Who's that dude?

A lot of focus is put on BYU's recruiting in the off season, seeing which holes need to be filled by incoming freshman and Junior College transfers. In writing a recent post, a noticed a large amount of players listed that have walked on. The list is by no means final and some will likely not make the team. Who knows, the next Ben Criddle or Nate Meikle may be in this group.

Here are the names and the information I was able to dig up:

Cortney Barton (5'9, 200 WR/KR/PR): We have heard of this guy before. He is the big-haired speedster that will likely be returning punts and kick-offs this year. You can check out his highlights here. He has good size for a returner and great speed.

Matt Marshall (5'11, 185 WR): Appears to be the QB from Skyline in 2005. He was All-state QB and appears to have made the switch to wide receiver.

Griffin Miller (6'2 185 WR): Stand-out basketball player at Timpview. He has only played football since 2005. I was unable to find any 2006 stats on him.

Blake Morgan (6'0 185 DB): Great player out of Colorado's Greeley West HS. Morgan rushed for 1623 yards, had 540 receiving yards, and scored 27 touchdowns on offense and picked off 6 passes on defense. He was All-State on defense.

Chris Muehlmann (6'0 200 DS): According to my research, he played safety at Snow. He is listed as a deep-snapper on BYU's site, not sure if that is correct.

Matt Shirley (6'5 200 TE): Shirley played WR and linebacker during his prep days in Flagstaff, AZ. He caught 29 passes for 435 yards and 7 TDs and had 64 tackles (and 2 sacks) on defense.

Brian Smith (K): Too many Brian Smith's playing football, can't find any info. Another kicker is always good in a shaky kicking situation. CJ Santiago, a JC walk-on, is a good punter, but his place kicking skills are unknown at this point.

I know there are several others (Wolfey, Fendry, etc.) but they are not on the list.

My 3 Cents: If you have any information on these guys or any other walk-on not listed, please send me an email or leave a comment here. I can be reached at morethantwocents@gmail.com

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Another QB leaves

I was actually preparing a different post and saw a news release by BYU:

Cade Cooper is transferring

I don't think anyone saw this coming. Cooper has to sit out a year due to injury anyways (which would have been required regardless of injury if he transfers to a D1 School.)

Cooper lost the starting job to Max Hall in spring and suffered a season ending injury. Brenden Gaskins will likely be Hall's back up this season unless Jason Munns is able to overcome him.

My 3 Cents: I'm literally in shock. Cooper is a local guy and a BYU fan, but he wants to see the field. Next year all three quarterbacks would have been Juniors and Cooper would have had a long way to go to ever start a game. It is sad, I think everyone was excited he was here. I can't help wonder if he realized he was too far behind the curve or didn't feel he got a fair shake like Bower.

Best of luck to Cade wherever he ends up!

Safety valve

The term pipeline in NCAA recruiting refers to a school/part of the country that a college seems to mine for prospects and does so successfully. Due to NCAA restrictions, college coaches are unable to contact prospects at will through most of the year and must rely on the high school coach to pass along information and find out how the student athlete is doing. The trust between the two can make or break the deal for many players.

BYU has been effectively recruiting from Timpview High school in Provo and Kahuku in Hawaii.

2007: 3 Timpview and 1 Kahuku.
2008: 2 Timpview and 1 Kahuku.
2009: 1 Timpview and 1 Kahuku.

From 2007-2009, BYU will get a safety every year from Kahuku, the powerhouse of Hawaii.

The latest additions, one in 2008 and one in 2009, both come from one of these schools.

Craig Bills (6'2 202) recently committed for the class of 2009. This now brings the tally up to 3, the same number as the second best MWC team has for 2008. Bills, who plays for Timpview, is the only sophomore in the state of Utah to be All-State, with 84 tackles, 6 interceptions and 10 pass deflections. This kid is special and comes from a great BYU football family, his older brother KC played for BYU, Kelly is on the roster at DB, and Kevin just committed to BYU a couple weeks ago at DE. He wants to continue playing safety, but if he bulks up too much more he may have to move to OLB.

The other new recruit is one I have been watching for several months. Shiloah Te'o (5'11, 190, 4.5) is a great prospect out of Kahuku and one tough safety. He and Sorensen are both dominating safeties and will have the opportunity to fight for time as freshman as the top 4 safeties graduate after this season. Shiloah, an amazing get on his own, will also help BYU in recruiting one of the best players out of Hawaii..ever. Manti Te'o, his cousin, already holds offers from USC, ND, UCLA, etc.

Watch Shiloah knock kids silly here.*

My 3 Cents: BYU is loading up at Safety, and some people are wondering if BYU is headed back towards a 3-3-5. I highly doubt it, I think BYU is just working to fill in gaps that are being created, not changing the alignment.

*The highlight video is non-YouTube for the poor BYU students who are blocked from it.

On the Road with Cruiser: The Big Guys

On September 1^st, when BYU takes it first snap of 2007, most people will be watching the skill players, especially the one with the ball. But it’s the big guys up front who will make each play possible. Of all the positions on the field, the offensive line is probably the most important to having constant, consistent success.

Our offensive line this year is impressive, and the starting five will look something like this:

Left Tackle: Travis Bright, Junior. 6-5, 320

Left Guard: Ray Feinga, Junior. 6-5, 322

Center: Sete Aulai, Senior. 6-1, 300

Right Guard: Dallas Reynolds, Junior. 6-5, 330

Right Tackle: David Oswald, Junior. 6-8, 325

Average: 6-5, 319

Their backups include four redshirt freshmen who are already pushing for starting jobs and will likely see significant playing time. But regardless of who starts, they will probably constitute the largest offensive line in college football—and one of the strongest.

At this year’s BYU Strongman Competition, all three winners came from the offensive line. Travis Bright took first, followed by Jason Speredon, who will be alternating with Oswald at right tackle, and Sete Aulai. To win the competition, Travis Bright did things like lift a car off the ground 14 times, flip an 850-pound tire five times (reported to be 1,000 lbs but actually 850), hold a 600-pound steel weight while walking, and push a large pickup truck farther than anyone else. (They were originally supposed to pull the truck, but the harness snapped under the stress.) The feats of strength were staggering, even impressing Van Hatfield, who was in attendance and is considered one of the strongest men in the world. (You can see him occasionally on TV’s "The World’s Strongest Man.")

