Young wasn’t on my radar but I’m thrilled with the hire. Having said that, there’s still a lot of questions I have.
1. Is he a good recruiter? Only time will tell. But at the college level, this is BY FAR the most important quality of a coach. Yes, he can talk about the NBA and his connections, but…
- Is he willing to work like a dog on the recruiting trail?
- Is he willing to live on social media?
- Can he QUICKLY get connected to the Utah and LDS market?
2. Closely related to #1 - can he manage NIL? This is something he’s never dealt with and will likely be overwhelming.
3. Can his coaching translate to the college game? Of course the Xs and Os are different, but so are the capabilities of players.
4. Can he manage a locker room? Again, this is WAY different than the NBA. Can he match Pope’s “best locker room in America”? (OK - that was a joke and a dig at Pope.)
5. Can he manage a staff, media, administration, and all the other responsibilities of a head coach at BYU? He’s never been a college head coach before.
6. What does BYU do after 3 years if Young is a total bust? A 7-year deal for a rookie coach is unprecedented at BYU - especially at that enormous salary. BYU can’t afford to whiff on this.