It's still red. But it's got a tinge of blue in the mix.
It is the latest grafting of University of Utah and BYU skin on one so-called body: Southern Utah University football.
Former University of Utah assistant coach Gary Anderson is now SUU's head coach. In building his staff, Anderson recruited graduate assistant coaches from Utah and BYU. It remains to be seen if this mixture works, but for now, they're slapping each other on the back, talking each other up and you'd think they all just returned from Boy Scout camp.
"It's fun and it's a good situation," Anderson said.
What the former Ute did was hire Utah-oriented defensive coaches and BYU offensive specialists. The Ute assistants, by design, will bring the Thunderbirds a piece of Kyle Whittingham's toughness and consistency. The Cougar guys are supposed to instill some of BYU's explosive offense from, well, back in 2001.
Anderson's Cougars are former receiver Aaron Roderick, who will be passing-game coordinator, and former BYU fullback Kalani Sitake will coach the running backs. Both worked as graduate assistants to Gary Crowton.
Anderson, McBride's defensive tackle coach, hired Ute graduate assistant Kevin Clune, who coaches linebackers and works as co-defensive coordinator. Anderson retained Cole Wilson to coach the secondary and work as co-defensive coordinator.
Former Murray High football and track coach Wes Meier will coach SUU's defensive line. Meier is a former Ute player.
The other link in this relationship is Ricks College, now without football.
Anderson coached the offensive line for Ricks and recruited Wilson, Roderick and Cole along with SUU graduate assistant Sam Lutui.
"That may be the real connection to it all," Roderick said.
Roderick and Sitake have signed on and are ecstatic to work with Anderson and even enjoy the Ute-BYU banter.
"When Kalani and I start talking about our fondest moments in the BYU-Utah rivalry, it just happens to be the most bitter memory for the Ute guys and it goes visa versa," Roderick said. "Their best memories are the ones that hurt the most for us to remember and it's very interesting to hear their side of it, how it went down.
"This BYU-Utah thing has been good for us because I think recruits like it and so do their parents. We've got a good thing going here, and we're very excited to get things going."
"Hey, this is a dream come true and we love it down here," Sitake said.
Anderson says he's lucky to have his two former Cougars as assistants.
"They bring a wealth of talent and knowledge of football to the table. They are great recruiters and I'm glad to have both of them even if they are Cougars.
Some of those SUU recruits include eight midyear transfers whom Anderson believes will make an immediate impact on his squad.
"They work hard and we expect them to come in and immediately push the other players who we have and that makes for an overall good situation," Anderson said.
The transfers include Snow College receivers Ben Anderson (Fairview) and A.J. Smith (Lehi), and Badger teammates Ilaisa Tuiaki, a running back (Provo) offensive lineman Jeff Barbee (Morgan) and defensive end Sitiveni Tuivai from Tatakamotonga (Tonga); tight end Waylon Bond (Morgan, Dixie State), offensive lineman Derik Bringhurst (Highland High, Dixie State) and offensive lineman Jess Hacker (Snow Canyon, Dixie State).
"We've really had an outstanding recruiting effort with these guys," Sitake said. "I think fans will enjoy our efforts, and working with coach Anderson is just awesome."
Sounds like a match made on I-15.
E-MAIL: dharmon@desnews.com