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Vol. 36, Issue 27 – February 8, 2016
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VERBIAGE IS EASY IN FEBRUARY, VICTORIES ARE HARD IN SEPTEMBER
Here are four recruiting press conference comments from 4 different coaches. Four coaches from four universities gave pretty well the same spiel and philosophy and assessment. I’ve never heard a coach say he had a bad recruiting class.
Just my opinion, but this is a lot like political debates. They all say the same thing, just couched in different verbiage and verve. The bottom line is who can deliver at the polls and who can deliver with the players. Without votes you don’t win and without talented players, you don’t win. See below to match the coach with his comments.
A: Our philosophies were very specific and very intentional regarding numbers. Meaning, what I call ‘workforce planning’, is simply the succession planning the position, if that’s not managed well, the consistency of your program can suffer instantly and immediately especially at key positions. So, if you haven’t managed quarterback very well, you’re at huge risk of having a successful and competitive program. If you haven’t managed center very well, basically anyone that touches the football, because knowing points drive wins, and if you don’t have someone with the ball that can take it across the white line that means six points. So, we’re very intentional about what numbers and what scholarships are allocated for each position. We’re also very intentional about the specifications of what those players look like. And that’s some that we don’t share, but it is numbers driven.
B: I’m pleased with this year’s recruiting class; filled a lot of needs; got a lot of character; quality guys in this class. We look all over for players and try to get the best possible players on our board. I think recruiting to a larger degree is a little bit of a numbers game. We have an evaluation system. The more players we can get on our board that pass our evaluation system, that meet the criteria for what we want for a position and have the athletic ability to meet those criteria, with the size and speed to meet the criteria, as well as the character and attitude we’re looking for in our players here, the more guys we get on the board the better we’ll do. Like in baseball if we’re going to bat .333 – 1-for-3 – so if we have 90 guys on the board then we’ll get 30 good players. If we have ten good players on the board, then we’re going to get three. That is kind of our approach.
C: We are really pleased with the talent we are bringing onto our team. We have gotten a lot bigger, a lot stronger, and then we also got lengthier. And we got some speed. We are going to search the whole world, to be honest with you. So, if you see a big guy who can move pretty good, call us. Get a hold of us. I don't care what sport they are playing. And if they can kick a ball through the uprights, I don't care what it is. If you are an athlete, and a good person and you want to be in this football family, then we want you. The scope of recruiting is going to cover the whole world.
D: Overall we are extremely limited on who we can recruit on offense because we return so many scholarship players. On defense it was open season at every position. Defensively we recruited two classes, one that will have an immediate impact and another class that will be the best defensive class I have ever been associated with in two to three years down the road. We were heavy on the defensive line, recruiting three levels of a player, a starter, backup and redshirt.
Answers: A: Bronco Mendenhall, Virginia; B: Nick Saban, Alabama; Kalani Sitake, BYU: Mike Kramer, Idaho State.
Here is BYU’s official version of their signing day with bios and video of most signees.
BYU Football announces 2016 recruiting class
February 3, 2015, PROVO, Utah – Head coach Kalani Sitake today announced BYU’s 2016 football recruiting class, consisting of 23 high school signees and two junior college transfers.
In addition to the 25 signees, BYU welcomes back six scholarship players returning from LDS missions.
“We are excited to announce our 2016 recruiting class,” Sitake said. “We got better across the board, adding speed, size and length. We can’t wait to get this new group here and get to work."
UPDATE: Kainoa Fuiava from Downey, California, signed with BYU Thursday (Feb. 4). The 6-foot-5, 295-pound defensive lineman out of Warren High School becomes the eighth recruit from California to sign with BYU and the 15th defensive player and sixth defensive lineman in the Cougars' 2016 class of 26 players. His addition is reflected in the remainder of the information included below.
The class includes 15 defensive players, 10 offensive players and one specialist. The class spans seven states including 12 from Utah, eight from California, two from Hawaii and one each from Arkansas, Colorado, South Carolina and Washington. The 2016 class features five four-star recruits and 15 three-star prospects.
Click on names for photos and videos.
