PROVO — This is not an especially fun time to be an assistant football coach at BYU.
It's bad enough that coach LaVell Edwards' staff is taking plenty of heat from fans and media in response to the Cougars' uncharacteristically dismal 4-6 record. With Edwards retiring at the end of the season — which will come in about two weeks — the assistant coaches haven't exactly made a strong case that they should remain a part of the new coaching regime, based on what's happened on the field this year.
Imagine how defensive coordinator Ken Schmidt and offensive coordinator Lance Reynolds felt when they interviewed with athletic director Val Hale for the head coaching job last Friday, a day after the Cougars' embarrassing 45-21 defeat at Colorado State.
"It wasn't a good day," said Schmidt, who is in his 19th year at BYU. "We had just gotten thumped. The interview was fine. But it was a downer day."
Both Schmidt and Reynolds are confident in their abilities to be the head coach. At the same time, they are realistic about their chances. Using recent coaching changes at BYU as a guide (see basketball coach Steve Cleveland and baseball coach Vance Law), the new coach will probably come from outside the program. Several staff members believe Chicago Bears offensive coordinator Gary Crowton is the leading candidate to replace Edwards.
Still, Reynolds and Schmidt believe they will be coaching the Cougars in some capacity next season.
Reynolds, who is in his 18th campaign at BYU, says he has been assured by school administrators that he, along with the majority of the staff, will be retained. "I expect to be here next year," he said.
Hale, meanwhile, says that the new head coach will have complete autonomy to hire his own staff. "It's the head coach who determines what happens in that area," he said.
Defensive line coach Tom Ramage, who joined the Cougars the same year Edwards was named head coach in 1972, has heard both explanations.
"I guess the answer is somewhere in the middle," said Ramage, who would like to return for his 30th season at BYU. "None of us really know for sure."
While the future appears to be uncertain, Schmidt agrees with Reynolds, that most of the staff will remain intact.
"I think there are some coaches that have a good chance (of staying)," Schmidt said. "We have a good group of guys. We'll be OK. I'm planning on being back. But you can't worry about it. You have to go on with your work and push it out of your mind."
If this coaching staff does not stay together, it would be like breaking up a family of sorts. Continuity has become a hallmark of Edwards' tenure. The other longtime members of his staff are offensive line coach Roger French (21 years at BYU), receivers coach and recruiting coordinator Chris Pella (15 years), quarterbacks coach Robbie Bosco (12 years), safeties coach Barry Lamb (7 years) and cornerbacks coach Brian Mitchell (6 years). Last winter, former offensive coordinator Norm Chow left after 22 years at BYU. Offensive tackles and tight ends coach Mike Empey is in his first year.
No matter what happens, BYU's assistant coaches will be affected by Edwards' departure and the subsequent changing of the guard. And they are bracing for the transition. "You don't know what it's going to be like without LaVell or who the new coach is going to be," Reynolds said. "There are a lot of question marks. Whoever it's going to be, it will be a drastic change."
This weekend, BYU coaches are hitting the recruiting trail, which poses another set of challenges. The biggest question on the minds of recruits is who will replace Edwards. It's a question they cannot answer yet.
"I told the coaches to sell the BYU experience, to tell recruits we're going to have a great program with an outstanding head coach," Hale said. "That's the message we hope they're selling."
For now, it's not an easy sell. Hale said he would like to have a new head coach in place as soon after BYU's Nov. 24 season-finale at Utah as possible. As far as recruiting goes, the timing of hiring the coach will be critical, mostly in the battle for junior college players. JC recruits can start making campus visits in early December and sign a national letter of intent in mid-December in order to enroll by January and participate in spring drills in March.
The Cougars have needs at a number of key positions, including cornerback, wide receiver and quarterback, and coaches are hoping to find immediate help from the JC ranks.
"The longer (the coaching decision) drags on, the more it hurts recruiting," Schmidt said. "Without a head coach, we may lose junior college kids. Other coaches (at opposing schools) are using that against us. It shouldn't affect high school recruiting because the high school kids don't start taking recruiting visits until January. Once we have a new coach, we'll be fine."
But how many BYU assistants will be around by then? That remains to be seen.
E-MAIL: jeffc@desnews.com