Coach Omer has been working the linemen especially hard this winter and spring, making them not only stronger, but faster. Several of them reportedly knocked at least a tenth of a second off their best forty times this spring, and they will only get faster as the summer progresses.

Nearly all of these linemen are being looked at by NFL scouts, and though nothing is guaranteed, most will be offered workouts by NFL teams after their senior years. But, of course, only one is a senior this year, Sete Aulai, and thus nearly the entire offensive line will be returning in 2008. Look for great things to happen then.

But these men are not just big and strong; they are also some of the most intelligent players on the team. And since BYU now has the highest cumulative GPA of any football team in America, our linemen are now officially the smartest of the smartest.

Opposing teams will not be able to out-muscle us, out-run us, or out-think us. And they certainly won’t be able to out-hustle us. Our big guys are strong, fast, and smart—a deadly combination. Look for them to be the best part of the best team in the conference this fall.

My 3 Cents: I don't meant to toot my own horn but *toot toot.* I said Monday that I was expecting 2 commits and I was right. BYU received oral commitments from Craig Bills (S) for 2009 and Shiloah Te'o (S) for 2008. I will write more about them tomorrow, but I am really excited about Te'o in particular, though I understand that Craig Bills is supposed to be something special. That being said, I still wouldn't be surprised to get 1 more commit this week, but it might be a stretch.

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Football 101: Defense

Recently a poster on a BYU message board asked for some pointers on football and better understanding the game. I will from time to time post some basic explanations of the positions/game and feel free to ask, better to learn here than from the 16-year old girl behind you at the game.

Scheme:

BYU runs a 3-4 defense. In football, you typically do not say how many defensive backs are on the field. A 3-4 denotes that there are 3 down linemen and 4 linebackers, which leaves 4 defensive backs. Also common in college is the 4-3 (Utah), the 4-2 (TCU) and BYU's old 3-3-5 (run by New Mexico still.)

The 3-4 is most effective against the run, as the down-linemen (start plays with a hand on the ground) jam the line and allow the quicker linebackers to shoot the gaps. Each play usually has the 3 lineman and a single linebacker rush. On passing plays the other 3 linebackers will either play man or zone defense (with the exception of a blitz.)

Secondary:

A strong safety is usually the bigger of the two safeties. This player is generally the "enforcer" of the team, responsible for helping with the run and covering the TE deep. His job is to knock the guy silly essentially. He lines up a little closer to the line than the free safety. At BYU this position is also called the KAT and is manned by Dustin Gabriel.

The free safety, manned by Quinn Gooch, lines up a little further back and roams a bit more and is responsible for helping out the corners in the passing game mostly. They aren't required to be as good of hitters, but don't tell Gooch that. He led the secondary with 66 tackles last season.

The field corner, the only defensive position really up in the air at this point, covers more terrain and has to be able to shut down that side of the field. This position will likely be filled by Kayle Buchanan, who is a nasty hitter when healthy, or Brandon Bradley, a post-mission transfer from Louisville.

The boundary corner, Ben Criddle, is responsible for the other side of the field. Criddle was responsible for 47 solo tackles, second only to Cameron Jensen.

Linebackers:

In BYU's 3-4 defense, there are 2 middle linebackers and two outside linebackers. This is further broken down into SLB (Sam LB), WLB (Will LB) and MLB (Middle.)
The Sam linebacker, or strongside, in a general sense, covers the side of the field with the tight end, while the Will linebacker, or weakside, covers the side without the tight end, in normal formations.

The strongside is typically a bit bigger and stronger. This position belongs to Bryan Kehl at BYU who is quick and strong. He covers the TE for the first couple yards before the strong safety takes him over. He needs to be able to shed blocks from the fullback or tight end and get to the running back. A good SLB is hard to find because they need to be about as big as a middle linebacker but fast as an outside linebacker.

The weakside has more room to fly around and David Nixon does just that. They tend to have more room to maneuver so speed and agility are very important. Like the free safety, the Will Linebacker has room to roam and is responsible for the run and assisting in tackles.

The middle linebackers, or interior linebackers, are the meat of the linebackers. BYU's two starting MLB are not as big as Wagner/Jensen last year, but are quicker. Last year the starter combined for 182 tackles, so look for Markell Staffieri and Kelly Poppinga to make some serious noise this year.

Defensive Line:

BYU uses only 3 players up front. These include the Left Defensive End (LE), Right Defensive End (RE) and Nose Tackle (NT.) Simplistically, these guys are trying to get to the quarterback on a pass play or stop the run. The ends are a bit quicker and will try to get around the tackles or open up gaps for the linebackers to shoot through. BYU's starting line is Jan Jorgensen, Russell Tialavea and Ian Dulan, all sophomores.

My 3 Cents: In preparing this, I noticed that BYU has updated the roster with the 2007 recruits and some walk-ons I have never heard of. Check it out here.

Second Half of Recruits

Many are wondering exactly how many more offers BYU has on the table and how many at each positions they are hoping to get for the 2008 class. The thing to keep in mind is that this is BYU: People are returning from missions, people are leaving on missions, etc. It is a logistics nightmare and I think only a select handful know exactly how many scholarships are REALLY available and how many at each position are needed.

According to Scout, the following 14 players have offers*:

RB (1)- Sausan Shakerin
DE (1)- Simi Kuli
QB (1)- Kevin Prince
OG (2)- Max Tuioti-Mariner and Hamani Stevens
DT (2)- Sealver Siliaga and David Kruger (Tufuga listed on scouts has committed to Texas A&M)
S (1)- Shiloh Te'o (or Shilo, or Shiloah)
FB (1)-Ina Liaina
WR (3)- William Jenkins, Jake Murphy, O'Neill Chambers
CB (2)- Kedron Paul and Rashad Evans

And 2009*:

LB (1)- Manti Te'o
OT/DL (1)- Xavier Suafilo

In my mind, BYU has a good chance at:
Kevin Prince, Sealver Siliaga, David Kruger, Shiloh Te'o, and Jake Murphy

In the running for:
William Jenkins, O'Neill Chambers, Kedron Paul

Chance, but not a good one:
Sausan Shakerin (BYU already has two great RB recruits, Shakerin is just too good to not offer.)
Max Tuioti-Mariner and Hamani Stevens (both will likely go to Pac-10 schools)
Ina Liaina (not a huge BYU fan, would be a big stretch to get him.)
Rashad Evans (only cause I don't know a thing about him.)
Simi Kuli (Just upgraded to a 5 star, Rivals says he has narrowed down schools and BYU is not one of them.)