2016 BYU Football Recruiting Class
Name | Pos. | Ht. | Wt. | Hometown | Last school |
|
DL | 6-5 | 295 | Downey, Calif. | Warren HS | ||
WR | 6-1 | 190 | Sandy, Utah | Alta HS | ||
DL | 6-6 | 265 | Lakewood, Calif. | La Mirada HS | ||
LB | 6-3 | 200 | Kahuku, Hawaii | Kahuku HS | ||
LB | 6-4 | 205 | Tustin, Calif. | Tustin HS | ||
OL | 6-5 | 285 | Littleton, Colo. | Columbine HS | ||
DL | 6-4 | 256 | Fontana, Calif. | AB Miller HS | ||
DB | 6-2 | 175 | Fontana, Calif. | Eleanor Roosevelt HS | ||
WR | 5-10 | 180 | Menifee, Calif. | Heritage HS | ||
OL | 6-6 | 275 | Spokane Valley, Wash. | University HS | ||
OL | 6-7 | 310 | Hawthorne, Calif. | Hawthorne, Calif. | ||
DL | 6-3 | 250 | Brigham City, Utah | Box Elder HS | ||
RB | 5-11 | 170 | Kearns, Utah | Kearns HS | ||
OL | 6-2 | 275 | Little Rock, Ark. | Pulaski Academy | ||
DB | 6-2 | 195 | Bountiful, Utah | Bountiful HS | ||
LB | 6-3 | 210 | Provo, Utah | Timpview HS | ||
WR | 6-0 | 190 | Highland, Utah | American Fork HS/Snow College | ||
K | 6-0 | 185 | Heber City, Utah | Wasatch HS | ||
LB | 6-2 | 210 | Salt Lake City, Utah | Brighton HS | ||
DB | 6-2 | 195 | Sandy, Utah | Brighton HS | ||
LB | 6-2 | 225 | Spanish Fork, Utah | Spanish Fork HS | ||
DL | 6-1 | 295 | West Jordan, Utah | West Jordan HS | ||
QB | 6-1 | 195 | Spanish Fork, Utah | Maple Mountain HS | ||
TE | 6-3 | 225 | Fort Mill, S.C. | Nation Ford HS | ||
DL | 6-2 | 285 | Waianae, Hawaii | Waianae HS/Snow College | ||
DB | 6-2 | 185 | San Marcos, Calif. | Mission Hills HS | ||
2016 Returning Missionaries
This is Kalani Sitake’s list of retuning missionaries for his first recruiting class.
Trajan Pili, DL, 6-2, 225, Las Vegas/Centennial HS, Florida Jacksonville
Austin Chambers, OL, 6-4, 270, Shawnee, KS/Mission West HS, Las Vegas, North
Chandon Herring, OL, 6-7, 260, Gilbert, AZ/Perry HS, Washington DC North
Uriah Leiataua, DL, 6-4, 238, Compton, CA/Dominquez HS, Samoa Apia
Isaiah Kaufusi, DB, 6-2, 175, Cottonwood Heights, UT/Brighton HS, Tonga
Zac Dawe, DL, 6-4, 274, Pleasant Grove, UT/ Pleasant Grove HS, Houston Texas South
Bronco’s List of Missionaries
This list of missionaries was released by Bronco Mendenhall in December. Obviously, his list and Sitake’s list are not the same. Sitake’s list above now trumps Mendenhall’s.
Tanner Jacobson, SO, DB, 5-10, 175, Texas Tech transfer (missionary)
Austin McChesney, FR, WR, 6-1, 175, Lone Peak HS, CA (missionary)
Rylee Gautavai, RS-FR, LB, 6-0, 220, Bountiful HS, UT (missionary)
Keegan Hicks, FR, OL, 6-3, 285, Bingham HS, UT (missionary)
Inoke Lotulelei, FR, WR, 5-9, 175, WR, Cottonwood HS, UT (missionary)
Addison Pulsipher, RS-FR, OL, 6-6, 260, Temecula Valley HS, CA (missionary)
Thomas Shoaf, RS-FR, OL, 6-6, 265, Columbus North HS, IN, (missionary)
Merrill Taliauli, SO, DL, 6-2, 312, East HS, UT, (missionary)
Johnny Tapusoa, FR, DB, 5-10, 195, Kahuku HS, HI, (missionary)
Mission First Signees
Jaren Hall, Hank Tuipulotu, Solofa Funa, Drew Jensen, Jackson Kaufusi, Atunaisa Mahe, Skyler Southam, Sione Finau, Max Tooley, Lisala Tai, Clark Barrington, JT Gentry, Keenan Pili, Keanu Saleapago, Kainoa Fuiava, Hirkley Latu
My List of Opinions
Forget guys like Simi Fehoko and Mique Juarez. They were never going to sign with BYU this late into the recruiting effort of Sitake and his staff. We need to wait for another year to see how these guys do with the top ranked LDS football prospects next recruiting season to get a better evaluation of how well this staff will recruit.
