Recruiting Round-up, Welcome. Now get to work.
Now that the dust is all settled and BYU has learned who they will be welcoming into the program, let’s look at who could be a possible impact player come August.
As a side note, I would like to address the absence of a few names on national letters of intent. To those out there thinking we didn’t get the players we needed -basically the “big three”. To those three players, I wish you all the best of luck; they made a tough decision with a lot of people breathing down their necks. Recruiting is a tough process, but having a good feeling about your decision after you’ve made up your mind is crucial. Fans and players alike need to look towards the future and understand that one player doesn’t define a team or program -or faith for that matter. BYU will thrive and continue to have success with the players that have a strong desire to play for a program that has been nationally ranked the past 3 years -only one of three or so schools to collect that accolade-, BYU’s program is among the top 5 in wins over the past four years since Bronco has taken over as head coach, and most importantly our BYU Cougars’ haven’t lost at home in three years -that is truly amazing.
While some agonize about players lost, I prefer to applaud the way the current players have handled their business. To those players who made the decision to player for the Y, great choice and get in shape because you get to play against some of the best programs in the nation next year and the coaching staff isn’t going to settle for playing well, or putting up a good fight. They are hard at work insuring that BYU will be ready to win, dare I say a new quest has begun.
Here are the players that I think could have an immediate impact next August.
Richard Wilson – It will be tough for him to get playing time with both Pitta and George coming back, but this kid can play. He is smooth off the line and has soft hands and the ability to turn up the field after the catch and YAC it up. I would expect him to be a fixture on special teams and break into the rotation towards the middle of the season.
Kyle Van Noy – Like a few guys in this class he has the body type that the BYU coaching staff loves. He has good height with the promise of gaining a few pounds and still maintaining his athleticisms. I would expect him to gain some weight and break into the rotation at linebacker.
Remington Peck – also has that great body type, which can add weight and help out in different ways. I think he’ll also end up on the defensive side. At 6′4” his body could develop in a way that would make him a defensive end or an outside linebacker. One thing he needs to work on is playing lower. He doesn’t have a lot of bend in his knees which limits his explosiveness. With proper coaching this can be corrected and he’ll develop into a solid player with play making abilities.
Craig Bills – This kid can flat out play! He’s explosive, loves contact and has a nose for the ball. I would expect him to be a serious contender for a starting position -granted he can come in and understand the game mentally. He will definitely push Jordan Pendalton and Andrew Rich for a starting position. One of his best qualities is his ability to break on a thrown ball and arrive in time to blow a receiver up. Seeing that type of “feel” from a high school player is promising. Craig also has great size to play the strong safety position. I have high, high hopes for the youngest Bills.
Peni Maka’afi – I think he could become a great inside linebacker. Honestly, we are set for a few years at the fullback position and I think with Peni’s size and burst he would make a great backer. I could also be a little biased in wanting all these players to be defensive guys.
Jray Galea’I – is another Kuhuku product with great potential. He has a great burst and isn’t afraid of contact. He’ll add good depth to our secondary and be able to fill in when he’s needed. He’ll be a great special team’s performer and will give the resident boundary corners some competition.
Cody Hoffman – Coming out of Sac-town he has great speed and vision. He catches the ball with his hands -away from his body- and hits holes hard and fast. It will be interesting to see if he can break into the rotation and set himself apart from other “similar” players. Can he develop into another El Dorado Hills product, like the Collie’s?
BYU signed two corners our of the JC ranks, who both have promise. Make no mistake they were recruited to fill a need. Lee Aguirre and Brian Logan will get their shot. I am a little hesitant to say they’ll become starters -simply because I’m very skeptical of JC players who are All World JC players, then show up at BYU and get lost in the mix. I’ve seen my fair share come and go. Both players have some impressive highlights and both have been highly productive on the defensive side of the ball. It will be an interesting battle between the Brandon’s and these two. I’m sure spring ball this year is going to be much more intense.
I’m sure there are other players that will come in and leave a lasting impression. Anyone else have any ideas of how will be the next BMC?
I think you need to take Van Noy and Aunre’ Davis off your list. Van Noy’s DUI was well-publicized and Davis was incorrectly included on ESPN’s list of BYU commits
I updated the post, but hadn’t heard about the DUI. I spoke with some folks yesterday and they seemed excited about his arrival. Anyway he can clean up the DUI mess and still be in Provo in August. He made a bad chose, everyone -at one point or another- has done something stupid,which they regreted. Hopefully he’ll recommit himself and show up ready to contribute.