I think if any of those in the bottom two groups goes elsewhere, BYU has holes to fill at OG, LB, WR and possibly CB.

*Remember other players may exist that have actual offers. These offers are all self-reported and if the player is not in contact with the recruiting services the public will not know until February (coaches are not allowed to talk about recruits.)

My 3 Cents: BYU will likely pick up 2 or more commitments this week. They are holding another camp and Chambers and Paul are in town (they will come as a package deal, both or nothing.) Their coach is helping out with the camps and landing these kids would be a big win for BYU over a lot of SEC schools.

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Sneak peak at some 2007 recruits

If you want to see some of the fresh faces that will be in Provo in about a month, several of them will be playing tonight at Judge Memorial High School.

Click here for a map.

BYU players playing in 5A vs 4A game at 7:30pm:

5A:
Scott Ebert
Jordan Pendelton
Star Lotulelei

4A:
Famika Anae
Braden Brown

Should be a great chance to see some future Wide Receivers at work and some defensive/offensive linemen. Star Lotulelei likely will not be playing at the Y, but did commit back in February. He will have to go to a JC due to academics.

Tickets are $5 for adults, $3 for children and $12 for a family up to 6 people.

Halfway there...

BYU seems to get commitments in bunches and this week they are coming in droves. BYU has now received 3 commitments for the 2008 season (and one for 2009) in the last week. In other words, this week alone would qualify BYU as tied for first with Utah for most commits. BYU likely has close to 25 scholarships to offer, so they are more than halfway to fulfilling their needs.

Yesterday I talked about two anomalies that were not attending camp and still committed. The two newest recruits, 15 and 16, followed norms a bit better and were both evaluated at the padded camp BYU is running. I drove by the camp yesterday and had to remind myself I had to get to work, watching recruits play football all day is still not a source of income.

BYU received an oral commitment from Brock Stringham of Highlands Ranch, Colorado. Stringham (6'6, 280) is the third offensive tackle of this class. BYU seems to be leaning towards taller and quicker offensive linemen. The three commits of the 2008 class range between 6'5 and 6'8 and with the exception of Taufi, are lighter than the BYU lineman of the past. Taufi appears to be a freak of nature and still quick despite weighing close to 340 lbs. Stringham also had offers from Colorado State and UNLV.

BYU has added another running back in the mold of Manase Tonga/Fui Vakapuna. It probably doesn't hurt that the Tonga brothers are his cousins. Seta Pohahau has also committed to BYU, the second running back of this class. Pohahau (6'0, 200) and Bruner seem to have the size and speed BYU is looking for, a rare combination. Pohahau runs at 4.43 and Bruner (6'3, 225) is rumored to run a 4.4.

Check out Pohahau in action.

Pohahau ran for 1,519 yards and 23 touchdowns last year for Aragon High School in California.

My 3 Cents: What I like best about Pohahau is that he is another back with the ability to everything. He catches well out of the backfield, bit enough to pick up the blitz, and runs well. He seems to run more along the lines of Manase (a little less crazy than Vakapuna in other words.) He is fast and knows how to cut upfield. Watching his video, you'll see he is running to the edge, makes a cut, and explodes up the field before anyone can touch him. Hopefully he can pick up some tips from his cousin Manase and become a great back at BYU.

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Its Secondary, Watson

It is quite common for an athlete to catch a coach's eye during a camp, where they can be evaluated, tested, prodded and pruned. BYU is currently running a padded camp and are taking advantage of being able to run the guys through drills and see them in live hitting situations. However, Garrett Nicholson was at Utah's camp the day before he committed to BYU.

That's right, BYU has garnered another commitment, bringing the total to 14 for 2008. Nicholson (5'10, 180) plays at West High School in Salt Lake City. He is a blazing fast cornerback, timed at 4.45. This is the third commit in the secondary for 2008 (Comer and Sorensen being the other two.) Nicholson has good size and excellent speed and should make an immediate contribution in the secondary. He is not a member of the LDS church and will likely play 4 straight years. His sophomore year he returned 3 kickoffs for touchdowns and might get a chance at returning early on.

On the other hand, sometimes the coaches are impressed by a kid below the national radar. Recent commits Jerry Bruner and Atem Bol come to mind (or Ian Dulan last year.) BYU also received commit #2 for 2009: Jray Galea’i of Timpview/Kahuku. Galea'i (6'0, 165) played a bit of safety as a sophomore for the State Champion Thunderbirds last year and is transferring to Hawaiian powerhouse Kahuku next year where he will be playing starting quarterback. Galea'i comes from good pedigree: His father and two uncles played at BYU. Galea'i also plays basketball, track (long jump) and attended the U.S. Army National Combine earlier this year.

Galea'i will likely play in the secondary at BYU and his experience at QB will only make him smarter and a better decision maker.

My 3 Cents: I am still waiting for word that Shiloh Te'o has committed to BYU, I thought he was a lock for this week. I still expect him to commit, but I guess not yet.

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On the Road with Cruiser: Bronco and the Prospective Warrior

When Bronco Mendenhall sits down in his office with a new recruit, he knows exactly what he is going to say and how he is going to say it. Other coaches may do a song and dance; others may boast, others may make wonderful promises, but it is fair to say that none will say what Coach Mendenhall says.

After welcoming the recruit, he shares the mission statement of the school and the team, often by quoting from President Hinckley. After this, he bears witness that President Gordon B. Hinckley is a prophet of God and that he intends to sustain the prophet’s wishes to the best of his ability. Then he opens a Book of Mormon and reads from it, usually from Helaman’s story of the 2,000 stripling warriors, those young men who were exact in obedience and never beaten in battle.

He tells the young man that he feels a duty to prepare his athletes to become modern stripling warriors, both on and off the field. When he is through, recruits have been known to bear their own testimonies, or shed tears, or even say they want to join the program so they can become warriors like those guys in the book. His words are simple, eloquent, and powerful. Many recruits are ready to commit right then, but Coach Mendenhall wants to make sure they are right for the program.