The biggest miss was Keaton Bills, the offensive tackle from Corner Canyon HS in Draper. BYU thought they had a good shot at this kid, but he opted for Utah. The biggest surprise to me was how many signees came out of South Central LA. The closest any other BYU staff came to that area of California in recruiting was when they watched the movie, Straight Outta Compton.
The biggest impact player of this class came from Snow College. Jonah Trinnaman is good and will see time on the field in the fall, but the real deal from Snow is Handsome Tanielu. He is the closest thing to Star Lotulelei that BYU has seen in years. It is obvious with the emphasis on defensive line signees, that what I wrote last week about getting tougher on the line of scrimmage is a real goal of Sitake. This guy is the first real step in that direction.
On paper, I give this first class of Sitake and this coaching staff a B. It will go to a B+ if Jamaal Williams is totally recovered from his knee problems and if Taysom Hill decides to stay. The only A grade goes to Alabama. Alabama is just Alabama. They get the best talent available.
BYU does get an A for signing day verbiage. Now they just need to rack up some victories against a schedule this fall that is not victory friendly. Anything better than a C+ on the scoreboard and Tom Holmoe should immediately renegotiate Sitake’s salary to match Mendenhall’s money at Virginia.
One More List
BYU bragged about landing five four-star recruits and 15 three-star recruits. Big deal. To me a more salient signal is that BYU signed a two earring prospect and a one earring prospect and both were on defense. This is a good sign. The earrings will have to go, but the fact that they have them in high school tells me these guys might be players.
To me earrings at BYU are a better indicator of talent than stars. If a guy is tough enough to wear metal in his lobes, he probably has the physical backing to beat down or up anybody in school that tries to make fun of the ear accoutrements.
You’ll have to peruse the pictures yourself to discover who has the hardware hanging from their ears.
I Hate to Nit Pick, but N-I-T Pickings is Where BYU is Headed This Post Season
Losing to Portland was a puzzler. The loss to Pepperdine was predictable, but losing to Pacific in Provo was a punch in the gut. And any hopes BYU had of punching their ticket to NCAA post season play in March petered out with the 77-72 loss to Pacific Saturday night in the Marriott Center.
Maybe it’s time to play the precedent card that BYU has already set. Last year, the Men’s volleyball team was taken over by the Women’s volleyball coach.
Is it time to try that same scenario with basketball? Judkins for Rose? Not going to happen, but something needs to happen. The natives are getting restless. It’s always about talent in the pipeline, but that pipeline never seems to produce enough to get a sniff at a WCC title or more than a one and done in NCAA play.
Rose has the whole package in my opinion. He can recruit, is personable, amenable with the media and is just an all-around good guy.
Leo Durocher was wrong about nice guys. They don’t finish last. They just never finish in first in the WCC. Another year, another wait for more talent to get back off missions. Sometime the talent tease is going to be exposed if it hasn’t already been exhausted. If it’s not talent, then what’s left to blame?
Against a juggernaut like Pacific, we can blame late game free throw misses. We can blame suspect officiating. But sometime, just sometime in the near future we may have to actually blame suspect coaching.
Speaking of women’s basketball coaches, Jeff Judkins has his girls cooking with gas. They grilled and gutted a pretty good Saint Mary’s team on Saturday in Moraga 65-44. The Gaels were good and are now 18-5 and 9-3 in WCC play. They just aren’t as good as the Lady Cougars who were led by Makenzie Pulsipher’s 26 points.
BYU is now 20-4 on the season and 12-1 in league play.
In Men’s volleyball, BYU seems to have found their groove and gouged it deeper with a two match sweep of UC Santa Barbara this past Friday and Saturday in Provo. The Cougars swept the Gauchos 25-20, 25-16 and 26-24 on Friday. The also defeated UCSB Saturday in three sets, 25-17, 25-23 and 25-14. The Cougars are now 8-2 overall and 6-2 in MPSF play.
Television Timetable
BYU vs. San Francisco (M Basketball)
Thursday, February 11 at San Francisco
Tipoff: 8:00 pm MST
TV: BYUtv
BYU vs. San Francisco (W Basketball)
Thursday, February 11 at Provo
Tipoff: 6:00 pm MST
TV: BYUtv
BYU vs. Santa Clara (M Basketball)
Saturday, February 13, at Santa Clara
Tipoff: 2:00 pm MST
TV: BYUtv, Root RM/NW and TWC
BYU vs. Santa Clara (W Basketball)
Saturday, February 13 at Provo
Tipoff: Noon MST
TV: BYUtv