Some very solid recruits. I’m most excited about Wilson. I think he’ll really shine down the road in BYU’s TE-heavy offensive scheme. Adam Hines/Timo looks very interesting at HB but he’ll be going on a mission before enrolling. Some solid OL and WR recruits – could El Dorado Hills have produced a Collie clone?
On defense, I think J’Ray, Van Noy and Bills are all very nice prospects. However, I’m skeptical that any will have an impact soon especially as Van Noy, who could have made the most immediate impact at LB, won’t be joining us until 2010 because of his recent “indiscretion”. The JC transfers look like good guys to fill some critical needs, but transfers can be a crapshoot. Who’s returning from missions on defense? I’m still worried about our defensive personnel and schemes for next year.
This is where I hate being a BYU fan – the patient waiting. Many of these guys won’t see the field for at least 2-3 years, so it’s tough to get excited about Bronco’s best recruiting class ever.
Actually I heard that Van Noy won’t be able to join the team until Jan. 2010. Supposedly Bronco gave him a chance to rethink his decision (retract his commitment) but he still wants to be a cougar and will show up in January.
http://www.heraldextra.com/content/view/298400/140/
oh, sorry. didn’t see your post until after submitting mine Dave. Let the patient waiting begin…..
It’s been interesting over the last few years to watch players out of HS or fresh off missions and think, are they gonna contribute? A few years ago at the Women’s Football Clinic my daughter in law asked me if the skinny Bryan Kehl just a few months off his mission was really a linebacker. But low and behold the next year and 50-60 pounds later the guy was a beast on defense. I, too, am excited to see the coaches and trainers get a hold of these young guys and really teach/show them how to play. And then who ever buys in, works hard, that’s the next Jensen, Kehl, Colllie and who knows this year.
But I agree with Dave, it’s hard to be patient.
Quinn, you’re right about Van Noy being able to clean things up by August but Coach Mendenhall has publically stated he won’t let Van Noy enroll until Jan 2010. He wants to see if he can keep himself clean before allowing him to enroll.
The Van Noy issue is messy and unfortunate, but I think that the agreement to have Van Noy enroll a year from now is fair for both him and the school. He has some time to clear up personal issues and Bronco won’t be accused of pushing this under the carpet to get the kid onto the field ASAP (except by those who will criticize him no matter what).
It’s clear that Van Noy’s very determined to make it as a BYU student, and I think he’s showing some budding maturity by handling this openly and not backing out of his LOI when Bronco gave him the chance to go elsewhere. I want kids like that at BYU over the half-committed.
Quinn,
Can you tell us who is coming back from missions this year? Any potential contributors there?
Missionaries are a wildcard because you don’t know what kind of shape their body will be in when they get back and the fact that training the body to be ready for the season can take a while.
I would expect Mike Hague, McKay Jacobsen, Robbie Buckner and few others to add depth, but I wouldn’t expect them to be solid contributors until next year.
As far as Van Noy, hopefully he can keep it clean or at least prove himself. I understand Coach Mendenhall’s concerns and he doesn’t want to bring someone in that won’t take the honor code seriously.
I’ll get back to you about the missionaries, because that’s something that could be addressed in a different post.
I like Bronco’s philosophy of letting players become accustomed to the BYU system and using a freshman year or redshirt year, or even grayshirt the player (like Van Noy).
Reminds me of Wooden’s teams, where freshmen NEVER played. It goes against the more modern thinking of starting these “super” freshmen, having them play a few years, then bolt for the professional ranks.
But by starting 3rd and 4th year players, we gain a much needed experience consistency in the program.
So, I guess, I’m not expecting much immediate contribution from this signing class, but I imagine that there will be some standouts among the players who mainly played special teams or the scout team this year. These are the guys who will put in the hard work in the off season and are ready to hit some Sooners come September.
With the depth we’re building at Safety, is there a chance that Jordan Pendleton will beef up and transition to linebacker?
I don’t really get that excited about recruiting. I wait until August and see how these guys compare to what we have already. I doubt any of the freshman we signed this year will do much this year, and I don’t see any, but for the JC guys making the 2 deep. Maybe Bills at safety, but that is it.
I don’t worry about those who don’t sign with BYU. Not like most of those guys have had much success. “Hey Ben, how you doing?”
Right now I am looking forward to spring.
My big thing and what I am looking for is for Hooks to become 1st team on the depth chart. Your defense is only as good as your weakest link (provided the OC is not a total idiot) and we need to increase the play making in the middle of our defense.
It is great to talk about football, I really don’t care about basketball.