He tells them there are four basic things they will have to do if they join this program. If they aren’t willing to do so, then they aren’t ready to play football at BYU:

1. Athletes are expected to be role models for both Brigham Young University and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This means they are expected to obey the basic commandments of the Church whether they are members or not and to know and live the school’s Honor Code.

2. They are expected to maintain a 3.0 grade point average. The NCAA requires all athletes to maintain a cumulative 2.0, but this isn’t high enough for Coach Mendenhall. According to the football office, BYU is now ranked #1 in the nation for team GPA, at 2.98. Rather than please Coach Mendenhall, this news irks him, because the team has fallen short of their goal. A few players have dragged the others down—something he intends to remedy soon. Walk-on players are told that if they fall below a cumulative 3.0, or have a single semester below 2.0, they will be released. All 22 of BYU’s seniors from last season will have graduated by next January. New recruits are expected to graduate by the time their eligibility is up.

3. They are expected to give numerous hours of community service, both during the season and off-season. In a program called the "Ultimate Warrior," goals for service are tracked by the coaches. Each player is held accountable and there is no evading their responsibilities to organize new service projects and complete them. Last year BYU players rendered over 1,000 hours of community service, visiting children in hospitals, helping the homeless, serving the elderly, etc. The coaches expect this number to increase this year.

4. The players are expected to play and practice with an absolute commitment to win. Last year was a good start, as the team went 11 - 2 and won the Las Vegas Bowl, but Coach Mendenhall wants his players to build upon not only last year’s team, but upon all the great teams of the past to create a self-sustaining culture of winning. If the sons of Helaman hadn’t won their battles, nobody would be talking about them today. Victory is important. It is crucial. It is how teams are judged, and, to a large extent, it is how the players will judge their own collegiate careers when they are done playing.

Coach Mendenhall tells them he is firm in these demands. There are no exceptions, no matter how good they are. You play for the team or you find another team. You succeed or drop over trying. In return, he promises them the very best he can give them, the best coaches, the best facilities, the best school for students with their values. He promises the LDS recruits not only the freedom to serve missions for the Lord, but the expectation that they will do so. He promises them all the opportunity to become the very best young men they can become, and to do so along with 100 other like-minded young men.

When he is through, most recruits are electrified. They are charged with commitment and desire to serve this man, to please him, to show him that they are equal to his demands. They can see that he is a man of his word, a man who will not back down, who doesn’t care what others say. He stares at them, letting his words hang in the air, and then, if he sees the correct response in them, that light in their eyes, he will open his drawer and pass an envelope to them, making them the offer of a lifetime. And as often as not, their commitment comes right then.

And from that moment on, their lives are changed as they become a part of the BYU football phenomenon, part of a latter-day army of stripling warriors, one of the newest sons of Bronco Mendenhall.

Can BYU get top WR recruits?

I have seen the idea tossed around that a spread offense can deter top wide receivers from committing to a school. I have also heard it mentioned that BYU's flavor of the spread, using the TE's and RB's as receiving options, goes even further to deter them. Is this line of thinking based on reality or perception?

I'd say a little of both. The spread option makes the defense defend the field more horizontally than vertically. With four receiver sets, lined up from boundary to boundary, the defense must stretch to cover everyone. This creates wide gaps that can be taken advantage of with good route running, crisp passing and a good run game. However, it doesn't take a 6'5, 4.4 wide receiver to make a catch in this type of space. This offense is built around the team effort more than an individual's athleticism.

So can a top wide receiver make a difference? Unequivocally yes. Last year a true freshman, McKay Jacobson, was the 3rd leading receiver in touches and 2nd in yards.

Now to the details. Last year BYU threw 311 completions for 4206 yards and 33 touchdowns. Of those:

Receptions:
132 by wide receivers (42.4%)
99 by running backs (31.8%)
80 by tight ends (25.7%)

This demonstrates how really "spread" this offense really is under Anae. More impressively, 5 wide receivers had over 21 receptions, 2 running backs and both tight ends. On any given play there are 5 targets for the QB.

Yards:
2123 yards by wide receivers (50.5%)
1174 yards by tight ends (27.9%)
909 yards by running backs (21.6%)

Wide receivers accounted for more yards than the other two groups combined. To the running backs defense, the pass game to the running backs is usually more like a run than a true pass.

Touchdowns:
14 TDs by tight ends (42.4%)
11 TDs by wide receivers (33.3%)
8 TDs by running backs (24.2%)

This category is heavily skewed by Harline's 12 touchdown grabs. Remember, these numbers are only through the air. The 8 touchdowns by running backs are typically short flats to the running back that are essentially an overhand toss sweep.

My 3 Cents: Long story short, there is a place for big time receivers to make great numbers and score touchdowns. I believe wide receivers will see they can make an impact and there is hard data, and some great highlight reels, to prove it. Harline throws a wrench in the numbers, because he isn't a true TE. He often lined up split out as a H-back receiver. Most of his numbers should be listed in the receiver bracket. It doesn't take away that he was dominant, but it wasn't accomplished as a TE in the traditional sense. I think this year we might see the receivers get about 55-60% of the receptions, 60% of the yards and 45-50% of the TDs as this group of wide receivers is quite talented (Allen, Collie, Reed) and there are some great WR's arriving in the fall. Someone will have to take Harline's % of catches and I'd expect it to be a wide receiver.

My prediction: BYU will have a 1,000 yard receiver this year. With the quality of athlete's BYU is attracting, I hope we get a couple more great WRs to continue the winning tradition.

Names of recruits to watch for:
O'Neill Chambers (6'2.5. 205 lbs, 4.65 - Harmony, Florida)
Kendrick Moeai (6'4, 195 lbs, - Copper Hills, Utah)
William Jenkins (6'0, 177 lbs, 4.5 - Ranco Verde, California)
Jake Murphy (6'5, 215 lbs, 4.7 - American Fork, Utah)

Cougars in the News

Great article about Dennis Pitta

I think Pitta has the potential to make an impact this year as the #2 TE. So'oto might be just too good all around for Pitta to pass him up. That being said, Pitta is pretty fast (same range as Collie and Reed) and will open up the middle of the field. I hope we see lots of 2 TE sets this fall.

John Beck's wife is tough as nails

The Strongman challenge took place over the weekend to a reportedly low fan attendance. My question is: Who knew about it and how? Word is that the athletes were dissapointed with the turnout. I spend a lot of time every day looking up BYU football sites and never saw any thing about this. To the players: I apologize on behalf of rabid fans everywhere, we didn't know. To the administrators: If this is open to the public, let the public know! I would have been there in a heart beat. Congratulations to Travis Bright for winning!

