happen to know a lot of details about these kids' decision to pass on BYU. Some interesting stuff....)


*** Things are changing on the recruiting front! Utah will always be a legitimate rival on the recruiting trail, as they can wave the Pac12 flag in front of recruits. But Kalani is closing the gap for several reasons:

1. He's respected (and liked) by HS coaches all along the Wasatch Front (even in UU's back yard). There was a disdain for Bronco that simply isn't there for Kalani.
2. His personality is more suited for recruiting success than Bronco's. He's fun, personable, chill, and most importantly genuine. A current and prominent member of the AD told me point-blank last week, "We are now landing better athletes than Bronco could have ever reached."
3. Of course it helps that he is loved by the Poly community and is "one of their own". As I said yesterday, I've attended the summer camps for many years, but I've never seen such an enormous turnout of HS Poly players than I did yesterday. There were Poly kids there from all over the place - including a large group all the way from Kahuku! It was awesome.
4. Recruiting is THE priority. Kalani's staff has already been on campus to visit another family member (less accomplished than my previously mentioned relative, and I would say less college-ready at this point), which suggests to me that the days of "the kid recruiting BYU" are over. Kalani will be aggressive!


***I am certain that BYU will remain a legitimate program under Kalani - based solely on the fact that we are building a SOLID foundation in the trenches. But the program was "legitimate" under Bronco...so whether he can surpass what Bronco did on the field and get over the hump is yet to be determined. I hope he can recruit the skill players we need to become elite...still TBD in my book.

We'll see....