PROVO -- For the second consecutive season, the BYU football program will be without Junior Mahe.
The talented sophomore running back, who withdrew from BYU last summer in the midst of an unspecified review by the Honor Code Office, reapplied to the school but was not admitted for fall semester 2000, BYU spokeswoman Carri Jenkins confirmed Tuesday.Mahe is "very disappointed" he won't return this season, said BYU offensive coordinator Lance Reynolds.
"He's moving on," Reynolds said. "He's looking for somewhere else to go. He's got a lot of options in front of him."
While Mahe was not available for comment, Mahe's father, Sateki, told the Deseret News that his son is leaning toward enrolling at Dixie College in St. George. Junior Mahe has discussed that possibility with Rebel coach Greg Croshaw. Mahe is still interested in playing for the Cougars in 2001, his father and Reynolds said.
Mahe has taken a recruiting trip to North Carolina State, and Sateki says he has a scholarship offer on the table from the Wolfpack. If he goes to N.C. State, Mahe would be reunited with former Cougar offensive coordinator Norm Chow, who left the BYU program in February.
While enrolled at Utah Valley State College this past year, Mahe spent considerable time attending BYU practices and games in anticipation of returning to the team. In March, he was on the sidelines during the Blue-White game that marked the conclusion of spring drills.
In almost all cases involving an Honor Code infraction, school officials set up a list requirements that the offender must complete in order to be considered for readmission.
According to a source on campus, Mahe did not follow through with those confidential stipulations to the school's satisfaction.
The Cougars were hoping that Mahe, who rushed for 481 yards (an average of 4.9 yards per carry) as a freshman in 1998, would be back to bolster the team's rushing attack. BYU's two leading rushers last season, true freshmen Luke Staley and Fahu Tahi, sat out spring drills to recover from injuries.
Staley underwent knee and shoulder surgery in January and is still rehabilitating. The status of the 1999 Mountain West Conference freshman of the year likely won't be known until August. He may redshirt in 2000. "We're hoping we'll have Luke back," Reynolds said.
Tahi is planning to leave for an LDS mission this fall. Jaron Dabney, withdrew from school in January in the wake of an Honor Code violation.
Reynolds, who also serves as BYU's running backs coach, said that Mahe's absence will make things tough for his offense, which is breaking in a new quarterback. "There's no question the kind of player he is," he said. "It has an effect on us."
That leaves Kalani Sitake (who is also rehabilitating after a leg injury suffered late last season), Ned Stearns, Will Snowden, Paul Peterson and Mike Nielsen in the offensive backfield. The Cougars will also rely on a pair of newcomers -- JC transfer Brian MCdonald and freshman Marcus Whalen, Reynolds said.
You can reach Jeff Call by e-mail at jeffc@desnews.com