My 3 Cents: This post is turning out to be a hodge-podge of thoughts, but look for a commit from a great safety to occur within the next day or two. If it comes through, this could be a big coup over the BCS heavyweights for some serious LDS talent.

On the Road with Cruiser: He's Baaaack!

The first time I saw him was at his first practice after his mission. I had no idea who he was, but as he walked by me, I was struck by his tremendous physique and raw power. Now, I’m not easily impressed by guys who sculpt their bodies in the gym but can’t contribute on the field, but something about this guy told me he was the real deal. I’ve played some ball at the Y myself and have been around the sport for years, and when my radar goes off, I listen. In this case, I also stared, which made me feel pretty foolish when he smiled at me and said hello.

Who was this guy?

I turned to a player I knew and was about to ask, when the player read my mind and said, "That’s Fui." As far as he was concerned, that said it all. When I asked if the guy was a defensive lineman, the player laughed and said, "He’s a running back. This is his first day back from his mission."

To understand the impact of this statement, you have to understand what I was looking at. First, his shirt was off. He had just walked into the indoor practice facility after completing a two-hour weight training session and was about to do ab work and agility drills for the next hour and a half. (Just so you know, "ab work" in this case was several hundred crunches and sit-ups, all with legs elevated, or, in some cases perpendicular (straight up.) His trapezious muscles (those muscles that extend from the base of the skull down to the shoulders and along the upper back) rose from his shoulders like two ranges of mountains. You see this on body builders sometimes, but his traps were wider and thicker than theirs. His lats (latissimus dorsi) were almost inhuman. I mean this in a good way. They bulged out from his sides like enormous, overgrown wings, and my first thought was, They must weigh a hundred pounds each! Of course, they probably only weighed half that, but when you see muscles so impossibly large on a human being, so Schwarzeneggerian, your mind does somersaults trying to make sense of it. Yes, his biceps, triceps, and pecs were huge too, not to mention his enormous calves, but it was his back that seemed to defy the natural limitations of reality.

And this was his first day back after a two-year "lay-off"!

Other players gathered around him, evidencing that they had already heard of this R.M. phenom. He looked like he weighed perhaps 240 - 250 (though I later learned he was only 235 at the time). Power oozed from him with each stride. And when he ran, I saw why he was a running back. Only later did I learn that he had been a sprinter in high school, taking 3^rd in the Utah State high hurdles and 4^th in the 100 meter. Only later did I learn that he ran a 4.45 forty. Only later did I learn that he could elevate his body over three feet straight up (37 inches), without the benefit of a single step. But even then, without knowing any of this, I could see that he knew how to run, that his body enjoyed running, and I knew he would be a very, very special ball carrier.

Since that day in January 2006, I have kept an eye on him. I was in attendance at his first live scrimmage that March, and I saw how the entire offense exploded into cheers when, on his first run from scrimmage in over two years, he carried Cameron Jensen and Quinn Gooch nearly ten yards after their initial, simultaneous hits. I saw him that August when he weighed nearly 250 and knocked defensive linemen back four yards when they made the mistake of hitting him high. I saw him in September when 60,000 fans began chanting "Fui! Fui! Fui!" when he entered a game. I saw the awkward tackle by a San Diego State safety that was the beginning of the end for his season. And I have seen him this spring, up close and personal, again with his shirt off, stronger and more fearsome than ever, almost bristling for a fight, arms seeming to flex for a ball that hasn’t come his way in over six months.

In other publications I have called him freakishly strong, and I stand by that assessment. Although he has trimmed down to 235 again, he is much stronger than before. He can do multiple sets of 20 pull-ups in an L position, with his legs straight out in front of him. He can bench over 400 pounds. He can do hundreds of sit-ups lightning fast, without stopping, seemingly without slowing down. He is running without pain again. He is doing drills. He is anxious for the ball. He is anxious for that first hit of the 2007 season, for the joy of running through linebackers and blowing up defensive backs and soaring into the end zone for six. His ankle is healed; his body is primed; his very being is poised for action.

Fui is back.

Relieving the Payne

BYU sure does a good job complicating my recruit tracker. Mid-year walk-ons, late signings, and the newest addition a walk-on with a promised scholarship in January.

There has been a lot of worry about the Cougar faithful over Mitch Payne's ability to handle the punting and place kicking this season. Despite his good pedigree, some worry about his accuracy and trying to take care of all the kicking duties. Worry no longer.

BYU is bringing in C.J. Santiago from Orange Coast. Santiago is originally from Hawaii and is not a member of the LDS church. He will only be a sophomore this year and should compete this fall for punting duties. At Orange Coast as a freshman he averaged 42.36 yard per punt, with 9 punts going over 50 yards. He only had 2 touch-backs to 6 inside the 20. If he can maintain that, he would be ranked in the top 26 punters in the country (from last years stats) where McLaughlin was not in the top 100.

A analyst for Rival's saw Santiago at a Nike kicking event in Las Vegas and said, ""Punting-wise, C.J. Santiago from Orange Coast did a phenomenal job."

This very good news for the team and should help the defense get good field position. It is nearly impossible to sustain a long drive against Bronco's defense, and it just got a little harder. Good get for BYU!

My 3 Cents: Someone asked on the last post why BYU didn't keep Cameron as a TE instead of letting him slip to USC? The response was probably correct: If he doesn't want to be at BYU, BYU doesn't want him. I have been impressed that all the recruits this year so far have a strong desire to be at BYU.

Why doesn't BYU want him? BYU has 3 great TE's on the roster currently: So'oto was a 4 star recruit, George (not rated), and Pitta (also not rated.) Who is on tap? Devin Mahina (2007) and Austin Holt (2008.) BYU is really loaded at TE and just did not need another.

Uh oh....

We've all now heard reports that Fui is getting freakishly strong, including an article today that says he is in the 400 lb club, mostly made up of linemen. That type of strength coupled with speed will make him dangerous.

It's hard to comprehend exactly what a 235 lbs guy would look like if he was really capable of lifting over 400 lbs.

Take a look:

BYU players doing Haka

Fui is the one that gets the zoom in, sporting a shaved head (in the yellow and orange.)

