Utah cornerback Jaylon Johnson and Utah State quarterback Jordan Love have declared, as well as BYU teammate Ty’Son Williams. BYU’s Matt Bushman and Khyiris Tonga are considering.
The lure of leaving college football early for the NFL is a real tug, a tremendous opportunity.
Bushman and Tonga have hit the weight room in the cold of winters, pushing weights and lifting dumbbells. Their springs and summers have been spent with their brothers, creating bonds they’ll have for the rest of their lives. It’s never been a business on their end, despite the school and corporations making money off their efforts, but a collective love of the game, fighting alongside friends and entertaining fans.
The NFL changes much of that — if you make it.
It’s a business. Sure, there are bonds to be made, but the pathways can be changed with the flick of a pen. Ask Kyle Van Noy.
The NFL means a paycheck, a signing bonus.
College football means you take the risk of injury and jeopardizing your future football career, all for the glory of obtaining an education and playing as an amateur.
Then there are the agents.
There is a growing industry where agents become an interesting voice in decisions to come out early. They can coax an athlete to go out early for myriad reasons, some based on empirical draft data, some on conjecture and a sprinkle of their own personal interests in obtaining a contract and making money.
Ask Yoeli Childs, whose paperwork snafu last spring with new NCAA rules in testing the NBA waters cost him one-third of his senior season at BYU. While Childs accepted responsibility and paid the price, did his agent do all he could to look after his client and inform him correctly and accurately?
Former Utah lineman Isaac Asiata had some advice for college underclassmen who are considering leaving the protective cocoon of college sports to test the waters as a professional.
In a tweet several weeks ago, Asiata advised in screaming capital letters:
“ATTN 2020 DRAFT PROSPECTS: DONT LET AGENTS SWEET TALK YOU. EVERY AGENT LOVES YOU RIGHT NOW, YOU’RE A POTENTIAL CASH COW. SEE IF THAT LOVE WILL STILL BE THERE AFTER YOU GET CUT FOR THE FIRST TIME OR GET HURT. ARE THEY TELLING TEAMS ABOUT YOU? OR THE OTHER DUDES IN YOUR POSITION?”
Asiata was a four-year starter for the Utes and won the Morris Trophy as the Pac-12’s best lineman of 2016. He was drafted in 2017 and played in just two games with the Miami Dolphins. He was on the practice squad for the Buffalo Bills before retiring on July 30, 2019.
Since Asiata played all four years, he is likely speaking as a witness of the process and what he’s experienced with friends and teammates. His warning is likely for his Utes, but could be meant for any college underclassman.
Bushman and Tonga are interesting cases. They have potential, but could they end up undrafted free agents?
Both are older athletes, having served church missions that took them away from football for two years.
Tonga’s mission was to Wichita, Kansas, and it’s been a long time since he played and starred at Granger High.
Bushman spent two years in the Santiago South Chile Mission out of Sabino High in Tucson. He’s married to Emily Lewis, daughter of former BYU and NFL tight end Chad Lewis.
Bushman and Tonga have mixed draft reviews, as do most who are not first- or second-round locks. They have pros and cons.
I wouldn’t blame Tonga or Bushman if they elected to put their names in for the NFL combine and subsequent draft. They are talented, they’ve had great moments on the college stage and have more than paid their price for services rendered.
You’d want them to receive the best chance they can at the next level. History has shown a a lot of that is luck — getting with the right team that recognizes abilities and has a need for that kind of talent.
Look at Fred Warner at San Francisco, Taysom Hill at New Orleans or Van Noy, who has two Super Bowl rings with the New England Patriots.
But for every NFL player who made it, there are others who may have been best served by another year growing, getting stronger and building a better resume. More time in the incubator could help.
In the Hawaii Bowl, for instance, Bushman continued to receive priceless praise from commentators during the game, pushing his talent. Could he use another season of that to help on the next level?
Maybe.
Either way, the NFL is a different game and it is reserved for the very best athletes in the world.
Good luck to Johnson, Love and Williams. The leap for Johnson and Love is less of a gamble. They are expected to be taken high in the 2020 draft. Their agents don’t have to bluff or create a resume to make a sale.
And if Bushman and Tonga, or one or the other, decide to make that leap, may the force be with you.
If not, just make yourselves better.
Editor’s note: A few hours after this column was published, Bushman announced that he will return to BYU for his senior season.