As many wins as Bronco Mendenhall collected at BYU, as often as he bodysurfed in the locker room, or raced along the sidelines after a big win, it was always there.
The lurking reality that this was as good as it gets.
BYU has limited speed and access, and he never had quite enough of either. Team speed was an ongoing problem; access to the playoffs and big bowls an even bigger one. Clearly he thinks he can find both at Virginia.
Then there’s the honor code.
Getting four-star players to go along with that is like coaxing a cat out of its hiding place.
The Atlantic Coast Conference school announced Mendenhall’s hiring Friday afternoon. It could hardly have been more shocking. He had become a fixture in Provo. Though he was never LaVell Edwards, who always struck the right note, Mendenhall had a niche. To some he came off as preachy, or awkward, but he sold the program and the message courteously and with good humor.
Meanwhile, when BYU announced it was going independent, he was all-in. And when the school admitted it was dying to get in a power conference, he openly agreed, mentioning it at every opportunity.
He loyally showed up at Friday night LDS firesides when the Cougars were traveling, avoided NCAA sanctions (a major accomplishment) and did his best at selling a perennially winning but sometimes undermanned program.
Facing “the best teams on the biggest stages” was his mantra.
Unfortunately, that also included Wagner, Savannah State, Idaho State, Idaho, New Mexico State and anyone else the Cougars could schedule. Which is largely why he’s off to Virginia. And why the next guy — Navy coach Ken Niumatalolo, Oregon State defensive coordinator Kalani Sitake, and BYU offensive coordinator Robert Anae have been mentioned — will have the same challenges.
BYU is a great place to be if you’re LDS. But with other schools effectively recruiting Mormons, the job isn’t easy. So Mendenhall made a choice of whether to keep fighting the good fight in Provo or trying to elevate a downtrodden Virginia.
Facing Clemson and Florida State is still easier than fighting independence.
Not to mention the fact he’ll get a raise.
No one could call Mendenhall a quitter, or disloyal. When he first got hired 11 seasons ago, he didn’t sound like he expected to be a coach forever (Edwards held the job for 29 years). But now he needed a new challenge. Though he won’t say it, he needed a level playing field, too.
Winning 10 games in a season is special, but not so much when some of the teams are Hawaii and below.
At BYU, the coach must be not only a missionary, but a mission president, keeping players focused and overseeing the ebb and flow of missionaries. He’s at a school where drinking a beer is an infraction big enough to get a top player suspended. It’s also where throwing a punch — which happens other places, too — is magnified.
That has to wear out a coach.
While there are some impressive personalities to replace him, it won’t be easy for anyone. That’s why a proven coach like Utah’s Kyle Whittingham — a BYU graduate — seems unlikely. He has had good success where he is, with fewer constraints and more money.
The change in coaches is another chance for BYU to take stock in its position. If the objective is to be visible for the Church, and play respectable football, things could go on indefinitely. If it’s to win national championships, as Mendenhall used to say, good luck on that.
BYU says it’s in the black financially, which few schools can claim. But that has to be complicated when power conference teams are raking in $20 million or more per year.
Usually when a new coach comes in, he brings a plan to change things around. Mendenhall’s replacement will do the same. But considering the restrictions, how different can it be? It will be the same players, as long as the Cougars remain independent. And as long as there’s an honor code.
BYU shouldn’t change that.
But after 11 years, it’s someone else’s turn to give it a shot.
Email: rock@desnews.com; Twitter: @therockmonster; Blog: Rockmonster Unplugged