To the rest of the MWC, UCLA and Arizona: I'm sorry you will have to be hit by this guy.

Why BYU will win: New Mexico Edition

I waited an extra week to see if any New Mexico fans would do a write up of their team for their September 29th home game against BYU. Since I am already nearly a week behind, I'm skipping the niceties and moving straight for the throat.

In reality, New Mexico will look very similar next year to the 2006 squad: They return 10 starters on defense and 9 on offense. The noticeable losses are lobo-back Quincy Black, QB Chris Nelson, and kicker Kenny Byrd. They return Rodney Ferguson, who averaged 94 yards a game last season and Donovan Porterie who had several good games last season as a back-up.

Will New Mexico challenge BYU for the Conference Championship? Doubtful. They are implementing another new offense after the loss of OC Toledo. They will again likely split the conference games and be looking to find a bowl at 6-6. The New Mexico Bowl is unable to take them as they played there last year.

That being said,

5 Reasons BYU will win:

5. New Mexico doesn't have a great run game. Hold your horses. I know Ferguson rushed for 1300 yards last season, but who else moved the ball on the ground? That is right, no one. New Mexico was #94 in the country with 111 yards per game on the ground. BYU was #53 with 141 yards per game. If Ferguson gets tired or gets injured, New Mexico has no running game. BYU scored 27 touchdowns on the ground. New Mexico only scored 10. Ferguson can't do it alone against BYU's front 7, including 5 returning starters and 2 other players with significant experience.

4. Porterie is good, but not great. You can consider his work so far from 4 games (where he had 10 or more pass attempts.) They won three games (By a combined total of 7 points) and lost to TCU. In that span he threw 5 touchdowns to 2 INTS, not a horrible ratio. But consider the teams he threw for over 100 yards on (Utah, Colorado State and UNLV) were ranked 55, 78, 113 nationally in pass efficiency defense. He has not been tested yet. BYU's secondary and speedy linebackers will give him fits.

3. BYU offense will be rolling by this point. By the end of September with two of the toughest games of the year already under the belt, BYU will be a well oiled machine. Last year BYU picked the Lobo defense apart for 464 yards through the air and another 189 on the ground. A total of 6 players scored during the course of the game. New Mexico's pass defense is suspect, allowing 28 touchdowns through the air and ranked #85 in the country in pass defense efficiency.

2. NM offensive line vs. BYU defensive line: NM needs to get better and has to find two linemen and a TE next season. NM ranked #110 in the country in sacks allowed, letting their QB's get pounded 43 times, an average of 3.3 a game! BYU's front three should be able to get plenty of pressure on the QB to force mistakes or get the sack.

1. Its bad Karma to not have a fan do this write-up. Seriously, no team has ever beat BYU that did not submit their own fan write-up.* Beware..... beware....

*Disclaimer: BYU has also never played a team that had a fan do a write up for my blog.

My 3 Cents: If I had to guess right now on the final score, put me down for BYU 40- NM 17 (all of their points come in the 4th quarter but a field goal.)

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On The Road with Cruiser: All things must pass

All things must pass, as Beatle George Harrison once said. Unfortunately, he wasn’t talking about BYU quarterbacks, and neither am I. Last week Coach Bronco Mendenhall requested that "inside" information stop making its way to the internet.

As one of the writers of such information, I had a choice to make: Do I accede to the coach’s wishes, or do I exercise my freedom to pursue and publish more information? My goal for this column has always been to increase support for the BYU football program. With this in mind, I feel I have no choice but to honor the coach’s wishes and refrain from sharing information that may either be privileged or confidential. In other words, the inside stuff is gonna stop.

I may continue writing here if there is an interest in what I have to say, or I may just fade into the internet ether. Either way, it’s been a fun and exciting several weeks. The football program is in good hands, and the future is bright. (Personally, I think Bronco is creating a dynasty that will last for decades.)

All things must pass, said George, but let’s hope Bronco Mendenhall and the success of BYU football stick around for a good long time.

Breaking News: Aulai on another Watchlist

This morning the Football Writers Association of America announced that Sete Aulai, along with forty other linemen, are on the Outland Trophy watch list. BYU has had two players win the Outland trophy: Jason Buck in 1986 and Mohammed Elewonibi in 1989. Aulai is also on the Rimington Watch list.


Other MWC players on the watchlist include:
Robert Conley - Utah
Matty Lindner- TCU

In related news, no Cougars were named to the Bronko Nagurski Trophy watch list.

MWC players on the Watch List include:
Tommy Blake- TCU
Drew Fowler- Air Force
Jesse Nading- Colorado State
Chase Ortiz- TCU
Steve Tate- Utah

My 3 Cents: Players can be added to either list as the season progresses. I would not be surprised to see a BYU player or two show up if BYU beats Arizona and UCLA.

Strengthening the line

The ultimate compliment that can be paid to a program by a recruit is to walk-on. It means that despite what else is being offered or promised, this person wants nothing more than to be part of a certain program. BYU this year has had some very promising walk-ons:
Cade Cooper(QB), Brendan Gaskins(QB), Jamison Fitt(LB), Brock Richardson (DL),Curt Jensen(OL), Cortny Barton(WR) and the newest addition, Sean Matagi(DL).

Matagi, 6'2 245, is a speed defensive end from Snow College. Matagi played linebacker in high school and has good speed. He considers himself a finesse player, which is important because at 245 lbs, he isn't likely to overpower a 300 lbs lineman. He earned Defensive MVP honors at the Top of The Mountain bowl. Of Matagi's 19 tackles on the season (in 10 games), 7 were for loss and included 3.5 sacks. He also had a forced fumble.

Matagi is a great addition to the program in that he brings something to the table BYU doesn't currently have: speed on the end. He will be the lightest of the defensive lineman and provide some depth at the position. However, because he is the one pure speed rusher, he will likely see some situational opportunities early on in his BYU career. I wouldn't be surprised to see him on long third downs as early as Arizona or UCLA if he can come in and get into the backfield at the D-1 level.

My 3 Cents: Matagi is a nice addition, the 4th Snow College walk-on this season. Matagi will add nice depth at the DL position and is a nice change-up to BYU big boys up front.

Quarterback Controversy?

Before you read any further, let me make this clear: I am a Max Hall fan already. I believe that Coach Mendenhall made the right decision and am excited about all the stories we have heard out of spring camp and running the scout team last fall. I think regardless of Cooper's injury, Hall would be the next poster boy for BYU football.

