On and off the field, he was a leader and did everything right. I wish I had a hundred of them just like him and life would be so easy. – Mitchell Jergens' high school coach Todd Thompson said.
Receiver Mitchell Juergens is the face of a critical element of BYU football over the years.
Walk-ons are a mainstay with every college football program. But because BYU signs and sends so many on LDS church missions, the Cougars are in limbo with the scholarhip count come Signing Day.
Walk-ons save Bronco Mendenhall’s program.
So, Mendenhall asks a lot of some recruits to walk on his team and pay their own way for a year or perhaps the duration. He struck gold with quarterback Christian Stewart last year, who returned time and time again to a program that didn’t have a scholarship for him until late last August.
Mendenhall has found plenty of worker bees that cost him very little for a decade. Some prime examples today: Juergens, running back Nate Carter, defensive back Grant Jones, offensive lineman Parker Dawe, defensive back Grant Jones and incoming freshman linebacker Scott Huntsman, who is pushing for backup duties after just four weeks.
Once upon a time, NFL All-Pro tight end Chad Lewis was a walk-on for LaVell Edwards after an LDS mission to China.
Next week, Mendenhall will dole out two scholarships. Who gets them is anybody’s guess. But the likely candidates are solid stock character guys, endurance specialists, self-sacrificing types who thrive on the prove-it factor. They don’t let go or quit.
On Sept. 1, Mendenhall will probably choose a junior or senior for this reward.
Juergens, a junior, and his twin brother, Garrett, walked on after sterling high school careers in Houston. They went on LDS missions. Both are Eagle Scouts. Mitchell started last year as slot receiver and will see an increased role in 2015.
To find out what makes a walk-on like Mitchell Juergens tick, I contacted Todd Thompson, his high school coach at Langham Creek High School near Katy, Texas. I asked him what he got out of Mitchell in high school and why.
“As good a family and as good a kid as I’ve ever coached,” Thompson said. “On and off the field, he was a leader and did everything right. I wish I had a hundred of them just like him and life would be so easy. He’s the same every day, no ups and downs. Whatever he is doing, it is 100 percent whether football, academics or working at the church. He’s almost like a perfect kid, him and his brother.
“His family actually has three sons at BYU now. One younger one just got off a mission and enrolled. They also had an older brother attend and graduate from BYU and so did his wife.“
As a disclaimer, Thompson said he is best friends with Mitchell’s father, Dr. Kurt Juergens, Houston’s top sports injury chiropractic specialist who has worked the U.S. Track and Field Trials and U.S. Men’s Clay Court Tennis Championships.
Dr. Juergens graduated from BYU. His daughter Heidi was a Cougarette.
You get the picture. This family is blue-blooded. Loyal as Labradors.
And, Mitchell, athletically?
Thompson described Mitchell as the real deal, who was an all-district receiver. Juergens was BYU’s third-leading receiver in 2015 with 28 catches for 424 yards including 7 catches for 107 yards in a win over California.
“He’s fast, he has incredible hands, he’s very football smart and he’s one of those kids who always played as hard as he could play. He never took a play off,” said Thompson.
“Their family would never say a bad thing about anyone, or complain. They are devoted to BYU and their church. His dad paid his tuition Monday, waiting until the last minute to see if they’d put him on.”
After Saturday’s scrimmage, I caught up with Juergens, just checking where his head was after a third August camp at BYU, doing whatever was asked.
“It’s going really well, we’re gelling as an offense with our quarterback by building chemistry. We’re showing him with our work ethic and diligence on and off the field, that he can trust us and that’s important,” said Mitchell.
Offensive coordinator Robert Anae is using Juergens as a slot receiver and running back, which is an increased role in a myriad of formations.
“I love the role,” he said. “Really, it’s whatever the coaches want for me and I’m going to do it. If it’s getting me more touches carrying the ball, I’ll do that. I’m going to do my best to get myself in better shape to help the team if I’m asked to run the ball.”
Walk-ons.
Mendenhall would be at a big loss without them. His recruiting numbers rarely add up to the allotted 25 scholarships on each February's signing date because he has to save scholarships for missionaries like QB Tanner Mangum.
This is Mendenhall’s out: keeping the Juergens-type guys in.
Todd Thompson
Dick Harmon, Deseret News sports columnist, can be found on Twitter as Harmonwrites and can be contacted at dharmon@desnews.com.