One correction: Hoffan is not from Eldorado Hills HS nor is he from the Sacramento area. He’s from Crescenta City, which is about 300 miles north near the Oregon border.
You’re confusing Hoffman with Brett Thompson, who is from Eldorado Hills. Thompson and Alletto are two most under-rated players in this class. Thompson is a very, very good WR and will become a star at BYU.
at corner is where the biggest need to fill is at. I see possibly Jray Galea’i or the 2 jc guys, I also like Bradley at corner. I like Jordan Atkinson at LB I think he could come in and make an impact, also we’ll have So oto on the outside I think he’ll be great. I like our D-line but I would like to see what thomas bryson can add, I think he can add some good pass rush. On offence I just haven’t really looked there too much they don’t need much help there. I would like to see Brett Thompson on the field to see what he can do, after all he’s from the same school as the Collies, and the same coaches, his size is very close to Austins. I’m excited for spring ball and then fall camp.
As for recruiting, and the ones BYU lost, well I think the coaches did every thing right, some of the kids just need the lime-light and the attention, and for that BYU is not the right place.
I was excited to read in Harmon’s blog that Kehl and Jensen are helping the team prepare in the offseason. Hopefully they will be able to teach how to “watch film” and figure out the Sooners and Seminoles for next year.
I am excited about the signings but as has been said, the BYU be patient for 8 years to see what happens begins (that may be a slight exageration). It is nice to see some great defensive guys coming in. Spring ball should be lots of fun and let the competition begin.
The whole recruiting fiasco this year reminds me of a scene from “Hoosiers” when Gene Hackman is hosting a local rally to show off the basketball team to the community. The crowd starts booing and chanting “We want Jimmy!” to which Hackman responds:
“I would hope you’d support who we are, not who we are not. These six individuals have made the choice to work, the choice to sacrifice, to put themselves on the line twenty three nights for the next four months, to represent you, this highschool. That kind of committment and effort deserves and demands your respect. This is your team!”
With a few things changed to suit the football team, this is what I feel like saying to fans who still pine away about the players we didn’t get. I prefer to cheer on the players who chose to represent us.
Seasider, I like that, I’ve almost watched Hoosiers several times but I haven’t.
I liked the videos on BYUCOUGARS.com about the recruits cause i got to see the guys that were signed. I was really impressed with Heimuli! He looks like a Unga replacement so Harvey can pull an FUI. I thin k he runs like a shorter Hema and a slower Vai so he could do some good stuff till that other dude comes in after his mission. I realize this was a short video but I was impressed that way so forgive me Heimuli, cause I know you could eat my lunch. I want to see the TE we got too cause he is supposed to be really good and Bills looks like a real good cross of Omarr Morgan and any tall white DB in the nation, meaning he seems like the next Blanket, not sheet. I hope that we can really get some good practices going and that the DE recruit hits the GYM as he is only listed on BYUCOUGARS.com at 235. I am so glad we picked up those tall outs too. BYU is perfect for tall Wide outs because the way Max Hall lifts your eyelids, there’s sure to be plenty of blue zone treks for those who want it. Anybody here remember Austin Collie?! haha, I am so pumped…
“Peni’s size”. Hah!
kiyoshige- I get your point about freshmen but you perhaps need to come up with a diferent example of a team/coach that never used freshmen as it was against NCAA rules to play freshmen when Wooden was coaching. Your statement is correct but not for the reasons you are trying to emphasize. The rule was started in 1954 and changed back to where it is now in 1973.
In some sad news, former BYU offensive coordinator and WR coach Mike Borich passed away. For those who don’t remember him, he was OC during Crowton’s first 2 years at BYU. He left for personal reasons. I don’t know Quinn or Markell knew him. It’s unfortunate that he passed at such a young age.
http://www.legacy.com/DeseretNews/Obituaries.asp?Page=Lifestory&PersonId=123987232
Hadn’t thought of Peni at line backer. Remember that Bronco’s goal is to recruit guys who translate well to playing on either side of the ball. Remember how he used Pritchard last year? The kid was willing to play fullback and linebacker. I don’t think it will be the norm to see guys play both sides of the ball in the same year but depending on talent, depth and injuries Bronco won’t rule it out. It’s a great philosophy that will show itself from time to time.
Just a thought on Thompson. At 6′3″ he starred at both football and Volleyball. Can anyone say fade pattern in the corner of the endzone. This kid can literally leap out of the gym.
Seasider,
I did know coach Borich and he was a great guy! He was one of those coaches who would show up to practice in his cleats and be out there running around with the guys. It was sad to hear that he passed away. Great guy!
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