That being said, some people are already wondering if Gaskins will overtake Hall in fall camp. Many came away from the Blue and White game already wondering if Gaskins has "it" and should be given a shot at starting QB.

The answer is yes, he should get a shot and he will. Hall was named the starting QB and the job is his to lose. If he isn't working his tail off right now, learning the play book, the receivers' nuances, perfecting the chemistry and establishing himself as the leader, Gaskins has the shot to take his spot. I am confident he is doing those things, but I beleive Gaskins will be better than a serviceable back-up. He and Munns will likely be battling for the number two spot, let's hope that Hall's name is never considered for that position.

That being said, what happens if Hall falls apart against Arizona? What if he pulls a Ratliff/Grady and completes half as many passes to the other team as his own? (Utah vs. Boise: Their COMBINED QB rating, not average, was 53.3) Does a QB controversy begin?

I think we can correctly assume that he will not pull a Whittingham or Crowton and play musical Quarterback. We won't likely see Hall and Gaskins grace the same field but in blow outs. So how long does Bronco wait before pulling the plug? How long should he wait?

My 3 Cents: I really think this is a moot point, I think Hall will come out swinging. I just wanted to pose the question, to get the wheels rolling in fans' minds. Hall has a lot going for him with a full year in the system and 3 years to play. He could be something special, heres to hoping he is.

The best game...

ESPN ran a series this week on the best football games the writers (and the readers) had ever seen. Strangely enough, no one mentioned the "Answered Prayer."

My wife and I had flown to Virginia to spend Thanksgiving with my family and had convinced my dad to upgrade his satellite so we could get Vs. to see the game. My dad is a Utah graduate, but a BYU fan. Repentance at its best.

My brother, a BYU alum, lives nearby and had invited some of the other BYU grads in the ward over. As with any gathering of BYU graduates, there were lot of little kids running around the house. I settled in on the couch and proceeded to enjoy the first quarter, sensing another demolition of a conference foe.

As any faithful BYU fan knows, things slipped in the 2nd quarter and I began to get the same sick feeling I had during the Arizona game: Nothing was going well. When the first quarter had been festive, mingling and eating some grub, the second and third quarters were spent dejected on the couch.

BYU got the ball back for their final drive. The room got really, really quiet. Everyone got a little closer to the TV and the kids were staring at the adults, wondering what was so interesting. I started to wonder if praying for a BYU victory was appropriate. Rolling, rolling, time off the clock. The ball flies out of John Beck's hand and across the screen, seemingly to an empty field. When the camera caught up to the ball, there is Jonny Harline all alone on his knees.

The room erupted, everyone hugging and yelling. Kids started bawling, wondering why dad went from silent to yelling in a split second.

It's great to be a BYU fan.

Where were you? Whats the best BYU moment you had?

My 3 Cents: As only an investigative mind as My 3 Cents can provide, we answered the question: Why was/is Harline so open? Since all the cameras were off Harline, there is no video that shows someone blowing their coverage in monumental fashion.

HOWEVER, if you watch closely, #44, my main man Joe Jiannoni, is the one who decides to abandon his short zone coverage on that side of the field to chase down John Beck. On behalf of BYU fans everywhere, thanks for not executing at the highest level Mr. Jianonni!

A baker's dozen

I am starting to wonder how many scholarships BYU has available this year. The logistics of BYU football make it nearly impossible for an average Joe to understand how many scholarships come available. The coaches continue to offer and receive very early verbal commitments, number 13 arriving yesterday.

Kevin Bills, 6'3 215, is the most recent verbal commitment. Bills is another local Timpview who comes from a football family. Two of his older brothers play(ed) at BYU (Kelly is currently on the team) and his younger brother, a star safety, also holds a BYU offer as a sophomore.

Bills played DE for Timpview this season and the coaches wanted to see him at Junior day playing as a linebacker, the position he will be playing for the Cougars. Bills was no slouch as DE, earning 4A First Team All-State after a 50 tackle, 5 sack and INT season.

My 3 cents: It is great to see football families with BYU connections continuing their pipeline to the team. If Bills is quick like his brothers (all of whom play in the secondary) he should make a great OLB.

Also, Craig Bills will only be a junior this coming year, but I am really hoping BYU can land this kid: 6'1, 180, 4A First Team All-State who had 84 tackles, 6 INTs, 10 pass deflections as a sophomore.

My question/concern is: Are we relying too much on a Timpview pipeline? This is the second LB commit from Timpview this year (Alisa committed recently), and we had 3 from them last year. If they are good talent, all the better.

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On the Road with Cruiser: A Gift of Service

A couple of weeks ago if you had been at Costco in Orem, you might have seen dozens of huge young men helping people to their cars. Each year Costco puts on a fund-raiser for the Primary Children’s Hospital, and this year the BYU football team participated in it by boxing people’s purchases for them and carrying them out to the cars. For this, the customers donated whatever they felt appropriate to the hospital.

Electricity was in the air as children walked side by side with their favorite player. Even Costco workers were buzzing. It’s not every day so many young giants invade their store to do good.

Why did the players do it? Partly because most of them are pretty good guys, and partly because Coach Mendenhall encourages them to perform community service. And when Coach Mendenhall encourages, things happen.

Although BYU football players are incredibly busy, last year they spent time visiting children in hospitals, serving the homeless, working for Habitat for Humanity, and, of course, helping people put their groceries away.

Most athletic programs around the country don’t do things like this, But Coach Mendenhall strongly encourages it. Not only does he want his players to be well-rounded, but he feels that the experiences they have while serving may actually become some of the most meaningful of their college years. Stepping out of their own lives to help others in theirs is where the rubber meets the road. It’s where self-centered boys become compassionate adults. It’s where athletes become citizens of the community. Coach Mendenhall doesn’t believe his job is to just win games; he believes it is also to mentor young men, to open their eyes to a bigger, more complex world than they find on the football field. Yes, he is determined to win games, but he is also determined to make a difference in their lives—to help them recognize that the meaning of life has more to do with helping others than with seeking glory on Saturdays.

If Coach Mendenhall has his way, BYU’s football players will become lifelong givers of service. In some ways, it is the best encouragement he could give them.

