PROVO — Due in large part to a number of players becoming embroiled in Honor Code and legal issues, BYU's football recruiting class of 2004 has been decimated.
When the school announced the signing of 21 high school seniors and junior college transfers last February, coaches raved about the skill and speed of those incoming athletes and it appeared to be a class filled with promise.
Now, the Cougars are trying to fill a huge void.
Some six months after national letter-of-intent day, six of those players were connected to an alleged crime. Four of them — Karland Bennett, B.J. Mathis, Ibrahim Rashada and William Turner — were eventually indicted on felony charges in connection with an alleged aggravated sexual assault. They have since left school. Two more players who were also connected with the alleged incident, Antwaun Harris and Billy Skinner, transferred this past month.
Another recruit, Greg Lovely, also transferred recently, though he wasn't connected with the alleged crime.
The mass exodus has created a daunting challenge for the BYU football program.
"You're actually losing two recruiting classes," explained recruiting coordinator Paul Tidwell. "You have to fill in this year because you lost guys who you were counting on that you signed last year that are no longer here. It leaves a hole."
The Cougars hope to continue the process of replenishing their talent pool today, the first day recruits can sign national letters of intent.
Besides the loss of personnel, BYU's 2004 recruiting class will have a long-lasting impact on the program — particularly the way it recruits players.
"The whole recruiting emphasis has changed," Tidwell said.
Those recruits who officially sign with BYU today have experienced this new, more thorough approach.
The alleged sexual assault was embarrassing for BYU, which trumpets its high standards and requires all of its students to sign and adhere to a stringent Honor Code. The case drew national attention, the kind of attention an institution like BYU abhors. ESPN's award-winning "Outside the Lines" shined a spotlight on the football program's troubles during a show that aired the night before the Cougars' season-opening win over Notre Dame.
Negative exposure stemming from the alleged incident stung BYU and LDS Church officials. It was a factor in the school's decision to make a coaching change after the Cougars posted their third consecutive losing season. Gary Crowton, who was at the helm of the program for four seasons, resigned under pressure on Dec. 1.
Because of the ensuing fallout, the football program, under newly hired head coach Bronco Mendenhall, has altered its recruiting methods. Lessons have been learned and changes have been implemented.
"We don't want to have that black eye ever again," Tidwell said. "We've addressed the situation by determining not to let it happen again. We don't want that type of publicity for a place like BYU. Coach Mendenhall has instituted new policies. We're implementing more effective recruiting procedures."
Those policies and procedures are aimed at preventing potential problems.
"We're emphasizing what is required and expected here to (recruits)," Tidwell said. "We're doing more research, more background checks. The university is involved more in the interview process and the evaluation."
University chaplain James Slaughter and dean of students Vernon Heperi, Tidwell said, meet with incoming recruits to ensure that they understand the Honor Code and are committed to living it.
"To say we'll have 100 percent of the players avoiding mistakes every year would be crazy," Tidwell said. "But we're doing everything we can to catch problems before they get here. We're talking to (players') school principals, their athletic directors and school counselors. If the player is not LDS, we talk to their pastors. It's a more thorough process."
The Cougars have recruited highly touted players the past few years, but when those players can't be retained, it doesn't mean much.
Not surprisingly, when Mendenhall was introduced as BYU's new coach on Dec. 13, one of the first things he addressed was the Honor Code. He said he planned a more cautious and comprehensive evaluation of prospective players as well as a concerted effort to retain them as representatives of the football program and the LDS Church-sponsored university.
"I coach from the spirit, and it's been said that I ask a great effort from my players. I don't think it's possible to give great effort unless they're right inside," Mendenhall said. He added that, "a good kid at another place doesn't necessarily mean it's a young man who can follow the Honor Code here."
While the void caused by the class of 2004 won't be overcome right away, Tidwell is confident that Mendenhall's plan will be successful.
"He's doing it the right way," he said. "We're still learning. It will be a process. We can't have those mistakes again."
Roster losses
A list of names from BYU's 21-player recruiting class in 2004 who are no longer with the program:
Karland Bennett, DB: Did not play, suspended
Antwaun Harris, WR: 222 all-purpose yards, left school
Greg Lovely, DB: Played in five games, transferred
B.J. Mathis, KR: Did not play, suspended
Ibrahim Rashada, DB: Played in five games, suspended
Eddie Scipio, DB: Never arrived
William Turner, LB: Did not play, suspended
Billy Skinner, DB: Did not play, transferred
E-mail: jeffc@desnews.com