Boise State, Utah State, Weber State, Southern Utah, and Dixie State are now farm teams for BYU.

No more recruiting inexperienced high school kids who serve missions. It can take five years before they ever contribute on the field. In the meantime they’re clogging up a scholarship, and there is a low probability they ever contribute. Let them attend one of the other schools in the region and if they amount to something, we’ll snag them in the transfer portal as they look to play on a bigger stage and make a little more money.

For the low three star kids who want to serve a mission they should be receiving PWO spots and not taking up a scholarship. The reality is missions add risk to how a player turns out. And when BYU enters the Big12 the scholarships are guaranteed for four years and can’t be pulled without cause. Obviously, the players who come back and contribute can earn a scholarship.

This is a different approach that should start to play out. I won’t be surprised to see BYU sign fewer high school kids and be more active in the transfer portal than the average program going forward.