PROVO — There are 19 of them, fresh from knocking on doors and preaching in those white shirts and ties with Eddie Haskell haircuts. But three have made an impact immediately in BYU's football practices this fall.
And that's a surprise.
These are recently returned LDS missionaries who comprise BYU's football roster. There are 62 of them overall and 19 who just came home to civilian life within the past few months. But offensive lineman Dallas Reynolds, linebacker Bryan Kehl and safety Corby Hodgkiss have found themselves making noise, even playing with the first team.
"It's unreal, it's just unreal because the standard has been that it takes at least a year — you don't count on them for at least a year," BYU head coach Bronco Mendenhall said. "I need to make my own determination because that's not the case with these three."
Reynolds, a freshman, hasn't played football for three years since he left Timpview High School to serve a mission to Washington. But in the last week, he has been placed alongside his older brother, center Lance Reynolds, at left guard and is sharing rotations with senior Brian Sanders.
Kehl, who played as a sophomore before spending two years in Toronto, is eight weeks off his mission. Yet this past week, he has had huge plays in BYU's camp. One included a TD-stopping change-of-direction chase and tackle on receiver Zac Collie, a play on which Collie had scored a touchdown three other times in fall camp.
Hodgkiss returned from a mission just 10 days before two-a-day drills began. Although he has diabetes and has been away from the game for two years, Hodgkiss had his number called by Mendenhall and position coach Barry Lamb when several secondary players went down. Hodgkiss responded by making plays, knocking down passes and grabbing an interception with the No. 1 defense.
"Dallas Reynolds comes back and earns a spot," Mendenhall said. "He's performing very well. Corby Hodgkiss comes back, has diabetes, is just off a mission and through opportunities performs well. Bryan Kehl, well, you see how he's running around. That's a tribute to these kids.
"I don't think it is because they weren't serving well on their missions because they were serving well out there. I just think there is something about the character or physical makeup of some guys. You can't count them out, and there are others who still aren't ready and they've been back a year and a half."
Perhaps the biggest surprise is Reynolds, one of three sons of assistant head coach Lance Reynolds. Another son, Matt Reynolds, signed with BYU but left for a mission to Munich, Germany, this past week.
Unlike Kehl and Hodgkiss, Dallas Reynolds is packing a lot of weight on his giant frame. He has a higher percentage of body fat to push around. His cardiovascular system, by the laws of physics, has to take longer to adjust to the rigors of two-a-days. Yet, he's made an impact.
Reynolds is 6-foot-5 and more than 310 pounds. It is supposed to be very hard for big linemen to come back quick and be ready to perform after missions. But Reynolds has actually started several scrimmages for the Cougar offensive line, and his older brother Lance doesn't hide his pride.
"I've been really impressed with him," said Lance Reynolds Jr. "With every returned missionary, they try hard to just get their legs back underneath them and just get an idea of what's going on. He's been eager to learn. He's been coming up to the older guys, spending time with Lunch (Brian Sanders) and me and asking questions, Even coach (Jeff) Grimes has noticed that he's been eager to learn and absorbed things he's been taught."
What is the hardest thing for Dallas? His brother, who has been through it, says "everything."
"I remember when I came back, it is hard," Lance Reynolds Jr. said. "Your body doesn't respond the way you want it to. Your body just doesn't respond like it did before. But you keep working and working, and it starts to come back. He's done that. He has a hunger to get better. I've been impressed with him because every day he improves on what he's done the day before."
After each game, coaches grade offensive linemen and give them a percentage of assignments for blocking and picking up blitzes. When asked what he'd grade Dallas, his brother said "the mid-80s."
But he added, "For all of us there is a lot of room to work. I've been impressed how hard he's going and how he comes back and wants to learn what to do. He's catching on quick. I think he can contribute."
E-mail: dharmon@desnews.com