A little bit of everything

With a full article in the works, for now we'll suffice with some tidbits:

Aaron Wagner signed 3 year contract with Argonauts

Zach Collie suffered a stress fracture (with the Eagles)

MWC President vote to support BYU and Utah in retaining legal counsel

I would highly recommend the following free article from Totalbluesports.com: California JC WR/DB commits to BYU

My 3 Cents: Donald Salter looks to be an exciting addition to BYU and quite a young man. He has the size, speed, and most importantly, the character to make an impact wearing cougar blue. He isn't technically a recruit as he is walking on, so I won't add him quite yet to the list (if you haven't noticed yet, there is commit list on the bottom right hand side of the blog.)

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12 and 25

Within the last week, BYU has added some great talent to their 2008 class. And it just grew a little more.

BYU reached a dozen commitments for the 2008 recruiting class. In reality, the newest isn't quite a JC or a high school senior. He is somewhere in between.

Masi Tuitama, 6'2 205, was a non-qualifier out of high school and did not sign a letter of intent. He was told that if he worked hard he could come to BYU, which he did. Tuitama will spend the coming months working out or attending a JC until next winter when he can join the team for winter and spring conditioning, making him a viable option to make an impact next fall.

Tuitama rushed for 867 yards and 11 TDs on offense and had 84 tackles (6 of which were sacks) on defense.

In other news, and more relevant to the 2007 season, BYU just announced they will be entering the 2007 season ranked #25. This will be the first time BYU enters a season ranked since 1997.

Read the full press release here.

A high pre-season ranking, when playing in the MWC that has no BCS bowl tie-ins, is the only way to bust the BCS. Slated at 25, BYU has the best chance in years to make a major splash. The Arizona game will likely bump them up a spot (most teams schedule an easy game, so noone above them is likely to slip out) and will have a chance to really make headlines if they beat UCLA the following week.

My 3 Cents: With linebacker being the most important position on defense in the 3-4, I am glad BYU is adding some for the 2008 class as we will be losing Kehl, Staffieri and Poppinga. The 2nd string that will step in is really good, but will need fresh bodies to keep up their dominance.

As for the ranking, it is a major step forward towards the goal of a National Championship. Most BYU fans agree that unless Hall comes out of the gate swinging, we aren't likely to go undefeated this season. If, however, BYU can have a double digit win season, they will again be poised the following season to make a run, this time under a seasoned QB.

You're Machen me Crazy!

A few months ago, Bernie Machen, the president of Florida announced he was going to campaign for a play-off system. Machen was president at the University of Utah in 2004 and was incensed when Florida was nearly left out of the BCS championship game. College Football fans everywhere applauded his drive and determination to do exactly what every fan wants: College football playoffs. With the support of fans everywhere, Machen descended into the pit of ravenous wolves (AKA SEC spring meeting.)

He came back without his soul.

I get this strange mental picture from the Disney movie Aladdin with Jafar waiving his scepter in front of the kings eyes and he blankly repeats what he is told.

After the conference Machen told the press: "They are persuaded, and I am now persuaded, that the best way to proceed is to try to work within the BCS structure, to make some changes to make it better. That seems to me to be a very good way to go."

My question is: What is in the water in Florida? He changed course almost as fast as Billy Donovan.

In reality, Machen never had a chance. In the same meeting they were discussing how they brought in $10 million PER SCHOOL in the BCS system.

Does anyone else find it ridiculous that there is no play-offs? Can you imagine a track meet where the players weren't timed and instead judges voted on how fast they looked based on previous races? If after the first round of "Big Dance" they just voted on who looked like they might win?

Maybe we can enlist Mr. Crabb (and Goyle, thanks to the reader for obscure Harry Potter reference #1 on this site) to sue them for a monopoly.

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Junior day a success

Coaches are not allowed to talk about recruits by name to the press/public until they sign a letter of intent in February. The only way cougar fans will ever hear about a verbal commitment is via the player themselves.

Following Junior Day on Friday, Bronco met with several of those in attendance. Michael Alisa, a LB/RB from local Timpview High School, gave a verbal commitment as a result of a meeting with Coach Mendenhall.

Alisa, 6'1 220 lbs, is originally from Kahuku High School but transferred to Utah to be nearer to family. Alisa originally played Safety but was moved to a more natural position as LB and is slated to play OLB due to his speed.

Alisa was Honorable Mention All State for 4A as a junior.

My 3 Cents: Makes sense to start loading at a LB as several of 2007's stars will be graduating. Alisa is a good combinations of size and speed and should be a great addition to the heart and soul of the BYU defense.

Double Digits

I called it yesterday. BYU held a Junior Day that was well attended and BYU pulled in yet another commitment for 2008.

Russell Tialavea's cousin, Jesse Taufi, a 6'5 300 lbs offensive lineman from Long Beach Community College committed to play for the Cougars. Taufi was named to the All-California team last year for his exploits on the line.

Of of the ten commits, Taufi is the second offensive lineman and second junior college transfer.

My 3 Cents: I was actually surprised that Taufi, and not someone on recruiting sites' radars, was the one to commit. Word is that coaches are very excited to add Taufi to the team.

Ding Dong the Witch is....dying.

BYU and University of Utah announced in a joint news release today that they have hired Kelly Crabb of Morrison and Foerster (out of California) to review their sports distribution contracts. Seems the fans, athletes and administrators from the flagship schools of the MWC are finally putting their foot down.

Read the Deseret News story here.

What does this really mean? Likely, that they are trying to get something to happen without having to leave the MWC. With the two big dogs "looking into" the best way to deal with the problem, Comcast, Mtn, etc. are going to be scrambling and giving in to get them what they want. What would the MWC be without BYU and Utah? It would be WAC (pun intended.)

The other possibility is that there has been a serious breach of contract by the owners of the Mtn. and the MWC will no longer be held to it and able to renegotiate a contract with someone else. Back to ESPN? Doubtful, but possible. Chances are a whole new mtn.-like channel would be created but correctly this time.

Neither of these situations are the best thing for the MWC. Hopefully, this will open some eyes and get some deals made quickly without Mr. Crabb's legal wrangling.

On a sad note, the news release was on the Mtn. and no one saw it.

Just kidding.

My 3 Cents: BYU and Utah, despite outward appearances, actually work together frequently. Let's hope this solves the problem that is the Mtn. at present.

On a side note, don't be surprised to see a commit or two today. I'll update if I hear anything.

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