There’s one new player on the BYU football roster whom coaches Kalani Sitake, Jay Hill and Aaron Roderick admit to being a little partial toward.
That player is reserve linebacker Max Alford, a transfer from Utah State. Alford joined the No. 23 Cougars in July, and already is starting to make his mark as the backup to starting middle linebacker Siale Esera.
Thrust into significant playing time when senior Choe Bryant-Strother sustained a season-ending knee injury, Alford has appeared in all four games and made two tackles, including one for a loss.
“Man, being here at BYU has been nothing short of a blessing,” the 6-foot-1, 230-pound Alford said last week. “I’m a faithful guy, and I recognize God’s grace over my entire situation, how it kind of went down. … I am just blessed to have the opportunity, despite the adversity and challenges I have been through.”
Adversity first struck Max and his family on Aug. 12, 2013, when his father, Aaron Alford, died unexpectedly of an apparent heart attack at the age of 39.
Max was 9. He has two brothers, Elijah and Samuel, who played for Montana. His mother, Linda, was suddenly tasked with raising the family alone in Park City.
“Just having God as my foundation has been really, really helpful for me. And I just have a different respect for mothers. My mom is my superhero.”
— BYU linebacker Max Alford
“It was a little bit tough on me, but I’ve come through it OK,” Max said. “I think it is super important for kids to have a father figure in their life, or father in their life. I’ve been super blessed. Some of my closest friends and family (have ensured) that I had a ton of father figures in my life after my dad passed.”
Some of those father figures include the aforementioned BYU coaches. Sitake, Hill and Roderick all coached with Aaron Alford from 2007-10 when they worked together at the University of Utah. They have all known Max since he was a toddler.
“I worked with Aaron, and I am good friends with him and his family,” Sitake said. “I know the whole family (and are) very familiar with them. … I am thankful that Max is with us and love his father, who passed away a while ago. Aaron Alford was a great, great man. He was a great friend to me. I am glad I get to coach his son.”
Aaron Alford played defensive back for Colorado State in the 1990s, then went into coaching after a shoulder injury ended his playing career. He worked at Southern Utah — with Roderick — in 1999 and 2000 and also coached at Western Illinois, Wyoming and Akron. He met Linda Stover when he was at SUU and married her in 2001.
When he died, Aaron Alford was serving as executive director of New Beginnings Behavioral Treatment Agency in West Jordan, a center for troubled youth. He was also the athletic director for Park City High and a board member for Ute Conference Youth Football.
“I knew him very well. … He lived a couple houses up the street from my kids in Park City, or his family does,” Roderick said. “I did get a chance to watch Max play in high school, because he went to the same high school as my kids. Yeah, we think he’s a really good football player, and great kid.”
BYU’s Hill, the defensive coordinator, watched Max play for Park City High as an outstanding linebacker and running back — he ran for 1,020 yards and nine touchdowns as a junior but was injured during the season opener of his senior year — and tried to recruit him to Weber State when Hill was head coach at the Ogden school.
“We have known about Max for a long time,” Hill said. “He has done a great job. He has picked up the defense quickly, which is a very difficult defense to learn. He has added super valuable reps for us and I see him getting better and better.”
From Park City to Utah State to BYU
BYU recruited Max Alford out of high school a little bit, but the multisport star at PCHS wanted to play defense in college, and the Cougars seemed to be more interested in him as a running back. So he chose the Aggies, having been recruited to Logan by now-BYU linebackers coach Justin Ena.
At Utah State, Max Alford got off to a blazing start, starting in four games and appearing in all 13. He made 40 tackles in 2022, including four for losses.
However, he was injured the first defensive play of the 2023 season, at Iowa, and sat out the remainder of that season. Last year, he played in the first four games, got injured again, and redshirted.
With Utah State hiring former BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall, Max decided to enter the transfer portal last winter.
“The new staff and me, we just felt like it was time to split up. I never really got to meet (Mendenhall). But we just both thought it was best for me to move forward. My time there was nothing short of great. I am grateful. I met some of the best people that I call brothers over there. But it was just time to split ways.”
Max said when he was in the portal he had two or three offers, and had been given a deadline from those schools to commit. On the day he was supposed to make a decision, he got a call from BYU’s Ena with an offer to play for the Cougars.
“Coach Ena is a respected linebackers coach in the college ranks. He’s put a lot of dudes into the league (NFL),” Max said. “I felt this was the best move for my future. It was a good move. I have learned so much here, just as a player in terms of building my football IQ and all that.”
Defensive end Bodie Schoonover said Alford has fit in seamlessly to one of the best defenses in the Big 12.
“I have got to know Max pretty well. He is an awesome dude. He is a very hard worker. That’s what stands out. He is very smart. He knows the game,” Schoonover said. “He is just a solid player and a solid dude. You can count on him.”
Jumping into the linebackers rotation
With Esera, Jack Kelly and Isaiah Glasker, BYU has one of the best linebacker lineups in the Big 12, if not the country. But with Strother-Bryant going down and freshman Pierson Watson inexperienced at the position but said to have a huge upside, Max has filled a big need.
“You’ve seen Max play on the field a lot more, because we have a system where we want to keep guys fresh. … When we lost Choe it was important for us to keep the rotation somewhat consistent, so we can keep our guys fresh,” Sitake said. “That’s why you’ve seen Max. He’s done a great job. Other linebackers, like Miles Hall and Ace Kaufusi, done a great job, too.”
Though it all, Max has leaned on the coaches who have known him since he was 3 or 4, in addition to his faith and his mother, Linda.
“Just having God as my foundation has been really, really helpful for me,” he said. “And I just have a different respect for mothers. My mom is my superhero.”
